Chapters 1-5
Timeline:
1) Huckleberry Finn is living in the Widow's house.
2) Huck Finn and the Widow talk about the bible and how Tom Sawyer is going to hell.
3) Huck Finn is in his room and finds Tom Sawyer late at night and they sneak out.
4) While sneaking out with Tom Sawyer, they ran into a slave named Jim. They waited for him to fall asleep until they would leave.
5) They met up with other boys in a cave. They called themselves "Tom Sawyer's Gang".
6) They made an oath on killing people and stealing things and signed it with their blood.
7) After discussing murders and ransoms, Huck Finn headed home in time for bed.
8) There was a dead body found in the river. People think it is Huck Finn's dad but they can't tell because the face is all messed up.
9) After nothing exciting happening, the boys of "Tom Sawyer's Gang" resigned.
10) They find Huck Finn's dad's tracks in the snow.
11) Huck Finn immediately sells his fortune.
12) Huck Finn's dad cam back and met him in his room.
13) His dad got arrested and went to jail for getting drunk downtown.
Describe The Time Period of The Novel:
The time period of the novel is during the 1830’s. There was lots of land and freedom. In this time period, there were very few laws and slavery was present. During this time period, kids like Huckleberry Finn could do almost anything they wanted. It also explains how easy it was for him to fake his death because the lack of security and authority during the time. There were also probably many common cases for deaths because of the lack of medicine during the time.
How Does The Narrative Point Of View Influence The Story:
The perspective/narrative point of view in the story influences the readers by guiding them through their journey and their story. It puts the reader in the author’s shoes. This also might make the story different because it’s not exactly what happened, it’s how the author views, meaning it could be exaggerated.
1) Huckleberry Finn is living in the Widow's house.
2) Huck Finn and the Widow talk about the bible and how Tom Sawyer is going to hell.
3) Huck Finn is in his room and finds Tom Sawyer late at night and they sneak out.
4) While sneaking out with Tom Sawyer, they ran into a slave named Jim. They waited for him to fall asleep until they would leave.
5) They met up with other boys in a cave. They called themselves "Tom Sawyer's Gang".
6) They made an oath on killing people and stealing things and signed it with their blood.
7) After discussing murders and ransoms, Huck Finn headed home in time for bed.
8) There was a dead body found in the river. People think it is Huck Finn's dad but they can't tell because the face is all messed up.
9) After nothing exciting happening, the boys of "Tom Sawyer's Gang" resigned.
10) They find Huck Finn's dad's tracks in the snow.
11) Huck Finn immediately sells his fortune.
12) Huck Finn's dad cam back and met him in his room.
13) His dad got arrested and went to jail for getting drunk downtown.
Describe The Time Period of The Novel:
The time period of the novel is during the 1830’s. There was lots of land and freedom. In this time period, there were very few laws and slavery was present. During this time period, kids like Huckleberry Finn could do almost anything they wanted. It also explains how easy it was for him to fake his death because the lack of security and authority during the time. There were also probably many common cases for deaths because of the lack of medicine during the time.
How Does The Narrative Point Of View Influence The Story:
The perspective/narrative point of view in the story influences the readers by guiding them through their journey and their story. It puts the reader in the author’s shoes. This also might make the story different because it’s not exactly what happened, it’s how the author views, meaning it could be exaggerated.
Chapters 6-11
1) Explain why Pap has Huck locked up.
Pap locks up Huckleberry Finn because Huck won't stop attending school. A drunk Pap locked him up in a shack in the woods.
2) Create a visual of how Huck escapes The Shanty.
3) In chapter 8, Huck Fin and Jim run into each other. Huck says that people will call him a "low down Abolitionist and despise me for keeping mum" in reference to Jim running away. Explain what it means to be a abolitionist. Why is Huck concerned about being called one? You'll have to consider both the time period and the setting of the novel to answer the question.
To be an abolitionist is to support the abolishment /disbandment of slavery. Huck is concerned about being called this because the book takes place in the south just before the civil war. Being called a abolitionist in the south was a very heavy insult because it was just a huge part of their lives.
4) There are several things that gives Huck away when he pretends to be a girl. List them. Then, come up with 3 things that would give a boy away and 3 things that would give a girl away (if the roles were reversed) in our modern times -
- One was is when Huck threw the iron at the mouse, he couldn't thread the needle, and he was super fidgety.
