Huck Discussion Questions XL-Chapter the Last

1. What do we learn about Jim in these chapters?

Jim is a very patient and kind man. He is willing to go with the flow during Tom’s ridiculous schemes. Jim cares about the boys, and shows this when he makes Huck go get a doctor for Tom. Jim turned himself in to help the doctor assist Tom. He is a very loyal friend, and repeatedly sacrifices himself for others.

2. What effect does the Doctor's speech in support of Jim have? How do you feel about that?
The Doctor’s speech is about how Jim was a very kind and helpful slave. The Doctor says that Jim basically gave up his freedom to help Tom, and was a good guy. The farmers, in response, promised to stop cussing at him. I think the farmer’s promise was not a large enough gesture of thanks towards Jim, considering he would still be shackled to the walls and floors and fed only bread and water.

3. What is the significance of the bullet?
At first, Tom was proud of being shot. It made him feel heroic, but he was in a dire physical condition afterwards. It made him realize that they were in a very serious situation. Tom, at the end of the novel, has the bullet on his watch chain. He will undoubtedly exaggerate his story of being shot to many people in the future.

4. Where is Huck going at the end of the novel? What does this imply about his view of the world in which he lives?
Huck is going to the territories, so out west. He wants to get away from the slavery of civilization and seeks freedom and adventure.

5. Comment on the style of the novel. Do you feel it represents the Realist tradition as we have discussed it? What aspects of Huck's character make him a good narrator? What problems did you encounter (if any) due to Huck's narration? Speculate on how a different narrator or a third person omniscient narrator would impact the story.

This is a realistic novel that parodies romantic literature.

Huck is a very honest and straightforward narrator, and reports things exactly how he sees them. His narrations are not clouded with unnecessary details or flourishes. The problem with his straightforward way of writing, though, is that he sometimes fails to see the humor in things. This also is caused by his young age.

I don’t think there is any better way to tell this story than through the viewpoint of Huck. He is an honest narrator and his views of society interlaced throughout the novel help drive home the wickedness of society. A third person omniscient narrator wouldn’t allow the emotional side of the story to be there.

Episode 8 of Huck Finn (I think I got the chapters right)

Episode 8 The Wilks and The End of The Duke and The King (Chapters 24-31)

-They float down the river and encounter a man who tells them all about the deceased Peter Wilks and his brothers

-They go to Wilk’s home and pretend to be the brothers

-The Duke and king are left $6000 and the house

-They give everything to the nieces

-Doctor Robinson, a friend of Peter, says that the duke and the king are lying

-Mary Jane, the oldest daughter, is horrified at the Doctor and gives the money back to the king

-Huck steals the $6000 and hides it in Peter’s coffin

-At the funeral, a dog is barking in the cellar and the undertaker kills the dog

-The duke and the king say they’ll take the girls to England and sell off the estate and slaves

-The Wilks women are upset because the slave family had been separated

-The duke and the king start questioning Huck about the money but Huck blames the slaves on it

-Huck tells Mary Jane the truth about the duke and the king

-Huck tells her to stay at a friend’s house that night so he could have time to get away because the fate of Jim also hangs in the balance

-Huck leaves her a note with the location of the money

-The two real brothers show up

-A lawyer makes the men sign a piece of paper and they can’t decide who is the real set of brothers

-The real brother says he knows of a tattoo on his brother’s chest

-They dig up the body

-The crowd is so excited at the $6000 that Huck can escape and steals a canoe to get back to the raft

-The duke and the king show up in a boat and Huck cries because he didn’t want to deal with them

-The king is angry at Huck but the duke is more understanding

-They go to another town and Huck is going to ditch the two men but Jim had been sold by the King

-Huck realizes he will go to hell if he helps Jim escape and is fine with it (climax)

Huck Discussion Questions XXI-XXXV

Huck Discussion Questions: XXI - XXI

1. Through the Grangerford episode, Twain was able to criticize the myth of Southern honor. What myth of Southern life does Twain satirize in the Sherburn/Boggs incident (which, by the way, was based on a true incident)? What aspect of human nature does Twain satirize through the scene in the drugstore? Compare the circus with the entertainment supplied by the duke and king? 

Twain is making fun of southern honor, and how people were so obsessed with having honor that they were willing to kill for it. Twain is mocking how people love seeing terrible things in the drugstore scene. The circus is quality entertainment at a decent price, while the duke and the king’s productions are overpriced and a scam. The difference between the two is that one was created to bring people joy, while the other was created to make the duke and king money.

