The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

1. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain Published in 1884 Set in slavery times

2. Point of View • First person • A character tells the story • Huck tells the story • We see the events and society through the eyes of an uneducated, youth, not a part of the society he interacts with • He reports/does not analyze/does not comment

3. Huck is matter of fact narrator • He just tells the story. Tells us he was beaten by Pap. Tells us had welts all over. Tells us Pap locked him in and he was scared Pap wouldn’t come back. • Often we see the gap between what he says and way things really are. • Early we see Huck go back to Widow Douglas so he can join Tom’s band of robbers. Huck does not see irony; we do.

4. Precipitating Action • Then one day….. • Huck is living with the Widow Douglas, not very happy, hangs out with friends, goes to church, trying to be civilized and then one day… • Pap shows up.

5. Realism • The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an excellent example of realism • Local color • Dialect • Realistic characters • Realistic settings • Realistic events

6. Setting • Along the Miss. River in small towns and on the river in slave times • The river is lovely but harsh. No romantic view here. • River allows Twain to isolate his main characters and then have them interact with various groups and individuals usually on shore • Jim and Huck are not part of society but they interact with it.

7. Contrasts to look at • Good/bad • Children/adults • Church people/not church people • Slaves/not slaves • Educated/uneducated • Life on the river/life on shore

8. “Sivilize” • From the first pages, Huck talks about getting “sivilized.” At the end, he opts to leave civilization. He also abandons religion to help Jim. • He prefers his freedom. He has his own inner value system at odds with society. • Twain allows us to see the advantages and disadvantages of “sivilization.”

9. sivilize • Huck hates the manners, clothes, sitting, rules part of “sivilized” • He enjoys the dirty, no rules part of the other—but that is also where he is beaten by a no-count father. • The “natural” world may be pretty, but it, too, has dangers and problems. Not an either/or situation.

10. Religion is part of Sivilizing • Sometimes stern/sometimes loving—good people are largely religious • Bad people are not likely to be religious • Miss Watson who owns Jim is “religious” she also is big on the dark side of religion—sin and going to hell—she is not loving/can be mean/dwells on rules not love Much of society’s religion is not very civilized. Slave owning. Manipulating “fate.”

11. Religion: Often garbled and often focuses on hell • Miss Watson big on “hell” and sin • Prayer is confusing/maybe only works for good people/show as magic way to “get stuff” • Bring slaves in for prayers • Preachers can be good or in position to scam people • People want religion • Superstition is garbled religion • Try to reconcile slavery with Christianity. • Jim says Solomon was bad. Huck gives up soul for Jim.

12. Slavery and religion • Over and over again good people turn bad when the issue of slavery comes up. • Twain shows absurdity of combining belief in slavery and pious behavior of southerners. • Much of his satire aimed at this absurdity.

13. Why superstition? • Fears • Ignorance • Excitement, adventure • Works just enough of the time • Control “fate” and gods

14. Loneliness and isolation • In Ch. I Huck is lonely. • Later he is on island alone 2-3 days and gets very lonely. • Jim is lonely for his family. • They are apart from society, but not anti-social. • There is a price for being different.

15. Chapter II: first meet Jim • Huck and Tom do not treat him as adult or even as equal • Jim acts ignorant and scams others • Later Twain adds depth of character and we see Jim change as Huck sees him differently • We bond with Jim when he is bitten by snake • Irony of Jim’s family (he is good father) compared to Pap, Huck’s father

16. Pap • Mean drunk • Wants money • Resents Huck’s good fortune • Kidnaps him • Beats him • Locks him up • Contrast to Jim as father

17. Tom’s band of robbers • Ideas from romance novels, Sir Walter Scott • Wants adventure • Always imagines being outside society—robber/pirate/ etc. • Funny that they can’t rob and kill on Sunday • Tom takes candles and pays for them • Later Huck takes things but does not pay. • Tom never leaves society

18. How does one know what is right • Have Miss Watson endorsing religion yet she is mean • Have all these slave owners who are civilized and religious • Twain shows how messed up society is when it tries to combine Christianity and slavery • It just can’t be logical.

19. Ch. II • 226 praying • 227 elephants and A-rabs to Huck are as wild as Moses and hell stories! • Praying for fish hooks, rubbing lamps, Moses, band of robbers --all about the same to Huck!

20. Chapter V • Look at description of Pap • Look at his attitude and behavior to Huck—jealous and mean, brutal • Says education will make you uppity; next you’ll get religion. See the irony. Pap is wrong, but society’s education and religion are no prizes either.

21. The judge/law • Look at section where judge tries to reform him/funny and sad p.232 • The good people and society cannot or do not protect Huck • new judge does not think--just says boy should be with father

22. Ch. VI • Pap takes Huck to island • Look at what Huck likes about being uncivilized • Look at what he misses • More irony: Pap kidnaps own child. Later Jim is willing to “steal” his daughter. One is mean; one is loving.

23. Look at the escape story • It is clever • It is fun • Look at the excitement the society gets from Huck’s murder • Where were they when he was being mistreated? • See how smart Huck is. See how adaptable he is. • He symbolically dies and is reborn outside society.

24. Look at when we meet Jim on island • Huck was lonesome. Both are glad for each other. • Look at Jim’s discussion of being worth $800 • Huck promises not to tell though he knows it is “wrong.”

25. Snake • What happens? How is Jim bitten? • What does this trick remind you of? What other trick happened before. What one is yet to come? • How does this show us Jim in a new light? • Huck is being more “Tom” than “Huck” but he begins to change here.

26. House floats by. • Who is inside dead? • Who knows the identity of the dead man? • Why does he not tell?

27. Huck pretends to be a girl • Extremely funny • Huck just not a good girl • Huck messes up his story, spins another one • Woman is clever. Sees through him. • She is also a great gossip though new to town. • Huck learns men are going to look for Jim on island. • Rushes back. “They’re after us!”

28. Ch. XII begins second part: the float down the river • Odyssey • wreck of the Walter Scott • thieves on board--one about to be killed • Huck nearly found--thieves go back for loot • Huck has sympathy for thieves. Wants to help them. • Plays to ferry boat man’s greed to get them help. • Thinks Widow D. would be proud!

29. Lull in story • They float, enjoy the river • Swap stories • Huck reads about kings, dukes, earls, knights • Solomon--Jim says he is a bad man

30. Huck and Jim relax

31. Fog • They miss the turn to the Ohio river in fog. • Last trick on Jim. • Huck pretends Jim dreamed separation. • Read carefully what Jim says when he discovers this last trick. Huck never does it again. Reader completely sympathized with Jim.

32. At this point Twain put the novel aside for two years • The story was no longer about will Jim get to freedom • He begins to focus even more on the inner person of Huck, his maturing and his examination of society • Plays that last juvenile trick. • Becomes aware of Jim’s devotion to him. Begins to see Jim as a good person. A good man. Huck continues to be troubled.