- For boys, their voice, how they act around other boys, and body shape/actions.
- For girls it can be how they walk, how they talk, and how they sit.
chapters 12-16
1) What is the story of King Solomon and his child? How does Jim interpret that story?
Huckleberry Finn explains to Jim about all the circumstances and pomp about these types of men. This put Jim in awe. Jim explains how he's never heard of any kings before besides the King Solomon. Jim is confused how kings can get all the riches they want just by sitting around all day doing nothing. Jim interprets and can relate to this because he is a slave and he does all the work for his "masters".
2) When Jim wakes up after their separation in the fog, what does Jim's reaction to Huck's joke tell us about him? How do you feel about Jim at this point?
Once Jim had discovered that Huck had been using him for a joke, he did not react well. Jim wasn't very happy with Huck because he was concerned about Huck. Jim had already believed he lost him once. His reaction to Huck's joke showed how much he actually cared about Huck, and how much he disliked looking stupid. I feel bad for Jim because of how sad he and it showed a compassionate side to him.
3) Jim is very superstitious. From a historical standpoint, why do you think this is?
Jim is very superstitious, from a historical position, due to him being uneducated and having no other way of explaining his thoughts and beliefs on why certain things happen. If someone were to tell Jim something, he would probably believe whatever they say. This could contribute to him being a slave.
4)“It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger – but I done it, and I warn’t ever sorry for it afterwards, neither.” What does this line tell us about Huck?
This quote tells us how Huckleberry Finn was nervous about talking to Jim and nervous about apologizing. It this time period, the slaves were never correct and were never owed an apology. It was basically saying that their opinions and thoughts were not valid. Due to Huckleberry Finn being raised in this sort of atmosphere, it was kind of a big deal to give Jim an apology to him. This shows us that Huck is better than other people, was passionate, and knew that it really upset Jim, his friend.
5) At the end of chapter 16 Huck is struggling with giving Jim up. Outline the battle that he has with himself, and explain his actions when the men come up looking for the 5 escaped slaves.
In chapter 16 Huck begins to re-evaluate everything he is going through and everything he is doing. He doesn't know if it would be better to just give Jim up as a slave and betray the friendship they have made, or to help Jim escape but then be responsible for helping free a slave. As discussed in questions 1-4, Jim doesn't want to be recognized as an abolitionist. He is put in a very difficult position. Huck states that either way, he loses something. When the men come looking for the 5 escaped slaves and they ask if Jim is on the boat he says yes but so is his family and they are sick with smallpox. Huck chose to protect Jim and protect their special relationship. He quick thought of an excuse that would keep the men from finding Jim.
Huckleberry Finn explains to Jim about all the circumstances and pomp about these types of men. This put Jim in awe. Jim explains how he's never heard of any kings before besides the King Solomon. Jim is confused how kings can get all the riches they want just by sitting around all day doing nothing. Jim interprets and can relate to this because he is a slave and he does all the work for his "masters".
2) When Jim wakes up after their separation in the fog, what does Jim's reaction to Huck's joke tell us about him? How do you feel about Jim at this point?
Once Jim had discovered that Huck had been using him for a joke, he did not react well. Jim wasn't very happy with Huck because he was concerned about Huck. Jim had already believed he lost him once. His reaction to Huck's joke showed how much he actually cared about Huck, and how much he disliked looking stupid. I feel bad for Jim because of how sad he and it showed a compassionate side to him.
3) Jim is very superstitious. From a historical standpoint, why do you think this is?
Jim is very superstitious, from a historical position, due to him being uneducated and having no other way of explaining his thoughts and beliefs on why certain things happen. If someone were to tell Jim something, he would probably believe whatever they say. This could contribute to him being a slave.
4)“It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger – but I done it, and I warn’t ever sorry for it afterwards, neither.” What does this line tell us about Huck?
This quote tells us how Huckleberry Finn was nervous about talking to Jim and nervous about apologizing. It this time period, the slaves were never correct and were never owed an apology. It was basically saying that their opinions and thoughts were not valid. Due to Huckleberry Finn being raised in this sort of atmosphere, it was kind of a big deal to give Jim an apology to him. This shows us that Huck is better than other people, was passionate, and knew that it really upset Jim, his friend.