2. What does Huck's reaction to the circus incident tell us about him? Whom does he think was most deceived? 

Huck doesn’t get most jokes, the drunk man in the circus being one of them. This shows that he is not a very reliable narrator. He thought the ringmaster was the most deceived.

3. What is Twain implying about human nature through the advertising for the "Royal Nonesuch"? 

By making the show so that women and children aren’t permitted, The interest is raised for the men. Twain is implying that people are captivated by inappropriate things, and are more likely to go see something provocative instead of something more mild, like a circus.

4. "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." (117). What does Twain imply? 

Twain is making a joke about royalty, and how sleazy they are.

5. What is significant about the story of 'Lizabeth? 

In this story, Jim beats his daughter, then realizes she is deaf. He feels guilty, and misses her dearly. This is significant because it shows how Jim is a human with a family and has feelings.

Huck Discussion Questions XXIV - XXVII

1. As we have discussed, clothes can play a symbolic or thematic role in the novel. Huck even says that he "never knowed how clothes could change a body before." Discuss the thematic role of clothes in these chapters.

Twain speaks of clothes very often in his novel. Clothes represent the restriction of society, whilst nakedness is equal to freedom.

2. Comment on the last paragraph of Chapter XXIV. Make a connection to Twain's description of the Arkansas town. Why is Huck's response to the Peter Wilks incident so strong? Why does Huck make moral evaluations now (you'll recall that he remained morally neutral concerning the prior schemes of the duke and king)?

Huck is beginning to develop basic morals, and is becoming more human. Huck feels bad about the duke and the king scamming the girls and pretending to be the brothers of the dead man. Huck realizes these are lovely girls who don’t deserve to be played like this and is thusly very against this scheme.

3. What qualities do the Wilks girls have that allow them to be fooled so easily?

The Wilks girls were very trusting and kind, and believed everyone was always honest to them.

4. Why is it significant that Joanna eats in the kitchen? What is the significance of her nickname? What themes are revealed?
She is disabled so she is forced to eat in the kitchen. Huck calls her harelip, which is basically naming her by her disability. This shows that in this time period, prejudice is a very common part of their lives.

5. What statement about the behavior of people does Twain make through the Dr. Robinson incident?Tom and Huck saw Dr. Robinson get murdered. They let the blame fall of Muff Potter, not Injun Joe. This shows that people are cowards and will only stand up for others if it benefits themselves.

6. Previously Huck has refused to hinder the antics of the king and duke. Now he attempts to foil their scheme. Why? What theme(s) from the novel can you apply to Huck's change in attitude?
Huck has realized that these girls were actual people with feelings, and were kind ladies who didn’t deserve to be deceived. This shows Huck is developing as a character and becoming more human and understanding. The theme of “the concept of family” is apparent in these chapters. The close-knit family is something Huck has always been lacking in, and the girls make him feel like he belongs.

Huck Questions XXVIII - XXX

1. Twain was heavily criticized for bad taste due to his description of the funeral toward the end of Chapter XXVII. Why do you think he was criticized, and do you think the criticism justified?

Funerals have always been a solemn and respectful environment. I found the killing of the barking dog quite humorous, although I can see where he would be criticized. People have a tendency to take things too seriously, funerals included. Anything besides the black, religion-focused norm and you’re suddenly a terrible person. I’ve always thought funerals were a bit too serious, and I liked how Twain tweaked what would have been a boring part of the plot.

2. On page 141 Huck says, ". . . here's a case where I'm blest if it don't look to me like the truth is better, and actuly safer, than a lie." Explain.

Huck tells Mary about the duke and the king’s schemes because he doesn’t think she deserves another person lying to her.

3. In these three chapters Huck finds himself having to lie for various reasons. How do his motives differ?
His previous lies were focused around saving himself, whilst his currently unearthed emotions have made him reanalyze the people around him. Now he is lying to protect people and prevent the lies of others from hurting the people he cares about.

4. Why doesn't Twain involve Jim more in these chapters?

Jim couldn’t really be involved in these chapters because he is a blue Arab at the moment. Plus, Jim is still seen as a wanted man and it would be too risky for him to do much of anything, especially when Huck and the duke and the king are tangled in so many lies.

5. Does Huck's escape from Hines say anything about Hines' character?             

Hines’ obsession with the gold shows the corrupt and greedy nature of society. Hines no longer cares about the imposters or their “servant,” but more about the idea of riches.

6. How does Huck feel about Mary Jane? Why does Huck tell her to go away? Significance?

Huck trusts Mary Jane and cares about her. He tells her to go away because he wants time to come up with a plan to fix things.

