Chapter 1-16 Carmen Mascarenhas
”I begun to get it through my head that he was most free- and who was to blame for it? Why me. I couldn’t get that out of my conscience, no how nor no way” (98)
Here’s a question for you: is slavery bad? If you answered yes, congratulations! you have a conscience. If you answered no, you’re probably a time traveler from right around the time Mark Twain set The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in; we’re talking America into the 1800s. Twain is a smart guy; he makes it very clear in the novel that his characters are just that- characters. He is the one with the knowledge and greater understanding, not Huck or Jim or anyone else. But however troubled and mischievous and all around angsty Huck is, Twain makes sure the reader knows that he has a good heart. One that is a little too good for the society he finds himself in. As they spend more and more time together, Jim becomes Huck’s friend. And as friendly as they might be, Huck begins to struggle with the choice of turning Jim in or not. In his heart, he wants his friend to be free, but his mind, a mind shaped by the surrounding society, tells him that Jim deserves to be enslaved- that Huck has no right to let Jim be free with him. Twain’s whole purpose is to show the extremity of society; by writing about Huck’s struggle, hen is commenting on the contrast between inner conscience and outer appearances in society- how the pressure to fit in somehow turns into the pressure to do what is “right”, even if it is not.
Chapter 17-21 Carolyn Lo Coco
“They all asked me questions, and I told them how pap and me and all the family was living on a little farm down at the bottom of Arkansaw, and my sister Mary Ann run off and got married and never was heard of no more, and Bill went to hunt them and he warn't heard of no more, and Tom and Mort died, and then there warn't nobody but just me and pap left, and he was just trimmed down to nothing, on account of his troubles; so when he died I took what there was left, because the farm didn't belong to us, and started up the river, deck passage, and fell overboard; and that was how I come to be here. So they said I could have a home there as long as I wanted it.” (p.102)
Huckleberry Finn is attempting to come up with another fake story about his family, showing how his elaborate story allows for a convenient fiction to put him in the right place. Although Huckleberry Finn does use this as an easy way to get out of a sticky situation, it is assumed that Huck would want a family like this, displaying the purpose of this quote, that Huckleberry Finn longs for something more than he has.
Chapter 22-28 Natalie Fung
"Here comes old Boggs!--in from the country for his little old monthly drunk--here he comes boys!" (Twain 144)
"Everybody yelled at him, and laughed at him."
Mark Twain understands the consequences of drinking too much, which is the reason he describes this scene to his readers. The main consequence for drinking is public humiliation, as Twain describes,"everyone yelled at him, and laughed at him" (Twain 144). The purpose of this scene in chapter twenty one is to show his audience that with every action comes a reaction whether it's good or bad.
Chapter 29-35 Kristen Allan
Chapter 36-the last Margo Irie
“But I reckon I got to light out for the Territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she’s going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can’t stand it. I been there before(325)”.
From start to finish, Mark Twain takes his readers on a roller coaster of emotions towards his characters. Twain writes to his readers through character Huck Finn to show his audience what life was like for slaves and whites during the time period in which he grew up. While most people understand the drastic mistreatment of blacks during this time period, Twain’s purpose was to show his readers the connections the whites had with the blacks that are not seen as presently in History textbooks and such. Twain brings the reader back to the beginning of the novel speaking on his “Aunt Sally she’s going to adopt me and sivilize me”(325) as Huck Finn states at the start of the novel. This is significant to the purpose of the novel as this reinstatement of the statement makes the reader reflect on just how character Huck Finn grew over the novel, especially in regard to his treatment of black people.
(comment) Chapter 17-21: Great connection Carolyn! I completely agree with you, Huck Finn wants the idea of a family, yet as the novel processes it seems that he finds family through the friendships he has. One example would be the friendship that he and Jim have, it may not be like an actual blood line family but it’s close enough for Huck and I think that he's pretty grateful for that relationship. Great Job!
ReplyDeleteFriends always become a part of family. I also think that Huck realizes he doesn't have true family. I mean his dad is the town drunk. He begins to be more open to creating friendships, even with Jim, because he realizes they are the only people he can truly trust.
DeleteGreat points Natalie, Trinity and Carolyn! I think that Huck's longing to have a family and a somewhat normal life really shapes the personality we meet at the beginning of the novel. Huck's first defense for everything is to lie and spin a story out as far as he can, and maybe that's because he spends so much time in his imagination thinking of what could be, since it's better than what actually is.
DeleteGreat points Natalie, Trinity, Carolyn, and Carmen!! At the start of the novel I saw Huck as a troublemaking and difficult child. While I still believe he is that, his friendship with Jim and Tom has helped show me Huck does love and find strong relationships in people who have changed him. Huck's acting out may be due to his lack of family background, and his lying may be a defense mechanism. He does not want to open himself up and tell all about his past, and lying seems like the better alternative. Great posts guys!!
Deletethanks margo!! I definitely think that Huck is originally raised a certain way that prevented him from being his true self, bt as he grew relationships with unexpected people, such as Jim, he did change and his perspective did change. Huck always turns to lying to defend himself, but as the novel continues he starts to admit that he will lie if he continues on, which is almost like a self-realization that change needs to occur. YAY HUCK!!
DeleteComment (Chapters 36-last)
ReplyDeleteGreat point, Margo! I definitely agree with your idea that Huck evolves in his thinking over the course of the novel. I really love the quote you chose because I think it displays Twain's purpose in not one, but two ways. I think that the other purpose is almost overly-clear here; as much as Huck has changed and grown, he still retains that thirst for adventure. Normally at the end of adventures when the protagonist has come face to face with death, the character reflects on life and learns to appreciate what he had before. Now I'm not saying that Huck is unappreciative, but he's also not fulfilled. He is older and wiser and more mature, and he sees his growth as tools to go on even more adventures. His spirit has not been crushed, and I think that is Twain's purpose. We can always learn lessons, but we must never forget who were are.
Nice connection Margo! Great point Carmen, I agree that Huck's thinking evolves over the course of the novel. Great quote Margo, I think this quote displays that Huck Finn finally realizes that his not missing out on this idea of family. Also that family doesn't mean the cookie cutter idea of parents and siblings. I think that, like I said in other comments, that Huck replaces this idea of family with friendship.
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