5) At the end of chapter 16 Huck is struggling with giving Jim up. Outline the battle that he has with himself, and explain his actions when the men come up looking for the 5 escaped slaves.
In chapter 16 Huck begins to re-evaluate everything he is going through and everything he is doing. He doesn't know if it would be better to just give Jim up as a slave and betray the friendship they have made, or to help Jim escape but then be responsible for helping free a slave. As discussed in questions 1-4, Jim doesn't want to be recognized as an abolitionist. He is put in a very difficult position. Huck states that either way, he loses something. When the men come looking for the 5 escaped slaves and they ask if Jim is on the boat he says yes but so is his family and they are sick with smallpox. Huck chose to protect Jim and protect their special relationship. He quick thought of an excuse that would keep the men from finding Jim.
Chapters 17-21
1.Describe the Grangerford family (Chapter 17 &18).
The Grangerford family was very wealthy family, and every one of the children had slaves of their own. There are 6 kids in the family, including the dead daughter named Emmeline. The Father is named Colonel Grangerford, and he is pretty nice and relaxed. The family is somewhat odd and strange. Currently, the family has conflict with the Shepherdson's, which helps show why they acted the way they did when they met Huck. They thought was a Shepherdson. One time the youngest child named Buck tried to shoot Harney Shepherdson but he missed. There had been a gun fight with the Shepherson's and killed two of the Grangerford's.
2.Mark Twain alludes that the feud between the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons is about traditional feuds between farmer (“granger”) and rancher (“shepherd”). Why would he write this into the novel? What does it say about these two occupations at this time? (Chapter 18)
I believe that the motive for Mark Twain to write this into the novel was to bring light on what it was being a farmer and a rancher was like during the time. Farmers and ranchers had to work with each other, and there were many conflicts between the two. The Grangerfords and Shepherdson's were like this in their rivalry. This scenario displays that during the time these two jobs were very competitive with each other by trying to win over the same customers.
3) Toward the end of chapter 18 Huck says “I don’t want to talk much about the next day. I reckon I’ll cut it pretty short.” Huck says this prior to telling us about the big battle. How does our narrator’s perspective play a role in what we think and feel reading this section? (Chapter 18)
During the end of Chapter 18 when Huck Finn explains this to us, he says it because he was still shocked and upset about the death of the two Grangerfords. Even though he hadn't known them very long, he really enjoyed them as a family and had become close with Buck. Huck Finn enjoyed the idea of a good father. This narrator's perspective seen in the book plays an important role because it makes the readers feel like they are having a conversation with Huck, and makes it feel personal. Huck talks to the reader as if they are a close friend of his. This makes the readers care and have more empathy.
4) Explain who the King and the Duke are. Why does Huck go along with their story? (Chapter 19)
Throughout one of Huck Finn's adventures, he ran into two men who were asking for him to take them on the raft. The two men were attempting to escape something, so they needed to leave fast. Neither of the men had known each other, but they were both con men so they got along. The Duke was around 70 years old and the King was around 30 years old. They both had torn up clothes that were all mangled. I believe that Huck Finn believes the stories because both men were adult white men who have superiority over Huck and Jim. This superiority and power could get them both in trouble, and I don't think that Huck wanted that.
5) What problems do you anticipate with the Duke’s solution to how they can all run the raft during the day? (Chapter 20)
I think that if they being to tell people that they caught Jim, then people will try to take Jim from them for themselves. The people might threaten them in order to gain some sort of prize, even though there is really no reward. The police might also want to take Jim away from them and punish him for running away.
6) Illustrate the town that the play will be held in Chapter 21.
The Grangerford family was very wealthy family, and every one of the children had slaves of their own. There are 6 kids in the family, including the dead daughter named Emmeline. The Father is named Colonel Grangerford, and he is pretty nice and relaxed. The family is somewhat odd and strange. Currently, the family has conflict with the Shepherdson's, which helps show why they acted the way they did when they met Huck. They thought was a Shepherdson. One time the youngest child named Buck tried to shoot Harney Shepherdson but he missed. There had been a gun fight with the Shepherson's and killed two of the Grangerford's.
