The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a story about a boy without a family who teams up with a black slave and journeys down the Mississippi River in search for the slaves freedom, and the boys independence in his escape from society. Throughout the journey down the river, Huck, who is a white boy, matures constantly and becomes more independent. He also produces a great friendship with Jim, the slave. The two of them encounter the adventure of their lives, and escape many close calls of being caught, or being recognized by authorities. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain displays how punishment for breaking laws and rules was extremely violent and strict during the nineteenth century. The methods of punishment used today have changed a great deal; there are many reasons behind the change in disciplinary techniques used then and now.
Mark Twain does a superb job revealing how violent and strict punishment was during the nineteenth century. Huck was constantly punished cruelly for breaking rules set by his guardians. When he got tired of school he played hooky, and the next day he received a hiding from the widow Douglas. When Huck stayed with his Pap he was beaten time after time for attending school, because Pap didnt approve of it. Pap warned him, If I catch you about that school Ill tan you good. He caught Huck a couple of times and thrashed him, but huck kept going to school just the same. Huck stated, I used to be scared of him all the time; he tanned me so much. By and by Pap got too handy with his hickory, and I couldnt stand it. I was all over welts. Once Pap threatened to cowhide Huck until he was black and blue if he didnt raise money for him (13-21).
People who broke rules during this period were strictly punished, most often in violent ways. Vigilance groups were active in frontier areas, where vigilantes would often capture a suspect, hold a trial, pass sentence, and execute the accused without actual legal officers being present (vigilantes Microsoft Encarta Enc.). When Peter Wilkes family and friends go to his grave to check for his tattoo they shout, Well do it, and if we dont find those marks well lynch the whole gang. This was because if the Duke and Dauphin were lying about his tattoo, then it meant they were conning them out of lots of money. Peters daughter yelled, The brute! Come dont waste a minute-not a second-well have them tarred and feathered, and thrown in the river! (Twain 169-182) Lynching is the killing of an alleged offender by an individual or group having no legal authority (Hutchinson Encyclopedia 456).
When the Duke and Dauphin were warned to flee a town they had been previously conning people in, a nigger had told them that theyd give them about a half an hours head start, and then run them down if they could, and if they could theyd tar and feather them and ride them on a rail. When Colonel Sherburn shot the drunk man in town somebody said he ought to be lynched. In about a minute everybody was saying it; so away they went, mad and yelling, and snatching down every clothes-line they came to, to do the hanging with (Twain 109-130). A hanging is execution by suspension, usually with a drop of two to six feet, so that the powerful jerk of the tightened rope breaks the neck (Hutchinson Encyclopedia 457).
One night Pap got drunk and went a-blowing around and whooping and carrying on; and he kept it up all over town, till almost midnight; then they jailed him, and the next day they had him before court, and jailed him again for a week (Twain 19). Punishments were also very severe for helping a slave escape. Something that Huck did, but luckily was not caught doing. The Fugitive Slave act imposed criminal penalties of up to six months in prison and a $1,500 fine, plus civil liability to the slave owner of $1,000 for each slave. If someone was caught by a vigilante they would most likely be lynched (Foster Farmhouse 1).
Punishment now for breaking laws and rules is extremely different than it was in the past. Parents believe there are many creative ways to help young people abide by family rules without using violence. Choose consequences that fit the rule your child breaks. Use punishments such as being grounded to their room with no privileges, taking away privileges of using the phone, or having friends over, can all be very effective. With more serious problems parents call their counselor immediately to ask for help and advice. Children may need to be hospitalized or enter an outpatient treatment program. The closer the consequence is to the misbehavior, the better the message (Schwebel 1).
Today people are protected from violent and unfair punishment. Amendment five guarantees no one be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law or compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself or herself. Amendment six grants the right to a speedy trial, to call witnesses, and to have defense council. Amendment seven grants the right to trial by jury of ones peers. Amendment eight prevents the infliction of excessive bail or fines, or cruel and unusual punishment (Todd and Curti 602-603).
Deterrence and separation from society, rather than revenge, became the principal purposes of punishment, with the degree of penalty adjusted to reflect the nature of the crime. Ensuing reforms reduced the number of capitol crimes, restricted corporal punishment, and virtually abolished mutilation, replacing most of these harsh measures with imprisonment (Punishment Microsoft Encarta Enc.). Punishments may include death, imprisonment, exile, fines, forfeiture of property, removal from office, and disqualification from holding such office (crime Microsoft Encarta Enc.).
There are many reasons for the change in discipline. Recently, people have had a change in attitude. They believe crime is an illness, a state of impaired functioning. Crime is an illness, which must be treated; and the people who commit crime must be cured. A person who commits crime must not be punished. We must adopt a therapeutic attitude towards crime. People who commit crime must be cared for so that their willingness and behavior be treated (Lewis 1). Jane Nelson an elementary school teacher states many adults look for logical consequences to punish every behavior. Looking for solutions is more effective in most situations. After learning about the effectiveness of focusing on solutions right along with my students, the level of respect and caring for each other was raised tenfold (Nelson).
Discipline has also changed because of the consequences of using violent punishment on children. Child abuse is a term that generally refers to mistreatment of a child by a parent or another adult. In extreme cases, a juvenile court may place children in a foster home or another type of child-care facility. Until the late 1800s little was done to prevent child abuse (Ziglar 456-457). In addition to these reasons the use of a stronger justice system had an effect on punishment, too. The United States often lacked established law enforcement agencies and, instead, exercised summary justice through vigilantes.
Pioneers punished murder, rape, horse thievery, and other capitol crimes by resorting to lynching (lynching Microsoft Encarta Enc.). In early societies punishment for a crime was left to the person wronged or to his or her kin. The punishments inflicted were characteristically cruel, and, by modern standards, out of proportion of the offense committed. With the growing complexity of society and the centralization of governments, the right to punish was taken from the offended party and vested in the state (punishment Microsoft Encarta Enc.).
Through Hucks adventures Mark Twain shows how brutal and intense punishment was during the nineteenth century. Through change in attitude, and a stronger and more efficient justice system punishment has changed immensely today. Only at the end of the nineteenth century did significant call for improved criminal procedure arise (punishment).
Bibliography:
Works Cited
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Foster Farmhouse. http://www.ugrr/foster.html
Hutchinson Encyclopedia. Copyright Helicon Publishing Group plc. 1998
Lewis, C. S. http://members.aol.com/plweissl/crime.htm
Lynching Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia. 1993-1997 Microsoft
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Nelson, Jane. http://www.empoweringpeople.com/solutions.html
Punishment Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia. 1993-1997 Microsoft
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Schwebel, Dr. Robert. Parent Soup.
http://www.parentsoup.com/resources/
Todd, Lewis Paul, Merle Curti. Triumph of the American Nation.
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers. Chicago 1982: 602-603
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Amsco School
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Vigilantes Microsoft Encarta 98 Encyclopedia. 1993-1997 Microsoft
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Ziglar, Alan. World Book Encyclopedia. Vol. 3 Child Abuse, 1993:
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