Why do huckleberry finn and jim go south?

Question

how and why does this happen. what are the implications?

Answer 1

How- Huck built a raft so that he and Jim could float down the river.

Why-Huck staged his own death to get away from his abusive father, and he happens to meet Jim while on his escape.

Implications- Mark Twain grew up around the Mississippi and steamboats, rafts, and kneel-boats, so it is obvious that this influenced him. Also, slavery was prevalent in the south, and it was wrong to help a escaped slave.

At the age of 15, Twain said that he read the Bible completely and said that it soiled his mind-so he rejects religion. In a sense, he believed Christianity should not dictate how a person morality. One has to get away from civilization to realize in themselves what is right and wrong. Our life in the present was more important than the afterlife. Huck's Christian conscience tells him to return Jim to Mrs. Watson, but he does not want to. So the Christian side of what's right conflicts with his human urge to help Jim. So Christian civilization upholds slavery even though inherently, humans know that it is wrong. If Christianity goes against humanity in dictating right and wrong, Huck would rather follow his human conscience and says he would prefer h**l over Heaven. Kind of liberating himself from the confines of society and religion and allowing Huck to decide himself what is right and wrong.

Twain, as an adult, was always critical of religion.

Answer 2

It is many years since I read Huckleberry Finn, and I really cannot remember details of the novel other than very generally.  However, these sites should help you with your work with it.