to be ""civilized""ãâ, what does it actually mean? maybe the problem in our society today is that we the people really do not even know the true meaning of ""civilized""ãâ. we base our ideas and thoughts on what the rest of society thinks and follow along. do you have to have an enormous vocabulary or dress up in fancy suits to be civilized? if these qualities pertain to the true definition of being civilized then in huck's case he would be nowhere near being civilized. ""and so when i couldn't stand it no longer i lit out. i got into my old rags and my sugar--hogshead again, and was free and satisfied.""ãâ(twain, pg.1) this is a quality that helps huck be distinguished from society. he is independent in his actions and ideas. the quality that really helps make a person civilized is being able to distinguish right from wrong. one that is possesses decent moral values and can stand up for an idea they believe in. huck possesses these qualities and by this is able to pursue his goal of trying to set jim free from slavery.