Lying In Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn

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Lying exists everywhere, even in such a powerful novel. Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain. However, some lies that Huck tells to save Jim appear to be “good” lies, while others, like the cons of the duke and dauphin, seem to be “bad”. Therefore, the difference is that some lies, like what Huck tells Jim, are actually “good” in a sense that they are pertained to Jim’s protection, while when the con men lie, they are deceiving people. Well, both lies are “wrong”, because any type of lie is immoral, however, “good” lies are acceptable in society. A lot of lying goes on in Huckleberry Finn, because Jim and Huck have both runaway, and they have to be careful not to get caught. The lies that are told by Huck to save Jim are “good” lies, while the ones the con men tell are…show more content…
The adventures and situations they encounter on the river, and the people they acquaint with, is a necessary reason for lying to occur. This lying is necessary so that both Jim and Huck do not get caught. He is constantly lying about who he is in order to protect his and Jim’s identities, and frequently to gain people’s sympathy. He doesn’t, however, feel good about people being hurt because of the lies he tells; he views lying as more of a necessity for his and Jim’s safety, and tries not to lie at the expense of other people. 
Huck mentions that telling the truth rarely is the safest thing to do: “I reckon a body that ups and tells the truth when he is in a tight place, is taking a considerable many resks … and yet here’s a case where … the truth is better, and actuly safer, than a lie.” (Ch. 23)
While the characters of ‘the King’ and ‘the Duke’, lie for selfish reasons and they even lied to Huck and Jim about being the descendants of royalty so they could get special treatment and also travel from town to town, conning people. These lies are for selfish reasons and are viewed as

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