2.Mark Twain alludes that the feud between the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons is about traditional feuds between farmer (“granger”) and rancher (“shepherd”). Why would he write this into the novel? What does it say about these two occupations at this time? (Chapter 18)
I believe that the motive for Mark Twain to write this into the novel was to bring light on what it was being a farmer and a rancher was like during the time. Farmers and ranchers had to work with each other, and there were many conflicts between the two. The Grangerfords and Shepherdson's were like this in their rivalry. This scenario displays that during the time these two jobs were very competitive with each other by trying to win over the same customers.
3) Toward the end of chapter 18 Huck says “I don’t want to talk much about the next day. I reckon I’ll cut it pretty short.” Huck says this prior to telling us about the big battle. How does our narrator’s perspective play a role in what we think and feel reading this section? (Chapter 18)
During the end of Chapter 18 when Huck Finn explains this to us, he says it because he was still shocked and upset about the death of the two Grangerfords. Even though he hadn't known them very long, he really enjoyed them as a family and had become close with Buck. Huck Finn enjoyed the idea of a good father. This narrator's perspective seen in the book plays an important role because it makes the readers feel like they are having a conversation with Huck, and makes it feel personal. Huck talks to the reader as if they are a close friend of his. This makes the readers care and have more empathy.
4) Explain who the King and the Duke are. Why does Huck go along with their story? (Chapter 19)
Throughout one of Huck Finn's adventures, he ran into two men who were asking for him to take them on the raft. The two men were attempting to escape something, so they needed to leave fast. Neither of the men had known each other, but they were both con men so they got along. The Duke was around 70 years old and the King was around 30 years old. They both had torn up clothes that were all mangled. I believe that Huck Finn believes the stories because both men were adult white men who have superiority over Huck and Jim. This superiority and power could get them both in trouble, and I don't think that Huck wanted that.
5) What problems do you anticipate with the Duke’s solution to how they can all run the raft during the day? (Chapter 20)
I think that if they being to tell people that they caught Jim, then people will try to take Jim from them for themselves. The people might threaten them in order to gain some sort of prize, even though there is really no reward. The police might also want to take Jim away from them and punish him for running away.
6) Illustrate the town that the play will be held in Chapter 21.
Chapters 21-26
1) At the very end of chapter 22 we see the handbill that the king and the duke will pass out. The duke says “if that line don’t fetch them, I don’t know Arkansaw!” Why would the line at the bottom of the handbill work to get people into the play?
On the bottom of the, one line said, "LADIES AND CHILDREN ARE NOT ADMITTED" The reason why this would work to get more people to attend the play is because if there is a play that is only allowed for men, then there might be scenes in it that aren't appropriate for the women and children. The men had begin to think that it would be a great time just for them to take a break from their family and that if the show was only for men it must be better than any other show.
2) Towards the end of chapter 23 we see this line: “What was the use to tell Jim these warn’t real kings and dukes? It wouldn’t a done no good; and besides, it was just as I said; you couldn’t tell them from the real kind.”
a.Why doesn’t Huck see the use in telling Jim?
Huck doesn't want to tell Jim about it is that they had talked about it already. Jim trusted them and thought they weren't con-men. The talk between the two would have gone nowhere and could have ended in some sort of feud. Also, Huck didn't want Jim to feel gullible or stupid, much like the one time when he had lied about the dream. It was just a win win situation for everybody.
b.What does Huck mean by “you couldn’t tell them from the real kind.”?
When Huck Finn says this, he means that the reason they couldn't tell them from the real kind is because they had never met or even seen a duke or king in person. They would have no idea what they act like, look like, or talk like. Also, The King and The Duke were very good at tricking people and Huck and Jim weren't very educated. Huck meant that they could be categorized as gullible people.
3) The final line in chapter 24 reads: “It was enough to make a body ashamed of the human race.” What is Huck talking about? What does it tell us (the reader) about Huck that he feels this way?
While they were in town, the King had been told that a man had passed away. The man was very wealthy and they were waiting for the two brothers to show. One of the brothers had a loss of hearing. They were waiting for them to show up because everything in his will was left to them. The next day the King and the Duke pretended to be the two brothers. The Duke acted as the deaf brother. They showed up pretending that they were his brothers by crying and pretending to be very sad. They walked up the mountain to the home of the deceased with town folks allowing them to cry on their shoulders. Huck was very embarrassed because he couldn't believe the King and Duke would actually do that. The man's real brothers were out there somewhere. This tells us that Huck did not support what they were doing and he is a person with sympathy. Huck would never want what the King and Duke did to him.
