The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Wikipedia. Wikimedia
Foundation, 31 Mar. 2013. Web. 01 Apr. 2013.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventures_of_Huckleberry_Finn>.
Foundation, 31 Mar. 2013. Web. 01 Apr. 2013.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventures_of_Huckleberry_Finn>.
Summary: Proceeding the novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer also written by Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn continues the story of Huckleberry Finn and his struggles and battles in the world. Between novels, Huckleberry Finn was adopted by Widow Douglas and Miss Watson. Finn runs away, as he isn’t content with his life, and comes home once he is convinced by Tom Sawyer to come back and start a robbery gang. The gang doesn’t last long because the members aren’t satisfied with the gang’s activity. Upon discovering that Pap was back in town, Huckleberry Finn tries to get rid of the money that his dad had come to claim from the money Finn and Sawyer had found. Pap catches Huckleberry and steals him from Widow Douglas’ house to live with him in a cabin. Though he enjoys his time in the cabin, he cannot take the beatings from his father. Finn runs away, stages his death, and heads towards Jackson’s Island. Finn discovers that Miss Watson’s slave, Jim, had ran away after overhearing her plans to get rid of him and is now living on the island also and they unite. The river along the island floods significantly and they notice an entire house floating by. Upon curiosity, the two enter the house and search for items that could be of use to them, but instead come across Huckleberry Finn’s father, Pap. Finn disguises himself and heads into town to find out news and he discovers that Pap and Jim are suspects in Huckleberry Finn’s murder. Mindful with the news, Huckleberry and Jim pack their belongings leave the island on a raft. They find a canoe and continue down the river. They were hoping to reach Cairo but passed
it while asleep on the raft. Huckleberry and Jim are forced into the water after a steamboat runs over their raft and the two swim to shore. Jim hides near a swamp and Huckleberry is invited to live with a family that treats him well, but the family is killed and Huckleberry and Jim begin traveling down the river again. They meet a Duke and a King that scam people in the towns, earning
themselves several hundreds of dollars. The scammers sell Jim to Tom Sawyers’ aunt for money and Huckleberry Finn and Tom help Jim escape. In the process of the escape, Tom is shot in the leg. The doctor that tends to Tom puts Jim in chains. They discover that Jim had been free for some time because the Widow had died and declared him free in her will. Huckleberry denies Tom’s aunt’s offer to adopt him.
Analysis of Major Characters:
Huckleberry Finn - Huckleberry Finn, the protagonist of the story, is a boy that has had a difficult life consisting of a drunk, abusive father and a lack of a stable home. He escapes from his life with a runaway slave and they develop a friendship that assists them in their journey. Though Huckleberry Finn is given several opportunities for a stable home and education, he is
distrustful of them and often denies or chooses to escape them. Huckleberry can be described as rebellious and unsettled. His dishonesty and rebelliousness leads him to go against the rest of society, such as when he dressed as a woman to receive information. His maturity and sense of self has not developed, though he demonstrates extensive independence. Though he goes against what the rest of society believes, he is not an immoral character. His independence is evident, but he still offers an influential, youthful boyhood that causes him to sway back and forth on his actions and decisions.
Jim - As a runaway slave of Miss Watson, Jim joins the adventurous Huckleberry Finn in his journey to find something better. Jim is the companion of Huckleberry and they travel together down the river, both searching for some kind of freedom. As a father, Jim serves as a fatherly, protective figure to Huckleberry. He is family oriented and remains emotionally strong throughout the novel. Jim reassures Huckleberry when he sees his father’s dead body during the flood. He is a passive, reasonable character and provides the relationship with assurance and emotional strength. Opposite of Huckleberry, Jim is loyal to himself and his morals. Though running away was something he ordinarily wouldn’t do, he did so in order to see his family again. Jim has a strong sense of who he is and how his actions define him. Jim’s role in the relationship with him and Huckleberry is to be the authority figure, fatherly, knowledgeable, and reasonable.
Tom Sawyer - Though Tome Sawyer is the major character from Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; he is only a minor character in this novel and mainly serves to juxtapose the character of Huckleberry Finn. Tom Sawyer, as a character emerging from Mark Twain’s previous novel, is a boy Huckleberry Finn’s age that is better off than him. Tom does not demonstrate much loyalty to any of the other characters, as he acts primarily for himself. He is a mischievous, impractical character. He causes many characters anguish and discomfort. The lives of Huckleberry and Tom are extremely different but their friendship remains regardless of their differentness. Tom Sawyer has the ability to demand control, such as his convincing Huckleberry to come home and join his robbery gang. He his convincing and influences Huckleberry quite easily. Unlike Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer does not feel the need to help others and, regardless of his romanticism ideas, does not show compassion towards any other characters. He remains selfish and consistent throughout the novel.
