Lit Analysis #6

The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn General: 1. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, is not only considered its own text, but also the sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Tom being one of Huckleberry's dear friends. Huckleberry Finn continues where he and his friend Tom left off in St. Petersburg, Missouri, where they found a fortune of gold. Huck knew that due to his unstable lifestyle, he couldn't carry his fortune with him, so he placed it in a bank. This novel takes place before the civil war, around the years 1835-1834. "Huck" is a young boy from the lower castes of society. His background has proven to be unfortunate as his biological father is a drunk who didn't develop a healthy relationship with his son. Not only that, he left Huck for long periods at a time, often times homeless. By the beginning of this novel, Huck had been adopted by Widow Douglas, a nice woman who attempted to fix Huck. Widow Douglas tried to give Huck the stability that he never knew. She enrolled him in school, and took him to church. He wasn't willful, however. Unfortunately, the stability was short-lived, as Huck waskidnapped by his natural father, Pap. Pap was in search of the fortune that Huck had found, and went to greats lengths to try to get it. Pap locked his son in a cabin and beat him often throughout his drunken tangents. Not after too long, Huck escaped by faking his own death. He ended up on an island in the middle of the Mississippi River, where he met Jim, a runaway slave whose award is out for his capture. Jim and Huck became allies, helping each other escape from their terrible pasts. They soon meet two con artists, men who claimed to be a duke and a dauphin. Together, they made scams down the Mississippi River, some successful, and others that threatened their lives. The worst crime they committed, however, was selling Jim. These two con-artists, however, sold Jim to Tom Sawyer's aunt and uncle. Huck pretended to be Tom, and Tom pretended to be his own brother Sid, and the two derived a plan to free Jim. After a plan that nearly got everyone killed, the author revealed that since Miss Watson had passed away, Jim was a free man. Also, Huck realized that his father was dead, and was last seen floating in the Mississippi River. The novel ends with Tom and Huck being revealed for who they were and continuing their lives as Huck set out West. 2. Based on my interpretation of the novel, I feel that the theme is that friendship has no boundaries. In the era of this novel, race was at the center of social standing and societal perceptions. It was frowned upon for white society to make friendships with the African American society, especially if they were slaves. Huck and Jim forgot what society expected of them, and built a friendship. They didn't see one another as white, black, inferior, or superior. They saw one another as Jim and Huck, two runaways that found each other on their journey away from their ugly pasts. 3. On many occasions in this novel, I would describe the tone as depressing, and saddening. The following quotes demonstrate my point: •"Alright then, I'll go to hell." •"Human beings can be awful cruel to one another." •"Well, if I ever struck anything like it, I'm a nigger. It was enough to make my body ashamed of the human race." 4. •Diction: "Whatsoever ye ask for, that shall ye get." (14.39) This quote, as well as others, showed me the style of conversation during this era of history. This showed me the way the spoke, and thought, which allowed me to understand the characters and history better. •Stereotype: "-do you reckon a nigger can run across money and not borrow some of it?" (26.97) This quote proves the racism that took place and ignorance that occupied peoples' minds. The characters assumed that if one was black, they must have been a thief, and that skin color effects one's actions. •Simile: "He ain't no slave; he's as free as any cretur that walks this earth!" (42.45) In this quote, the characters were defending Jim as he was a free man, since the woman that owned him had died. They compared him to every creature on Earth to prove that he was as free as someone who had never been a slave. •Indirect Characterization: "Dah you goes, de ole true Huck; de on'y white genlmen dat ever kep' his promise to ole Jim". (16.16) Indirectly, Jim is stating that Huck is a good person for treating Jim better than any other "white folk" would. Huck kept his promises to Jim, and didn't let his skin color effect anything. •Syntax: "I hain't got no money." (5.19) This grammatical arrangement of words shows the lack of education that existed during this time. Knowing this, I was able to understand the characters better when it came to their thoughts and actions. •Direct characterization: "It's a dead man. Yes indeedy; naked, too. He's been shot in de back. I reck'n he's ben dead two er three days. Come in, Huck, but doan' look at his face- it's too gashly." (9.18) The character directly stated how the body looked, which showed his honesty and concern for Huck. He wanted to warn Huck of the brutal sight, so that Huck could mentally prepare himself. This showed how much people cared about Huck, as they would look out for him and have his best interests at heart. •Pathos: Yes, he's got a father, but you can't never find him these days. He used to lay drunk with the hogs in the tenyard, nut he hain't seen in these parts for a year or more." (2.13) Reading this made me feel terrible for Huck. I couldn't imagine such a person as my parent, and it allowed me to understand Huck as a person better, since I now knew where he came from. •Metaphor: "I don't want no beter book than what your face is." (29.16) In this quote, Jim was referring to the fact that Hucks face tells a story. Huck's tears, scars, and wounds tell his life story. Jim didn't need a book to tell him where Huck came from, because his appearance said it all, at times. •Aphorism: "You can't pray a lie." (13.13) This quote tells an ugly truth that people in this novel didn't want to believe. One could pray all that they wanted to, with all of their might. However, if their prayers were lies, or were coming form an ugly place, they were useless. •Mood: "It's lovely to live on a raft. We had the sky, up there, all speckled with stars, and we used to lay on our back and look up at them.." (23.17) Through all of the unfortunate events that had happened to Huck, this quote made me feel better. It made me feel better that Huck finally found some sort of peace, which totally changed the mood around for this novel. 1. Direct Characterization: •"You don't know about me, without you have read a book by the name of, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer." •That book was made by Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly. There was things which he stressed, but mainly told the truth." Directly, Huck is stating that if we want to get to know him, we must read, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer." If we hadn’t then we wouldn't be able to understand him. Also, Huck articulated clearly that he felt Twain exaggerated the truth when it came to writing these novels. Indirect Characterization: •"I got out my old rags and my sugar hogshed again, and was free and satisfied." •"I don't take no stock in dead people." Indirectly, Huck was stating that he would run away, and enjoy life as it used to be. When he was on the run, he used to sugar hogshed to make his bed. Also, Huck wants to articulate that he doesn't care much for dead people, as they are now no use to him. I feel that Twain uses both approaches to give a variety of descriptions to his audience. Being so creative keeps the reader engaged and entertained, and allows them to see each character through a different light. As a result, I understood the characters better and got to read their thoughts and feelings through different literary elements. 2. Mark Twain's diction/syntax didn't change as he focused on character as he had Huck as the narrator. Everything was in Huck's words through his point of view. For example, "Worked me middling hard for about an hour, and then the widow made her ease up. I couldn't stood it much longer. Then for an hour it was deadly dull, an I was fidgety. Miss Watson would say, "Don't put your feet up there, Huckleberry;", and, "Don' scrunch up like that Huckleberry--set up straight." 3. I would describe Huck as a dynamic and round character. Throughout the novel, he grew to make decisions for himself, and to not let the thoughts of others effect him. He had grown to distinguish right from wrong and good from bad. Whether it was running away, or making decisions concerning the con artists, Huck learned how to make the right decisions for himself. Lastly, Huck grew to rebel against society in a way that would improve the quality of lives. He admitted that he would rather go to hell than see Jim become a slaved man. This alone shows how Huck grew emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. 4. After reading this novel, I felt that I had met a person. Eventually, Huck allowed his vulnerability to show, and showed his true colors to the audience and characters. For example, Huck said he would rather, "Go to hell", than see Jim become a slave again. This showed that Huck loved Jim, even though it was socially unacceptable. He didn't care about that portion of society's expectations, and continued his friendship with Jim. This made me feel like I met a strong-willed and tough person.