Satire
Chapters 1-5
Timeline
Huckleberry Finn got adopted by widow doulas who he does not like, because of her high belief in religion and trying to change Huck.
Tom says the gang must capture and ransom people. Tom tells the group that women are not to be killed but should be kept at the hideout.
a rumor circulates that Huck’s Pap, who has not been seen in a year, is dead. A corpse was found in the river, thought to be Pap because of its “ragged” appearance.
Pap asks if Huck is really as rich as he has heard and calls his son a liar when Huck replies that he has no more money.
Huck runs away but eventually comes back.
Huck concludes there are two Gods and decides he would like to belong to Widow Douglas’s.
He notices boot tracks in the snow near the house. Within one heel print is the shape of two nails crossed to ward off the devil. Huck immediately recognizes this mark and runs to Judge Thatcher.
he Judge and Widow Douglas try to get custody of Huck but give up after the new judge in town refuses to separate a father and son.
Questions
Describe the time period of the novel.
I would say the time period is sometime in the 1830s-1840s because there is a lot of slavery in the book and during this time. Everyone is drunk a lot and just the way the writing in the book is different.
How does the perspective/point-of-view of the narrator influence the story?
It is told in the present tense. The narrator tells us what is happening while it happens. Due to the fact that we experience the story through the eyes of Huckleberry Finn. Huckleberry Finn is a good narrator for this book because he does not understand the full significance of the events he describes and comments on.
Why did Pap have Huck locked up?
Pap had Huck locked up because he realized that Widow helped Huck with a better life style and that he was doing better then Pap. Pap was jealous at Huck because he was doing better in school and had nicer things then him. Pap wanted to turn his son into him by locking him up and aking him miserable.
Explain what it means to be an Abolitionist. Why is Huck concerned about being called one?
An abolitionist was someone who wanted to end slavery, especially in the United States before the Civil War, when owning slaves was common practice. The book is based in the 1800's and that was when slavery was legal and almost everyone had at least one slave. Huck didn't want to be caught with Jim because he thought it would look like he was helping him escape which would be an act of abolitionist.
There are several things that give Huck away when he pretends to be a girl.
- He talked way too much
- He kept changing his name
- He couldn't thread a needle
Roles reversed:
Girls
- Tone of voice
- there posture
- The way they interact with people
Boys
- Deeper voice
- Shape of body
- They way they walk
Chapters 12-16
What is the story of King Solomon and his child? How does Jim interpret that story?
The story of King Solomon and his child is when two women claimed that they were the mother of one of King Solomon's kids. Then King Solomon came up with an idea to cut the child in half so they each would share the child. The king found out who the real mother was by doing this because one of them approved this idea while the other one begged for him not to cut the child in half. He knew the real mother wouldn't want to hurt there own child. Jim thought the idea was pointless because who would cut a child in half and he didn't understand the solution.
When Jim wakes up after their separation in the fog, what does Jim’s reaction to Huck tell us about him? How do you feel about Jim at this point?
Jim was really upset after he found out that Jim was playing a joke on him this whole time because he was really scared that Huck was not alive anymore or even know where he was. Jim cared a lot about Huck and was scared that he was going to Lose him. This shows that Jim is a caring and a sensitive person when it comes to people making him look stupid. I really like Jim because he cares a lot about people that are important to him.
Jim is very superstitious from a historical standpoint, why do you think this is?
I think Jim is very superstitious because he is black and at that time most black people were slaves. Also many people at that time were not educated so they had to learn through things passed down through there families. I feel like Jim bases his education on myths to make it less confusing for him and to make his life less scary.
"It was fifteen minutes before I could work up myself to go and humble myself to a nigger, but I done it and I warn't even sorry for it afterwards neither" What does this line tell us about Huck?
Hucks apology to Jim shows that he is starting to find a soft spot for Jim and starting to treat him better. I think Jim is starting realize the skin color of a person doesn't mean anything and he is starting to feel bad about him joking around. I think Huck realized how much Jim cared for him and is starting to feel bad how he has been treating him just because of his skin color.
At the end of chapter 16, Huck is struggling with giving Jim up. Outline the battle that he had with himself, explain the actions when the men came up looking for the 5 escaped slaves.
In chapter 16 Huck could not decide if he was going to help Jim escape or turn him in. This was a very hard decisions for Huck because he knew if he turned Jim in that it would ruin there friendship and that he would never forgive himself for doing a terrible thing like that. But if he got caught helping Jim escape he would be in a lot of trouble that no one could fix. Either way Huck would be losing something. Then some men come up to there boat asking to search it for some escaped slaves. Huck came up with an idea saying he had sick family members with him that were suffering from small pox. The men backed away with fear of getting the disease.
Chapters 17-21
Describe the Grangerford family
The Grangerford family are very wealthy. There are 6 children but if you include the daughter 7, but she has passed away. Each of the children have there own slaves. The family is a little twisted and weird because they have artwork and poems of people that have died that are important to the family. They don't like Shepherdsons, and are hesitant about Huck being one.
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 the time?
