This paper discusses the position of the
critics who are fond of arguing that Mark Twain chose a "cop out" way to end his
story. This paper explains that
critics believe that because Huck Finn develops morally throughout the story, the
ending of the story in which Finn deteriorates into his old ways is wrong. The author of this paper attempts to show why it was necessary for Twain to choose such an ending and why it is consistent with the rest of the book.