7. Discuss the significance of Huck's statement, ". . . anybody but a lot of prejudiced chuckleheads would a seen that the old gentlemen was spinning truth and t'other one lies."
Huck is surprised that no one has caught onto the duke and the king’s lies. Unfortunately, the family was so enraptured with the unknown uncles coming to town that they’ll believe anything they’re told.

8. What does the doctor represent?

The doctor is a strong dosage of realism in a romanticized world. He has a logical reason to doubt the king and the duke, yet everyone is so in love with the two men that no one listens to the doctor.

9. By the end of Chapter XXX, do you think Twain vindicates the characters of the duke and king or does he have them remain as villains? Explain.

Twain continues to have the duke and the king remain as villains. They are a sharp contrast to the relatively honest nature of Huck, and teach the boy that these men are bad.

Huck Discussion Questions XXXI - XXXV

1. Would you say that Chapter 31 represents the climax of the novel? Why or why not?
I’d say so. Huck finally determines what he wants and where he’s going. He decides to set himself down a path of unholiness because he believes it is the right thing to do. He decides his friend is more important than a free ride to heaven, and is freed by this.

2. Huck says, "All right, then, I'll go to hell." Explain the irony in that statement. 

This line is the climax of the story. Huck is accepting his eventual descent into hell for the sake of his friend. Earlier in the story, Huck had spoken about how he’d rather go to heaven then hell because he would be with Tom Sawyer. This idea of Huck and hell is reoccurring throughout the novel.

3. Discuss the symbolism of the imagery at the beginning of Chapter 32.

The imagery is calm and peaceful, very similar to what Huck is used to. This is important because Tom Sawyer shows up and Tom is very familiar to Huck.

4. Discuss Huck's understanding of Providence (215)? Would Miss Watson agree?
Huck credits Providence for his wits. Miss Watson would disagree because he is doing wrong and would go straight to hell.

5. How does Twain use irony in the discussion between Huck and Mrs. Phelps about the "steamboat accident."
Mrs. Phelps asks if anyone was hurt, and Huck says only a black person had died. Mrs. Phelps’ relief after hearing this was ironic because at the time, a black person was nothing more than property. She wasn’t upset because slaves are more like a renewable resource than an actual human being.

6. One of the recurring themes becomes apparent when Huck discovers that the Phelps are expecting Tom Sawyer. Which theme comes to mind and why?
I’d go with Romanticism vs. Reality in this situation. The idea that Tom would be going to this very plantation was highly improbable, and it would almost certainly never happen in real life. This is tapping into Twain’s hatred for romantic literature. Tom is a symbol for adventure-loving romanticists, which is why I absolutely loathe the boy.

7. Huck and Tom both agree to help Jim escape; however, their motives are different. Explain.

Huck wants to save his friend, while Tom wanted the adventure. Tom doesn’t understand that this mission is incredibly dangerous, and thinks of it as a game of sorts. Huck has experienced the danger firsthand, and is being incredibly kind by trying to help free his friend.

8. "...and as they went by I see they had the king and duke astraddle of a rail - that is, I knowed it WAS the king and the duke, though they was all over tar and feathers. ...Well it made me sick to see it; and I was sorry for them poor pitiful rascals. ...Human beings CAN be cruel to one another" (225). Comment. What does this reveal about Huck's character? 
In this, the king and the duke are being tarred and feathered as punishment for their deceptiveness. Huck feels bad for the men, even though they haven’t ever done anything for him. This shows that Huck is becoming more sympathetic and kind towards people, even if they don’t deserve it. At the beginning of the novel, he would have been laughing with the rest of the townspeople.

9. Discuss the irony in Tom's reaction to the stealing of the watermelon.
Tom has never actually stolen anything because he always left money to pay for what he “stole.” Tom’s reaction shows how he was a product of society, and is not like the rebellious nature of Tom’s character that Huck has wanted to be. It taps into the meaning of family theme. Since Jim is now the property of Tom’s relatives, Tom thinks it’s alright to steal Jim.

10. Why does Huck let Tom take control?
Huck knows Tom is very stylistic, and has mentioned his longing for Tom’s complicated plans many times in earlier chapters. Tom wants control of things for his on enjoyment, and Huck decides it’s easier to let Tom have his way.