4) In chapter 25 we meet the doctor. How does the doctor know that the king and the duke are a fraud?
The doctor noticed many points, but one of the main things he pointed out on how the King and Duke were a fraud was because of their bad British accents. The doctor said that they were some of the worst accents he had ever heard. that you could tell they were fake. He also mentioned how one day they would think of what they just did and get sick, the same feeling Huck has been experiencing the whole time. The King and The Duke knew nothing about Mr. Wilks and who he was as a person. If they were truly brothers they would have had more knowledge.
5) The king and the duke consider leaving in the middle of the night with the money (Chapter 26). Why don’t they?
The King convinces the Duke to stay through the whole night until they steal all of the other properties. The Duke wanted to play it safe but the King wanted everything. He is very greedy and wants everything he can possibly get. They stayed in order to acquire all of the family's properties.
On the bottom of the, one line said, "LADIES AND CHILDREN ARE NOT ADMITTED" The reason why this would work to get more people to attend the play is because if there is a play that is only allowed for men, then there might be scenes in it that aren't appropriate for the women and children. The men had begin to think that it would be a great time just for them to take a break from their family and that if the show was only for men it must be better than any other show.
2) Towards the end of chapter 23 we see this line: “What was the use to tell Jim these warn’t real kings and dukes? It wouldn’t a done no good; and besides, it was just as I said; you couldn’t tell them from the real kind.”
a.Why doesn’t Huck see the use in telling Jim?
Huck doesn't want to tell Jim about it is that they had talked about it already. Jim trusted them and thought they weren't con-men. The talk between the two would have gone nowhere and could have ended in some sort of feud. Also, Huck didn't want Jim to feel gullible or stupid, much like the one time when he had lied about the dream. It was just a win win situation for everybody.
b.What does Huck mean by “you couldn’t tell them from the real kind.”?
When Huck Finn says this, he means that the reason they couldn't tell them from the real kind is because they had never met or even seen a duke or king in person. They would have no idea what they act like, look like, or talk like. Also, The King and The Duke were very good at tricking people and Huck and Jim weren't very educated. Huck meant that they could be categorized as gullible people.
3) The final line in chapter 24 reads: “It was enough to make a body ashamed of the human race.” What is Huck talking about? What does it tell us (the reader) about Huck that he feels this way?
While they were in town, the King had been told that a man had passed away. The man was very wealthy and they were waiting for the two brothers to show. One of the brothers had a loss of hearing. They were waiting for them to show up because everything in his will was left to them. The next day the King and the Duke pretended to be the two brothers. The Duke acted as the deaf brother. They showed up pretending that they were his brothers by crying and pretending to be very sad. They walked up the mountain to the home of the deceased with town folks allowing them to cry on their shoulders. Huck was very embarrassed because he couldn't believe the King and Duke would actually do that. The man's real brothers were out there somewhere. This tells us that Huck did not support what they were doing and he is a person with sympathy. Huck would never want what the King and Duke did to him.
4) In chapter 25 we meet the doctor. How does the doctor know that the king and the duke are a fraud?
The doctor noticed many points, but one of the main things he pointed out on how the King and Duke were a fraud was because of their bad British accents. The doctor said that they were some of the worst accents he had ever heard. that you could tell they were fake. He also mentioned how one day they would think of what they just did and get sick, the same feeling Huck has been experiencing the whole time. The King and The Duke knew nothing about Mr. Wilks and who he was as a person. If they were truly brothers they would have had more knowledge.
5) The king and the duke consider leaving in the middle of the night with the money (Chapter 26). Why don’t they?
The King convinces the Duke to stay through the whole night until they steal all of the other properties. The Duke wanted to play it safe but the King wanted everything. He is very greedy and wants everything he can possibly get. They stayed in order to acquire all of the family's properties.
Chapters 27-30
1) Why did people stay up with the dead during this time period?
Shemira is known as the act of protecting a person that is dead, from time of their death until time of their burial. The reasoning behind the "Shemira" idea is that they would usually have multiple guards to keep the body safe from any animals or bugs from eating the dead body. Respecting the dead was number one priority, because people believed that the dead person should not be alone before they are buried. It was just a form of protection until the body was safely entered into the ground.
