5. Why does so much lying go on in Huckleberry Finn?

[Jen]

5. Lying occurs frequently in this novel. Curiously, some lies, like those Huck tells to save Jim, seem to be “good” lies, while others, like the cons of the duke and the dauphin, seem to be “bad.” What is the difference? Are both “wrong”? Why does so much lying go on in Huckleberry Finn?

[Lynn]

The lying was part of the shtick of the story. The pretending to be one thing or another propels the story along.

[John]

Perhaps Twain is challenging the common morality that says that all lies are bad, without seeing distinctions. He does seem to suggest that the goodness or badness of a lie is dependent on the motive of the teller.

[Kristel]

It maybe is not so much the lie but the motive behind the telling of the untruth.