Huck Finn Episodes 5/6/7 summary

Episode 5: The Feud (Chapters 17-18)

-Huck washes up on shore

-Huck adopts the name “George Jackson”

-Huck is basically adopted by the Sheperdsons

-The Sheperdsons and the enemy family the Grangerfords go to church together

-Sophia Grangerford asks Huck to grab her bible from the church

-Huck finds a not with “half-past two” written on it

-Hucks servant brings Huck to the swamp and says he wanted to show him some water-moccasins

-Huck finds Jim there

-Sophia ran off with Harney Shepherdson

-Buck is killed in a gunfight

Huck and Jim escape down the river on their still functional raft

Episode 6: Introduction to the Duke and King (Chapters 19-20)

-Jim and Huck pick up two men who are being chased

-The younger man claims he is a duke, whilst the older man says he is a king

-Huck knows the men are lying, but decides not to say anything because he doesn’t want to cause and quarrels

Huck lies about his family being dead and Jim being his slave

-They go to a religious revival meeting

-The king tells the crowd he is a former pirate and gets over 80 dollars in donations

-The duke prints up a leaflet about a reward for Jim’s capture as their cover story, so this allows them to travel during the day

Episode 7: Boggs, Sherburn, Circus, and The Royal Nonesuch(Chapters 21-23)

-The duke and the king work on their acting

-They murder the “To be, or not to be” soliloquy

-They land in a town in Arkansas

-A drunken man is killed for saying rude things about a man called Sherburn

-A mob forms and goes to the home of Sherburn

-Sherburn talks the men out of killing him by saying a real man would do it discreetly and at night

-Huck visits a circus and there’s a joke with a “drunk” man that he doesn’t understand

-No one shows up to see the Duck and the King’s play so they change it so it’s an adult show (no women or children)

-House is packed

-King is naked and wearing body paint

-Show is too short and the people in the crowd feel ripped off

-Crowd wants everyone in the town to feel ripped off

-Rinse and repeat

-Third night the townsfolk come again with things to throw at the preformers

-Preformers escape

-Jim tells Huck about beating his deaf daughter and how bad he feels

-Everyone cries

13. Huck and Jim's manner of dress on the raft is symbolic. What do clothes represent?

The restrictive nature of clothes represents society's overpowering ways. Huck and Jim's lack of clothing represents that they are free on the raft, and society has no power over them there.

14. Why doesn't Huck expose the Duke and the King (Dauphin) as frauds?

He thought the best way to get along with people was to go along with whatever they wanted. He would rather pretend to believe their fake backstories than get into a quarrel with them.

15. Who is the most shrewd, the King and the Duke or Huck? Why? Give some examples.

Huck is the most clever and resourceful of the group. Although he isn't completely book smart, he outwits many people and survives through that. For example, he figures out how to spell his name by challenging another boy by saying he bets the other boy wouldn't be able to. He adopts several stories to save himself and Jim.

16. What does Twain satirize in the plan to present Romeo and Juliet? Discuss Romeo and Juliet as a motif.

He is making fun of Romeo and Juliet because it is a very romantic piece. His continual mocking of shakespeare reinforces his distaste for romanticizing death and family battles.

17. Discuss the significance of the pirate and the revival meeting. What is Twain satirizing?

In the revival meeting, Twain was satirizing religion and how silly it made made people act. He is stating that religious people will buy any bogus story if the con man can convince them it's in the name of Christ.

18. Is Twain making a statement about society through the antics of the King and Duke? Explain.

He's talking about the evils of society and how people will do anything for their own personal gain.

Huck Discussion Questions: XV - XVII

Huck Discussion Questions: XV - XVII

1. Discuss the significance of the fog incident and Jim's interpretation of it. "The lot of towheads was troubles we was going to get into with quarrelsome people and all kinds of mean folks, but if we minded our business and didn't talk back and aggravate them, we would pull through and get out of the fog and into the big clear river, which was the free states, and wouldn't have no more trouble" (64). Consider the major themes as well as foreshadowing.
The fog and the muddy river represent the fog of slavery, while the clear skies and waters show the clarity and niceness of freedom. Up until this point, Jim's freedom has still seemed far away while in southern waters. They are so close to freedom for both of them, and they're just beginning to realize it.

2. How does Huck feel about playing the trick on Jim? Comment: "It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up and humble myself to a nigger; but I done it, and I warn't sorry for it afterwards, neither" (65). How does this statement contribute to the overall meaning of the novel?
Huck feels guilty after tricking Jim because by this point in the novel, Huck has realized that Jim is a real person with feelings. This contributes to the overall meaning because Huck has changed his viewpoint on Jim, and it shows that society is incorrect in its dehumanization of black people. 

3. Discuss the significance of the following quotes from Chapter XVI:

"Jim said it made him all over trembly and feverish to be so close to freedom. Well, it made me all trembly and feverish, too, to hear him because 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 it out of my conscience, no how nor no way." (66).
In this time period, slavery was the normal thing. Helping free slaves was considered morally wrong to almost all southerners, Huck included.