Setting: The novel takes place in the south sometime before the Civil War, as slavery was still practiced. Though it was written in 1876–1883, the story took place somewhere around the 1830s to 1840s, as Twain stated that the plot took place 50 or so years before the novel was published. Huckleberry Finn and Jim travel along the Mississippi River and towns and states surrounding the river. Mark Twain’s physical setting offers the characters opportunities of peace and escape, as this is where both Huckleberry and Jim go to break away from the difficulties of their lives. The river and travelling also symbolizes freedom for the African American slaves.
Their goal is to reach a northern location so that Jim can be free from slavery. There is a contrast between the class of the people where the novel takes place, particularly seen through the characters of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. Their lives are contrasted substantially throughout the novel and it can be assumed that Twain was Tom in his childhood and Huckleberry was a boy that he had known. Mark Twain based his character of Huckleberry Finn off of a boy that he knew growing up that lived in a rundown shack with his alcoholic father. Twain has mentioned this person as his inspiration for the character and mirrors many aspects of his life in Huckleberry Finn. During this time in history, Americans began rebelling against slavery. Many southerners would assist slaves in finding their way to Northern American. People started to question the morality of slavery and conflicting opinions developed conflict within the country.
Types of Conflicts:
Man vs. Nature: Huckleberry and Jim travel along the Mississippi River and experience complications with nature. While they are living on Jackson’s island, there is a storm that causes a flood. This form of nature causes more complications than a flood. With the rising river comes a floating house with Huck’s dead father inside. Throughout their journey down the river, Huck and Jim must deal with several other nature-related incidents.
Man vs. Society: Huckleberry Finn does not have the same outlook on morality and rightness as the rest of society does. This is emphasized by the relationships and experiences that Huck goes through. Huckleberry struggles with finding himself within the society he lives in. This struggle leads Huck to run from what he doesn’t understand or trust. He is offered opportunities to live a
decent life, but he has lost trust in society, as it had betrayed him many times before.
Man vs. Himself: Huckleberry has been raised in a society where certain morals are common among all people, but he finds himself going against them because it is what he feels is right in the moment. One issue that he struggles with is the right and wrong of slavery. He knows that helping a slave run away is not right, but he sympathizes with Jim because they both feel similar ways. Near the end of the novel, Huck struggles whether or not to let Jim free or keep him enslaved. His upbringing had instilled in him that helping a slave escape is not right.
Major Themes:
Slavery - The slavery within the novel is prominent, as one of the main characters is a runaway slave and Huckleberry Finn unites with him of his journey of escape. The idea of slaver comes into play several different ways. Mark Twain has Huck sympathize with a slave to demonstrate Huckleberry’s feelings of confinement within the society. The two can get along so well, even if it’s against society, because they experience similar feelings. Slavery during the time the novel was written was abolished but racism still existed. Twain included slavery in the book to depict the unfair treatment of the African Americans even after slavery did not exist.
Rules - In relation to the conflict of man vs. society, the society declares and enforces many rules intended for the characters. Huckleberry struggles with obeying these rules, as they seem to counteract how he truly feels. Twain’s intention in this is to suggest that rules should not be blindly followed, but rather one should follow their own interpretation of right.
Family - Although Huckleberry Finn does not have a decent family, as his father is an alcoholic and abusive, he finds a family relationship in Jim. Jim takes on the role of becoming Huck’s father and protects him and establishes logic in the relationship. The importance of family is emphasized, but it is inferred that one’s family doesn’t need to be genetic.
Major Symbols:
Mississippi River: The river is symbolic of Huck’s development
throughout the novel. His literal journey down the river represents his
emotional journey upon his realizations. It also represents freedom, as it is
the means of escape from the cruel society.
Raft: The raft assists Huckleberry and Jim on their journey
towards freedom. It unites them, though it is of poor quality. It can symbolize
the strands of hope that the two characters hang on to. During the novel, the
raft falls apart and thus their hope fades. The small area of the raft forces
Huck and Jim to rely on each other.
Books read by Tom Sawyer: Tom seems to live out the fictions and
fantasies that he discovers in his readings. This fiction aspect of Tom demonstrates
the sincerity of both Huckleberry and Jim. It emphasizes Jim’s reasonability and
Huck’s genuineness of character.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAxWT25ugUw
Citations:
"Huck Finn Song - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." YouTube.