I think Mark Twain wrote this into the novel to show the conflicts between farmers and ranchers. They are trying to keep the family's honored and prove that their family is better than the other. The author is showing the differences between the different family's. They both think that they are better then than other. It is trying to show you the conflict and arguments during the 1800's.
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
He said that because he was still shocked and upset about the death of the two Grangerfords and didn't want to talk about it. He didn't know the Grangerford family that well but in the time he knew them he became pretty close with Buck. The narrator's perspective makes us feel empathy and close because Huck talks to the reader as if they are a friend to him.
Explain who the King and the Duke are. Why does Huck go along with their story ?
On one of Huck's adventures he comes across two men that were named King and Duke. King was about 30 years old and Duke was about 70 years old. They were both were begging to get onto Huck's raft because they were trying to escape trouble and needed to leave fast. They both had torn up clothes. I think Huck went along with their story because he was scared of them because he didn't know them.
What problems do you anticipate with the Duke’s solution to how they can all run the raft during the day (Chapter 20)?
I feel like if they told anyone that they caught Jim, then there people would start looking for him so that they could get an reward. Even though the reward might not be that good it could make the people look really good if they brought Jim back. The police might want to take Jim away so that they could punish him for running away.
6.Illustrate the town that the play will be held in .
Chapters 22-26
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?
At the bottom of the handbill it says "Of all read children and ladies are not admitted,". If it is not admitted to ladies and children there might be some scenes in the play that are not appropriate for others. It would get all of the men into the play because it would give them time to have a little break from there families. It would just be a time fro all the men to hangout and relax and not have to worry about anything else.
Towards the end of chapter 23 we see this line" What was the use to tell Jim these warnt real kings and Duke? it wouldent a done no good, and besides, it was just as i said, you couldent tell them from the real kind"
A. Why dosent Huck see the use in telling Jim?
There really was no point to telling Jim because it probably would have ended in a huge argument and would have been pointless. Jim hates being lied to so it would make him very upset and do no good for anyone. Huck also didn't want Jim to feel stupid again when he lied about his dream. It would probably make Jim very angry if he found out he had been conned and his "friends" were lying to him.
b.What does Huck mean by “you couldn’t tell them from the real kind.”?
When Huck said this he meant the con-men are pretty decent actors so it would be difficult to know they were faking. They have never meant the King or duke so they wouldn't know f they were faking. Also they wouldn't know how to act because Huck is a little more educated then Jim so Huck could at least tell them apart.
The finale 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 about Huck that he feels this way?
A man named Peter Wikis dies, The con-en had to make up a plan. The con-men would act as the Wilks brother and Huck and Jim would be their servants. Huck was starting to feel bad because he had to steal from a family that has done noting to him. If they did this that would mean they could sell their land and take the money. It tells us that Huck wants to be a good person but sometimes get sets up and has to make bad decisions that make him feel guilty afterwards.
In chapter 25 we meet the doctor. How does the doctor know that the king and the duke are a fraud?
One thing that made the doctor know that the king and the duke were a fraud was that he noticed that they were faking there British accents during the speech. He said it was one of the worst accents he has ever heard so he knew some thing was not right. The king and the Duke also knew nothing about Mr.Wilk which if they were truly brothers they would have known more knowledge about there "family".
The king and the duke consider leaving in the middle of the night with the money (chapter 26) Why don’t they?
They were going to leave during the middle of night with the 6,000 in gold that was found in the cellar, but then he came up with a better idea that would involve them getting more money. The King's idea was to just stay until the land and slaves are sold so that they could gain more money. They want to have as much money as they can before they leave because they are selfish.
Chapters 27-30
Why did people stay up with the dead during this time period?
The main reason they would stay with the corps because it was a tradition. The tradition was staying with the body would keep you close to the spirit and perform rituals to bless the body to help it go to greater places. Also they would stay with the body because funeral homes weren't a thing back then so they would need people to make sure no rats or insects got to the body.
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?
Throughout the book we have gotten to see all of the characters personalities. Especially Huck he has a strong personality and is different from the rest because he treats everyone the same. When Miss Mary Jane was crying over the slaves being sold Huck tried to comfort her by saying that the slaves would see their families again in no more than a few weeks and that also shows that Huck has changed his perspective on slaves because of Jim.
What were the two methods the townspeople used to try to identify who the brothers were and who the frauds were?
The first way they found out that the King and The Duke were frauds because they had the four of them have a writing test. Obviously the real brothers weren't the frauds because they could match the writing but the King said it wasn't fair because one of the brother's named Harvey had a broken hand so the other brother had to write for him. The second way was for them to describe the tattoo on Harvey's brothers chest. So the town had both the King and Harvey describe the tattoo but then later they just dug up the body and found out there was no tattoo there in the first place.
Chapters 31-35
Huck says “You can’t pray a lie.” What lie is he trying to pray about? What does he mean?