"Here was this nigger which I as good as helped to run away, coming right out flat-footed and saying he would steal his children -- children that belonged to a man I didn't even know; a man that hadn't ever done me no harm." (67). Explain the irony in this quote as well as the significance.
Huck already felt bad about helping free Jim, and he thinks that slaves are still property. Although the children are Jim’s biologically, Huck thinks they belong to the man and if Jim steals his children back, it’ll be like Huck helping steal from a man he doesn’t even know. This is ironic because you would think that Jim would be allowed to have his children back because that is what society today is like, but in this time period he is with less rights.

"Well, then, says I, what's the use you learning to do right, when it's troublesome to do right and ain't no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same?" (69).
Huck is saying it’s easier to do wrong than right, and that he won’t tattle tale on Jim because he’d feel the same confliction with or without ratting out his friend. He feels guilty about wanting to turn Jim in, but it's easier to keep moving on than abandon his friend. He is trying to justify his feelings about not turning in Jim, and trying to comfort himself.

"Doan' less' talk about it, Huck. Po' niggers can't have no luck. I awluz 'spected dat rattle-snake skin warn't done wid its work." (70).
This brings back the theme of superstition, and how luck was an important part of life in this time period. It's ironic because Huck and Jim have escaped so many problems.

4. Why do the bounty hunters give Huck money? What is ironic about their reaction to Huck's story? 
Because Huck says his dad is sick, and they’re pretty much paying him to stay away, as well as pay for his father to get help. This is ironic because they were very willing to help them out but as soon as they learned of the supposed sickness on board, all they wanted was to get away.

5. What does the destruction of the "naturally" created raft by the "industrially" created steamboat symbolize?
It shows that society runs over the nature of freedom. It shows the natural state of man versus society.

6. Speculate on why Twain put Huckleberry Finn aside for a few years at the end of XVI?
He was busy making bad investments, and he didn't know where he was going with the story.

7. Describe the Grangerford house. What is satirical about the furnishings, art, and poetry? What does this description say about the Grangerfords?
The Grangerfords house is large and very decorated, with art depicting romanticized sadness and death. The poetry is equally depressing. Their house is expensively furnished, which shows that the family is old and has a lot of money. It also shows how classy they are, and that highlights how silly their feud is.

8. The first part of Chapter XVII reveals an example of the theme of Huck playing on Buck's gullibility. Discuss this example as well as other examples of the novel's major themes evident in Chapters XVI & XVII.
Huck uses Buck to help him know how to spell his name correctly, even though it wasn't quite the correct. This shows how clever Huck is, because he is stealthily gaining information about his character in case he needs to know it in the future. He came up with the small pox story, showing he was quick on his toes.

9. What does Huck's reaction to "Moses and the candle" indicate? Discuss the meaning of "Moses" as a motif in the novel. 
Huck didn’t understand the joke, much like he doesn’t understand people’s interest in religion and stories about people who had been dead for centuries. Moses represents Huck because kind strangers took both in. Moses led the Hebrews to freedom, and goes against his egyptian upbringing. Huck is leading Jim to freedom, and goes against his southern upbringing. They are both going against society to do what is right.

10. What does Twain satirize in his description of the church service and the hogs that sleep under the floor?
Both families go to church together and agree that the sermon about brotherly love was well spoken. This is funny because even though they get along fine in church, they are nasty to each other outside the holy walls. The Hogs think it's nice and cool in the church and will go any time, while humans only go when they have to (Sundays).

11. What does the feud symbolize? Does this remind you of another famous piece of literature? Explain. Through the feud incident, Twain satirizes human traits and behaviors. Discuss. 
The feud symbolizes the Southern obsession with honor. Miss Sophia Grangerford ran off to marry Harney Shepherdson, a man from the rival family. This is like Romeo and Juliet, where Miss Sophia is a Capulet and Harney is a Montague. They are star-crossed lovers like their Italian counterparts, and the heart wants like the heart wants.

12. "I was powerful glad to get away from the feuds, and so was Jim to get away from the swamp. We said there warn't no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so clamped up and smothery, but a raft don't. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft"(88). Discuss the paradox. Furthermore, this excerpt from the final paragraph of Chapter XVIII is significant in that it pertains to the major themes of the novel. Explain.
Huck and Jim both enjoy the wide-open waters of the Mississippi, and don't like being stuck in a certain area for long amounts of time. They're both free on the raft, away from their troubles. The paradox is how small the raft is and how it is physically more cramped than any house