YouTube, 07 Dec. 2009. Web. 01 Apr. 2013.
< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAxWT25ugUw>.
it while asleep on the raft. Huckleberry and Jim are forced into the water after a steamboat runs over their raft and the two swim to shore. Jim hides near a swamp and Huckleberry is invited to live with a family that treats him well, but the family is killed and Huckleberry and Jim begin traveling down the river again. They meet a Duke and a King that scam people in the towns, earning
themselves several hundreds of dollars. The scammers sell Jim to Tom Sawyers’ aunt for money and Huckleberry Finn and Tom help Jim escape. In the process of the escape, Tom is shot in the leg. The doctor that tends to Tom puts Jim in chains. They discover that Jim had been free for some time because the Widow had died and declared him free in her will. Huckleberry denies Tom’s aunt’s offer to adopt him.
Analysis of Major Characters:
Huckleberry Finn - Huckleberry Finn, the protagonist of the story, is a boy that has had a difficult life consisting of a drunk, abusive father and a lack of a stable home. He escapes from his life with a runaway slave and they develop a friendship that assists them in their journey. Though Huckleberry Finn is given several opportunities for a stable home and education, he is
distrustful of them and often denies or chooses to escape them. Huckleberry can be described as rebellious and unsettled. His dishonesty and rebelliousness leads him to go against the rest of society, such as when he dressed as a woman to receive information. His maturity and sense of self has not developed, though he demonstrates extensive independence. Though he goes against what the rest of society believes, he is not an immoral character. His independence is evident, but he still offers an influential, youthful boyhood that causes him to sway back and forth on his actions and decisions.
Jim - As a runaway slave of Miss Watson, Jim joins the adventurous Huckleberry Finn in his journey to find something better. Jim is the companion of Huckleberry and they travel together down the river, both searching for some kind of freedom. As a father, Jim serves as a fatherly, protective figure to Huckleberry. He is family oriented and remains emotionally strong throughout the novel. Jim reassures Huckleberry when he sees his father’s dead body during the flood. He is a passive, reasonable character and provides the relationship with assurance and emotional strength. Opposite of Huckleberry, Jim is loyal to himself and his morals. Though running away was something he ordinarily wouldn’t do, he did so in order to see his family again. Jim has a strong sense of who he is and how his actions define him. Jim’s role in the relationship with him and Huckleberry is to be the authority figure, fatherly, knowledgeable, and reasonable.
Tom Sawyer - Though Tome Sawyer is the major character from Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; he is only a minor character in this novel and mainly serves to juxtapose the character of Huckleberry Finn. Tom Sawyer, as a character emerging from Mark Twain’s previous novel, is a boy Huckleberry Finn’s age that is better off than him. Tom does not demonstrate much loyalty to any of the other characters, as he acts primarily for himself. He is a mischievous, impractical character. He causes many characters anguish and discomfort. The lives of Huckleberry and Tom are extremely different but their friendship remains regardless of their differentness. Tom Sawyer has the ability to demand control, such as his convincing Huckleberry to come home and join his robbery gang. He his convincing and influences Huckleberry quite easily. Unlike Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer does not feel the need to help others and, regardless of his romanticism ideas, does not show compassion towards any other characters. He remains selfish and consistent throughout the novel.
Setting: The novel takes place in the south sometime before the Civil War, as slavery was still practiced. Though it was written in 1876–1883, the story took place somewhere around the 1830s to 1840s, as Twain stated that the plot took place 50 or so years before the novel was published. Huckleberry Finn and Jim travel along the Mississippi River and towns and states surrounding the river. Mark Twain’s physical setting offers the characters opportunities of peace and escape, as this is where both Huckleberry and Jim go to break away from the difficulties of their lives. The river and travelling also symbolizes freedom for the African American slaves.
Their goal is to reach a northern location so that Jim can be free from slavery. There is a contrast between the class of the people where the novel takes place, particularly seen through the characters of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. Their lives are contrasted substantially throughout the novel and it can be assumed that Twain was Tom in his childhood and Huckleberry was a boy that he had known. Mark Twain based his character of Huckleberry Finn off of a boy that he knew growing up that lived in a rundown shack with his alcoholic father. Twain has mentioned this person as his inspiration for the character and mirrors many aspects of his life in Huckleberry Finn. During this time in history, Americans began rebelling against slavery. Many southerners would assist slaves in finding their way to Northern American. People started to question the morality of slavery and conflicting opinions developed conflict within the country.
