Wisdom is to maturity like writing an article is to taking an English course. And wisdom can only be acquired through life experience, good, bad, or somewhere in between. Huck's maturity develops during his adventure on the Mississippi River, where he must make "grown-up" choices that will affect not only him but also his addicted friend, Jim, showing that all children need is to get along. be given responsibilities to become responsible. At the beginning of the novel, Huck's life is completely controlled for him. Miss Watson is one of the main characters who influences him in this way. From the beginning, the reader sees Miss Watson step in and take on the role of Huck's true caretaker. She does this the only way she knows how, which is by establishing strict rules and guidelines that must be followed. A few of these are that he must go to school, he must go to church, he must have good manners, etc., as shown when he states that Miss Watson would say, "Don't don't put your feet up there, Huckleberry; and "Don't get upset like that, Huckleberry, stand up straight;" and pretty soon she was saying, "Don't pull away and stretch like that, Huckleberry, why don't you try to behave?" Then she told me all about this bad place and I said I wish I was there. She then got angry, but I didn't mean any harm. All I wanted was to go somewhere; all I wanted was a change, I warn, not special. Well, I didn't see any benefit in going where she was going, so I decided not to try. But I never said it, because it would only cause trouble and would do no good (Twain 13). Here, Huck proves to the reader that Miss Watson actually controls him. This is seen when he states that he does not understand why these rules or regulations are made, ...... middle of paper ...... people are incompetent and should not be allowed to cope These difficulties only make the maturation process more lethargic. From his experience on the Mississippi, Huck grows up and becomes an adult even though he is only a child in the eyes of society. All Huck needed was a chance to take on some responsibility, and he learned much more than he could have learned in the classroom. Epstein comments on Twain's work by asking the same question: why do we hold back an incompetent teenager when he has shown time and time again that all he needs to grow, to mature, is a certain amount of responsibility? Works Cited Epstein, Robert. The arguments against adolescence: rediscovering the adult in every adolescent. Sanger, CA: Quill Driver /Word Dancer, 2007. Print.Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; And The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: Signet Classic, 2002. Print.