Throughout life, people grow in many ways. It is the life experiences that people face that help them mature and develop. The novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, develops themes with its motifs. In the novel, Huck begins as a young boy with no education, no mother, and a drunken and violent father. Huck decided to fake his death and run to ensure his safety. Along the way, he meets Jim, a runaway slave from the town he previously lived in, and must make the decision whether or not to help him escape. Considering the times, this was a monumental moral decision for this young boy to make. Huck has to grow up a lot in a short time because of the situations he goes through. The motifs of childhood, lies, and cons develop the theme of maturation and development in Huck throughout the story. The childhood motif helps develop Huck's theme of maturation. Huck had an abusive father when he was a child. He has to deal with a drunk father who can't take care of himself, let alone a child. Unfortunately, this made Huck realize that he had to grow up to be able to support himself. Huck describes his father and says, “His hair was long, matted, and greasy, and hanging down, and you could see it shining as if he were behind vines. » (28). Huck describing his father's appearance, as if he hadn't bathed in weeks and couldn't take care of himself. Huck faked his own death, which made him mature. He had to plan and make sure every detail was perfect. He had to realize that the world is not perfect and he needs to mature and make sure everything is perfect. Huck took in a freed slave and made him mature. This made his childhood short, as he had to make a very heavy moral decision. He had to do what he... middle of paper ...... how he grew throughout the story. The theme of development and maturation is developed through Huck by the motifs Childhood, lies and disadvantages. Huck's childhood is anything but normal, he is forced to grow up and mature very quickly because of the situations he goes through. Lies mature Huck because he must lie to save himself and Jim from their old lives. Meeting the King and Duke also helped Huck grow and mature through the experiences he learned from them. Huck must grow in many ways and over the course of the novel. Huck experiences many things with Jim that help him grow and change. He matures so much throughout the story. Maturing is a natural thing, everyone does it. The more situations a person is confronted with, the more mature they become. Works Cited Twain, Mark. Adventure of Huckleberry Finn. New York: Penguin Group, 1985. Print.