Types of Conflicts:
Man vs. Nature: Huckleberry and Jim travel along the Mississippi River and experience complications with nature. While they are living on Jackson’s island, there is a storm that causes a flood. This form of nature causes more complications than a flood. With the rising river comes a floating house with Huck’s dead father inside. Throughout their journey down the river, Huck and Jim must deal with several other nature-related incidents.
Man vs. Society: Huckleberry Finn does not have the same outlook on morality and rightness as the rest of society does. This is emphasized by the relationships and experiences that Huck goes through. Huckleberry struggles with finding himself within the society he lives in. This struggle leads Huck to run from what he doesn’t understand or trust. He is offered opportunities to live a
decent life, but he has lost trust in society, as it had betrayed him many times before.
Man vs. Himself: Huckleberry has been raised in a society where certain morals are common among all people, but he finds himself going against them because it is what he feels is right in the moment. One issue that he struggles with is the right and wrong of slavery. He knows that helping a slave run away is not right, but he sympathizes with Jim because they both feel similar ways. Near the end of the novel, Huck struggles whether or not to let Jim free or keep him enslaved. His upbringing had instilled in him that helping a slave escape is not right.
Major Themes:
Slavery - The slavery within the novel is prominent, as one of the main characters is a runaway slave and Huckleberry Finn unites with him of his journey of escape. The idea of slaver comes into play several different ways. Mark Twain has Huck sympathize with a slave to demonstrate Huckleberry’s feelings of confinement within the society. The two can get along so well, even if it’s against society, because they experience similar feelings. Slavery during the time the novel was written was abolished but racism still existed. Twain included slavery in the book to depict the unfair treatment of the African Americans even after slavery did not exist.
Rules - In relation to the conflict of man vs. society, the society declares and enforces many rules intended for the characters. Huckleberry struggles with obeying these rules, as they seem to counteract how he truly feels. Twain’s intention in this is to suggest that rules should not be blindly followed, but rather one should follow their own interpretation of right.
Family - Although Huckleberry Finn does not have a decent family, as his father is an alcoholic and abusive, he finds a family relationship in Jim. Jim takes on the role of becoming Huck’s father and protects him and establishes logic in the relationship. The importance of family is emphasized, but it is inferred that one’s family doesn’t need to be genetic.
Major Symbols:
Mississippi River: The river is symbolic of Huck’s development
throughout the novel. His literal journey down the river represents his
emotional journey upon his realizations. It also represents freedom, as it is
the means of escape from the cruel society.
Raft: The raft assists Huckleberry and Jim on their journey
towards freedom. It unites them, though it is of poor quality. It can symbolize
the strands of hope that the two characters hang on to. During the novel, the
raft falls apart and thus their hope fades. The small area of the raft forces
Huck and Jim to rely on each other.
Books read by Tom Sawyer: Tom seems to live out the fictions and
fantasies that he discovers in his readings. This fiction aspect of Tom demonstrates
the sincerity of both Huckleberry and Jim. It emphasizes Jim’s reasonability and
Huck’s genuineness of character.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAxWT25ugUw
Citations:
"Huck Finn Song - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." YouTube.
YouTube, 07 Dec. 2009. Web. 01 Apr. 2013.
< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAxWT25ugUw>.
- "The Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn Study Guide & Essays." The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn Study Guide & Literature Essays. N.p., n.d. Web. 31
Mar. 2013.
<http://www.gradesaver.com/the-adventures-of-huckleberry-finn/>. - "The Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2013.
<http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/huckfinn/>. - "The Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain Character Analysis Jim." The Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn: Character Analysis: Jim. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar.
2013.
<http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/literature/huckleberry-finn/character-analysis/jim.html>. - "FREE MonkeyNotes
Study Guide Online Book Notes Summary for Huck Finn/Huckleberry Finn by Mark
Twain-CHARACTER ANALYSIS/HUCKLEBERRY FINN/TOM SAWYER/RACISM-Free Booknotes
Chapter Summary Plot Synopsis Study Guide Essay Book Report." FREE
MonkeyNotes Study Guide Online Book Notes Summary for Huck Finn/Huckleberry
Finn by Mark Twain-CHARACTER ANALYSIS/HUCKLEBERRY FINN/TOM
SAWYER/RACISM-Free Booknotes Chapter Summary Plot Synopsis Study Guide Essay
Book Report. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2013.
<http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/monkeynotes/pmHuckFinn56.asp>. - "What Is the
Major Conflict of Huckleberry Finn? - Homework Help." Enotes.com.
Enotes.com, n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2013.
<http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-major-conflict-novel-7245>. - "Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn Themes." Shmoop. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.shmoop.com/huckleberry-finn/themes.html>.