2) What do we learn (or reaffirm) about Huck when he tells Miss Mary Jane the slaves will see their family again in inside of two weeks?
As the readers, we are constantly seeing how kind and nice Huck Finn can really be. He could not stand seeing the fact that Mary Jane was as sad as she was. How upset it made her feel to see the slaves' family being split apart. Huck Finn was able to notice how sad Mary Jane had gotten. He also noticed how she was crying alone by the burial of the dead body. How sad she was. Huck really wanted to lift her spirits, so he convinced Mary Jane that the slaves would not be separated forever, and that one day they may reunite. This reaffirms how sympathetic, caring and nice Huck Finn is.
3) What were the two methods the townspeople used to try to identify who the brothers were and who the frauds were?
While both of the real brothers arrived, this began a huge conflict. The lawyer thought that a writing test would be a good idea to see who was lying and who was telling the truth. For the lying test, the doctor made all four men sign a paper, so he could compare those signatures to past letters. This test revealed that the King and the Duke were frauds. Even though the doctor had found out, the King still argued to the lawyer claiming that the test could not have been accurate, because the real brother had a broken hand. The other brother usually writes for him, so it would not be possible to tell who is who. Suddenly, the real Harvey brother claims that his brother has a tattoo on his chest that no one else but him knows about, and this information could be backed up by the man who dressed the dead body. Harvey and the King gave lots of detail on what the tattoo looked like. It was later revealed that the body didn't have anyone. Everyone was shocked. They go to dig the body up to confirm that there is no tattoo, but they bump into a bag full of $6000.
Shemira is known as the act of protecting a person that is dead, from time of their death until time of their burial. The reasoning behind the "Shemira" idea is that they would usually have multiple guards to keep the body safe from any animals or bugs from eating the dead body. Respecting the dead was number one priority, because people believed that the dead person should not be alone before they are buried. It was just a form of protection until the body was safely entered into the ground.
2) What do we learn (or reaffirm) about Huck when he tells Miss Mary Jane the slaves will see their family again in inside of two weeks?
As the readers, we are constantly seeing how kind and nice Huck Finn can really be. He could not stand seeing the fact that Mary Jane was as sad as she was. How upset it made her feel to see the slaves' family being split apart. Huck Finn was able to notice how sad Mary Jane had gotten. He also noticed how she was crying alone by the burial of the dead body. How sad she was. Huck really wanted to lift her spirits, so he convinced Mary Jane that the slaves would not be separated forever, and that one day they may reunite. This reaffirms how sympathetic, caring and nice Huck Finn is.
3) What were the two methods the townspeople used to try to identify who the brothers were and who the frauds were?
While both of the real brothers arrived, this began a huge conflict. The lawyer thought that a writing test would be a good idea to see who was lying and who was telling the truth. For the lying test, the doctor made all four men sign a paper, so he could compare those signatures to past letters. This test revealed that the King and the Duke were frauds. Even though the doctor had found out, the King still argued to the lawyer claiming that the test could not have been accurate, because the real brother had a broken hand. The other brother usually writes for him, so it would not be possible to tell who is who. Suddenly, the real Harvey brother claims that his brother has a tattoo on his chest that no one else but him knows about, and this information could be backed up by the man who dressed the dead body. Harvey and the King gave lots of detail on what the tattoo looked like. It was later revealed that the body didn't have anyone. Everyone was shocked. They go to dig the body up to confirm that there is no tattoo, but they bump into a bag full of $6000.
Chapters 31-35
1) Huck says “You can’t pray a lie.” What lie is he trying to pray about? What does he mean?
The thing that Huck was trying to pray for about was forgiveness. Forgiveness on helping Jim escape. It was illegal and not a good thing to do to help a black slave escape from their "owner". Especially during this time period. To Huck Finn, this wasn't just any ordinary slave. This was his friend, Jim. Huck grew close with Jim could not resist helping his good friend. Huck Finn knew that what he did was not the right thing to do. He continuously tried to pray for forgiveness, but he came to the conclusion that he didn't really want forgiveness. He didn't think he needed forgiveness because he thought he did the right thing, even though the law and "society" says it was the wrong thing to do.
2) Why does Huck tear up the letter he writes?
