Huck Finn notes

1
Huck Finn notes

• Chapters 1-3

2
Chapter 1

• Huck Finn as narrator Hucks straightforward,
  common sense reporting of ridiculous things is
  the basis of much of the books humor
• Huck mentions that Widow Douglas and Miss Watson
  want to sivilize him. The conflict between
  society and the individual becomes a main theme
  as the novel develops.

3
Chapter 1

• The satire about certain concepts of traditional
  religion (Moses Huck not wanting to go to
  Heaven) serves to poke at the hypocrisy of a
  society that claims to be religious but treats
  fellow human beings as property. Twain also
  hates the idea of making a slave convert to
  Christianity, which is, to Twain, anti-Christian.
  
• Satire the use of irony, sarcasm, or ridicule in
  exposing or ridiculing folly or vice.
  Dictionary.com

4
Chapters 2 3

• Tom functions as a contrast to Huck Finn
• The extravagant plans which Tom introduces
  contrast to Hucks common sense approach. This
  contrast is seen in Hucks escape from Pap.
• Huck is involved in real life while Tom is only
  interested when he is imitating something which
  he has read in a book.

5
Chapters 2 3

• The Mississippi River is described in its
  powerful and grand. Eventually, the river will
  become the main structural device of the novel
  (holding the plot together).
• Huck is literal-minded and accepts everything at
  face value and is not influenced by the values of
  society doesnt like things because hes
  supposed to like them. Huck gives up on prayer
  because he doesnt get the fish hooks he asks for.

6
Chapters 2 3

• Motif a central idea or recurring theme
• Chapter 2 continues a superstition motif with
  Jims belief in witches and devils. Huck is
  concerned about killing a spider in chapter 1.

7
Huck Finn notes Chapters 4-6
8
Chapters 4 5

• The superstition motif continues in Chapter 4 and
  leads to Hucks fears that Pap is coming back.
• Huck is shrewd, but doesnt share societys
  concern over money
• Incident with the judge shows Hucks ability to
  think on the spot

9
Chapters 4 5

• In contrast to Miss Watsons hypocrisy, Pap
  represents the brutality of civilization which
  threatens to destroy Huck
• Pap does not desire something better for Huck
  than he had himself, but is jealous of his son
• The appearance of Pap prepares us for Hucks need
  to escape from a society which forces a son to
  obey such a totally corrupt and evil person as
  Pap.

10
Chapter 6

• One of Hucks major attributes is his ability to
  adapt to any situation and to live in a variety
  of different surroundings
• Twain shows, through Paps drunken tirade, that
  the lower a man sinks, the more he seeks to pull
  others down below himself
• Pap and the white-shirted negro

11
Huck Finn Notes

• Chapters 7-12

12
Chapter 7

• Hucks plan of escape is sensible and based on
  shrewd judgment, contrasting with Tom Sawyers
  ridiculous plans
• Twain is pointing out that common sense and
  natural actions are better than romantic
  pretensions.

13
Chapter 8

• Theme of death and rebirth
• Huck symbolically dies (ripped away from society)
  and is born again with a new set of values
• Huck is told of Jim running away and does not
  turn him in right away, though he doesnt want to
  be a low down Ablitionist
• This acceptance of Jim foreshadows Hucks later
  set of values when he defies society for the sake
  of his friendship with Jim

14
Chapters 8 and 9

• Superstition motif
• Supposedly educated people of the town loading
  bread with quicksilver
• Irony The bread feeds Huck and keeps him alive.
  The cannon shooting nearly kills him.

15
Chapter 10

• This chapter presents the climax of the theme of
  superstition when Jim is bitten by the
  rattlesnake. This is the first time that Huck
  has done something which shows that he is not
  using common sense.
• Hucks regret at pulling this trick on Jim
  indicates the beginning of a deeper relationship.

16
Chapter 10

• Jim doesnt tell Huck about the dead man because
  he is trying to spare Huck the grief (the dead
  man is Pap). The comparision between Jims
  concern and Paps brutality in relation to Huck
  shows Jims superior sense of humanity.

17
Chapters 10 and 11

• Hucks trip ashore is one of many trips meant to
  contrast life on the raft against the life of
  society on the shore
• The incident in which Huck dresses like a girl is
  the beginning of many types of identities he will
  assume throughout the journey. Also introduced
  is Hucks ability to invent stories, though he is
  nearly caught.
• Huck relies on his native ability, whereas Tom
  has to have a fantastic plan based on books.

18
Chapter 11

• By the end of the chapter, Huck has so completely
  identified with Jim and Jims plight that he
  accepts Jims struggle as his own. This, then,
  leads to his later acceptance of Jim as superior
  to the values of society which would enslave him
• Theyre after us!

19
Chapter 12

• This chapter begins the second major part of the
  novel the adventures that take place as they
  float down the Mississippi.
• The journey takes on a mythical quality.
• It was kind of solemn, drifting down the big
  still river, laying on our backs looking up at
  the stars

20
Chapter 12

• The first significant adventure involves the
  wreck of the Walter Scott.
• The name of the wreck is one of Twains uses of
  satire, since he apparently thought Walter
  Scotts romantic novels were a wreck.
• Hucks sympathy for other human beings comes to
  light in his desire to save Jim Turner.
• His sympathy with even the worst or lowest of
  society allows Huck to respond to all classes of
  people and prepares the reader for his total
  acceptance of Jim.

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Chapters 35 36

• Through Toms plans, we see again that the
  respectable element of society is often oblivious
  to the suffering of a human being. For example,
  Tom forces Huck to pay a dime for the watermelon,
  but ignores Jims suffering.

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Chapter 37 38

• The only alleviating factor in the cruelty to Jim
  is the fact that Jim allows these things to be
  done and even participates sometimes, though the
  tricks are often cruel.
• According to Twain, it is ironic that the
  Phelpss are praying with Jim and teaching him
  Christianity, but are willing to sell him or give
  him up to a previous owner.