The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a novel by Mark Twain, does a good job at depicting southern aristocracy and how it was messed up in a lot of different ways. Around the time during the Civil War, there was a handful of families that were filthy rich from giant plantations. The Grangerfords are an example of one such family that falls into this category. Huck complimented their house: “I hadn’t seen no house out in the country before that was so nice and had so much style” (99). It’s nice that they’re rich, but it isn’t nice enough to mask the fact that they live with a lot of negativity. For example, the Grangerfords hate the Shepherdsons, and vice versa. They also pass on the hatred to their children, like Buck Grangerford. When Huck asks Buck about the shootout in chapter 18, he simply explains his rationale for trying to kill Harney Shepherdson: “Why, nothing- only it’s on account of the feud” (107). He even says that Harney has never “done anything to [Buck]” (107). This showcases the mindset of Buck, and it is extremely unhealthy morally, socially, and any other -ally word related to good behavior. The thing that makes it even more messed up is that young Buck is only about 13 years old and is already brainwashed to learn to hate for no reason. This argument reflects the title “Morals Over Money” perfectly because the lives of the Grangerfords may be well in respect to wealth, but morally, they are the opposite.

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