Huck Finn decided to tear up the letter so that Miss Watson would never know where Jim is. Even though he wasn't going to send the letter in the first place. Huck wanted to write the letter in the first place to inform Tom to tell Miss Watson know where Jim is hiding. After writing the later, he began to pray. While he was praying he began to remember and think about how great and kind of a friend Jim was. He knew Jim would never betray him. This is very significant because it is showing us that Huck Finn doesn't just agree with the all of the racism present in society.
3) Huck is disappointed that Tom would help him steal Jim. He says “Tom Sawyer fell, considerable, in my estimation. Only I couldn’t believe it. Tom Sawyer a nigger stealer!” What do you think of this?
I would not say that Huck was necessarily disappointed in Tom Sawyer, but that he was more surprised of Tom's actions. Tom Sawyer had gone from being a boy who desired creating a gang, made to steal and kill people, to helping out a slave on his escape. Tom was known for always doing what he thought was cool and what other people might think was cool. Tom deciding to going against societies' rules surprised Huck. Personally, I find it very cool that two young, immature boys find the maturity to not judge a friend of theirs by his skin color, and be greater than society.
Huck says two things at the end of chapter 33:
A) “Human beings can be awful cruel to one another.”
B) “But that’s always the way: it don’t make no difference whether you do right or wrong, a person’s conscience ain’t go no sense, and just goes for him anyway.”
4 1/2) What does Huck mean by these two statements?
Huck explains that the King and the Duke getting caught was partially his to blame. Huck Finn still felt some sort of friendly connection to the two, even though both the King and the Duke were not very good people. Huck is basically showing us that your conscience will always rule over the truth, no matter what the circumstance is. I think that he is saying whatever one may believe they did wrong, if they continuously tell themselves one thing, it would become reality.
5) Why are Tom and Huck looking for a more difficult way to break Jim free?
Tom Sawyer wanted to process of freeing Jim to be much harder than needed. Huck was not really on the same page. He proposed his own personal idea, but Tom Sawyer just responded back saying it was too way simple. He compared his idea to "breaking into a soap factory." They both decided to add more to the plan. If Tom Sawyer wanted to free a slave, he must do it special. It couldn't just be simple and plain. It had to be remembered
Chapters 36-40
1) In the process of breaking Jim free, what is Tom’s motivation? What is Huck’s motivation? (Why are they doing it?)
I personally believe that Huck and Tom had different reasons for wanting to free Jim. For Tom, all that he wanted to do was pull off one of the greatest break outs in history. He wanted for his name to be remembered. He wanted to be very well known for the freeing of Jim. That is why Tom didn't want to do it "simple". One the other hand, Huck just wanted to free Jim and no longer be a slave. Huck Finn felt bad for Jim. Tom was doing it for himself and Huck was doing it for Jim.
2) What do Huck and Tom mean when they say they “let on” about something? Why do they do this? (Begins on chapter 37)
Tom and Huck use parts of Jim's bed sheet to create a rope. Towards the end of the paragraph, Huck says "We let on it took nine months to make it." This quote shows that Huck meant that they acted it took them nine months. Anytime they use this certain phrase, it just shows that they pretended to do something they didn't. They most likely use this and pretend because they want their story to be crazier and more intense than it really was.
3) Why is Tom writing the letters and posting warnings? Why did he give instructions to his aunt and uncle’s slave?What are his motivations for this? (Chapter 39)
Tom is writing the letters so that Uncle Silas doesn't advertise that he has captured Jim the runaway slave in the newspapers of St. Louis and New Orleans. Tom does not want this to happen because Miss Watson would read the newspapers. He uses the letters to prevent Uncle Silas from putting that advertisement.
4) We’ve worked a great deal on this novel’s satirical elements. How is the planning and plotting of Jim’s escape by Tom and Huck satire?
I personally believe that the main reason it is a satire is because it is mocking how much more people do, just for the pleasure of other people, or for someone to make themselves look better. They could have easily just freed Jim in a much more efficient and quicker way, but because Tom wanted to be remembered for it and go all out for the pleasure of others, he made the freeing of Jim much more difficult and have more style. This is satirical because as people, we tend to also go all out for the pleasure of others. We may go through much more pain than needed just to have people be impressed with us.
5) Towards the end of the chapter Huck says “I knowed he was white inside” about Jim. Why does he say this and what does he mean?