Huck is praying that Jim finds Miss Watson, but he doesn't know if he wants it to happen. So that is what he means by "You can't pray a lie". Huck is saying that you cant pray about something unless you actually want it to happen, if you have even the slightest thought against this prayer it is not worth the prayer. At the end of chapter 31 he also prays about not doing anymore bad deeds even though he does not think it will happen.
Why does Huck tear up the letter he writes?
Huck was writing a letter to Tom Sawyer telling him to tell Miss Watson where Jim was. He then staring thinking how Jim is a kind hearted person and doesn't deserve this. Then Huck decided that he would rather go to hell then lose Jim. This shows that Huck is a caring person and does not judge people and is against racism.
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 don't think Huck was disappointed in Tom but just surprised. Tom has changed a lot through the book because in the beginning he wanted to start a gang but now he wants to help a slave escape. It is kind of weird to think that is was such a big deal for someone to help a slave. I also think it is kind a weird how Huck is making a big del out of this because he is the one who talked Tom into this so he shouldn't be that surprised.
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“Human beings can be awful cruel to one another.”
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“But that’s always the way: it don’t make no difference whether you do right or wrong, a person’s conscience ain’t got no sense, and just goes for him anyway.”
What does Huck mean by these two statements?
I think Huck was saying that people only care about themselves and don't really care about others. People will do anything to get to the top even if it means hurting innocent people to benefit them. When he is talking about this conscience he means that no matter what you do you are always gonna fell something wether it is guilt or sympathy.
Why are Tom and Huck looking for a more difficult way to break Jim free?
Huck came up with an easy way to get Jim out of the shed and that would have worked. But Tom and his personality thought they needed to look stylish and think of harder and more professional way to get Jim out.
Chapters 36-40
In the process of breaking Jim free, what is Tom’s motivation? What is Huck’s motivation?
Huck and Tom defiantly had different motivations on getting Jim back. Tom just wanted to be known for coming up with the best escape plan and have people know him for that. Tom didn't care that it was fro helping out Jim he just wanted to be known, that is why he wanted style points. Huck's motivation was he wanted his friend back. Huck truly cares about people. Thats why he didn't need a huge plan to get Jim out of the shed instead he came up with the simplest idea that would be successful.
What do Huck and Tom mean when they say they “let on” about something? Why do they do this?
When Huck and Tom say "Let on" it means that they are pretending to do something. For example if they said they helped Jim escape by using tools and picking locks but in reality they really only dug a hole. So basically "Let on" means that they are misleading people and lying to make them look cooler. Also when they said "We let on it took 9 months to make,". They were making it sound like it took forever to plan even though it didn't take that long.
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?
Uncle Silas found out that Jim had ran away and Aunt Sally is nervous because everything is out of order. Tom decided to write a letter to the family under the name "unknown friend" so that would distract the family from realizing the advertisement to give them more time and that they get Jim back. Huck and Tom's motivation is to distract the family so that they have more time to plan and get Jim back.
How is the planning and plotting of Jim’s escape by Tom and Huck satire?
Plotting Jim's escape showed satire because Tom was making a bigger deal out of everything and was counting for stylish points. They also lied about how long it took by saying it took 9 months when really it only took a couple of hours. Satire is the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices. So both of those examples goes with humor and exaggeration.
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?
Huck says, "I knowed he was white inside" and that means that he knew he had the heart of not just a slave but of a white. For example Jim would not let the boat leave even if it took a couple years for a doctor to get to Tom. he knew that Tom would do the same for him. This shows that Jim is different from the other slaves because if it was any other slave in that scenario they would have left but Jim decided to stay because he is a caring person.
Chapters 41-End
“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 feels bad that she is taking really good care of him and he isn't that nice to her. She has done everything she canto make Huck have the best life as he can. I think he is now just realizing how bad he treats her and doesn't respect her. He feels guilty because he can't take back how he treated her. He does not feel like he deserves someone like her taking care of him, which you can tell when he says "I couldn't look her in the face,".
“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?
When Tom got so injured that he couldn't move Jim stayed with him even though he was taking a huge risk. Even though Jim was not that educated he still tried his best to help out Tom. Jim knew he needed help and couldn't be left alone so he stayed with him until a doctor found them and they did not even know when the doctor would get there. This shows that Jim is Trustworthy, respectful, and caring for others because he took a huge risk of getting caught but he didn't care and just wanted Tom to be okay.
What do we learn about Tom from what he says when he wakes up after being treated for the gunshot wound?
Tom does not care about anyone except himself. When he told of Miss Watson's passing and that she set Jim free in her will and they were freeing an already free slave, you could see that he wanted the adventure more than the reward. He is very selfish and you could tell he didn't care about Jim from the start, like when he just wanted to help Jim because he thought it would make people look at him different from making the best escape plan ever and didn't even care that it was going to help Jim.
Tell me, in three to four sentences, what you think of Huck.
I think Huck has a great personality, he always puts other people in front of him. Even though he grew up with an abusive family he always stays positive and always wants to help others. He saw Jim differently from others, Huck saw him as a person everyone else saw him as a slave, which takes a lot because back then everyone had slaves but never helped them or became friends with one. That is why Huck s my favorite character.