When they got to the boat Jim refused to let the boat take off even if it took 40 years for them to get a doctor for Tom. Jim knew that Tom would do the same thing for him. This was amazing because Jim is risking his life of being caught for the safety of Tom and says he wouldn't get off the boat until a doctor came. Huck says, "I knowed he was white inside" and this means that he knew he had the heart of not just a slave but of a white. Basically, no other slaves would risk their freedom for a whites well-being, unless you have a heart as big as Jim's. Much like Huck, Jim is also very kind and empathetic.
Chapters 41-43
1) Towards the end of chapter 41: “And then when I went up to bed, she come up with me, and fetched her candle, and tucked me in, and mothered me so good I felt mean and like I couldn’t look her in the face”. Why does Huck feel this way?
Huck had started to feel this way because he had been scared about where Tom had been. Huck had knows that he was fine and he continued to trick her. He felt like he was playing her, and he felt terrible about how worried she was when Huck knew the truth. There was no reason for her to be worried other than the fact that Tom got shot in the leg. Huck lied to her about why they weren't in the room in the morning. In the end, Huck was a very kind guy and felt awful for making her so worried.
2) In chapter 42 we hear the doctor’s account of his experience treating Tom: “so I says, I got have help, somehow; and the minute I says it, out crawls this nigger from somewheres, and says he’ll help; and he done it too, and done it very well.” Can we come to an understanding about Jim from this? What do we learn about him?
This quote shows how Jim was so faithful to Tom and Huck. It shows how he would risk his chance of being free yet again to make sure that tom was safe and well. I don't believe that any other former slave would risk their freedom just to help some white person. We can come to a realization that Jim really did think of these two boys as his family and would risk anything to help them. It is insane that Jim was this kind and continued to do these boys right through the whole book. He risked his freedom by crawling out from the raft to help the doctor.
3) What do we learn about Tom from what he says when he wakes up after being treated for the gunshot wound (Chapter 42)?
You learn something about Tom that we may have already known. This shows that he just wants people to know the great adventures he's been on and how cool of an escape he pulled off. The first thing he does when he wakes up is brags about how they pulled off Jim's escape, and not just in a regular way, in a stylish way. He explains every little detail and thought they put into the escape. We learn that Tom just wants to brag about what amazing escapes he pulls off.
4) You’ve finished the novel: Tell me, in three to four sentences, what you think of Huck.
I think that Huck Finn is a very intelligent, caring, and sympathetic person. He cares an awful lot for others and cares a lot about other peoples' opinion more than other boys his age would. He was always going out of his way to help others and continued to worry about other people, especially Jim.
Huck had started to feel this way because he had been scared about where Tom had been. Huck had knows that he was fine and he continued to trick her. He felt like he was playing her, and he felt terrible about how worried she was when Huck knew the truth. There was no reason for her to be worried other than the fact that Tom got shot in the leg. Huck lied to her about why they weren't in the room in the morning. In the end, Huck was a very kind guy and felt awful for making her so worried.
2) In chapter 42 we hear the doctor’s account of his experience treating Tom: “so I says, I got have help, somehow; and the minute I says it, out crawls this nigger from somewheres, and says he’ll help; and he done it too, and done it very well.” Can we come to an understanding about Jim from this? What do we learn about him?
This quote shows how Jim was so faithful to Tom and Huck. It shows how he would risk his chance of being free yet again to make sure that tom was safe and well. I don't believe that any other former slave would risk their freedom just to help some white person. We can come to a realization that Jim really did think of these two boys as his family and would risk anything to help them. It is insane that Jim was this kind and continued to do these boys right through the whole book. He risked his freedom by crawling out from the raft to help the doctor.
3) What do we learn about Tom from what he says when he wakes up after being treated for the gunshot wound (Chapter 42)?
You learn something about Tom that we may have already known. This shows that he just wants people to know the great adventures he's been on and how cool of an escape he pulled off. The first thing he does when he wakes up is brags about how they pulled off Jim's escape, and not just in a regular way, in a stylish way. He explains every little detail and thought they put into the escape. We learn that Tom just wants to brag about what amazing escapes he pulls off.
4) You’ve finished the novel: Tell me, in three to four sentences, what you think of Huck.
I think that Huck Finn is a very intelligent, caring, and sympathetic person. He cares an awful lot for others and cares a lot about other peoples' opinion more than other boys his age would. He was always going out of his way to help others and continued to worry about other people, especially Jim.