1. Pap: "I won't have it. I'll lay for you, my smarty; and if I catch you about that school I'll tan you good. First you know you'll get religion. I never seen such a son." Discuss the meaning and irony.
Pap is angry that Huck has turned out to be a somewhat educated young boy that goes to school regularly. Widow Douglas and Ms. Watson were training him to be a nice citizen, and that really irks Pap and he wants to scold Huck for being better than him. The irony is that most parents would want the best for their child, yet Pap is only around Huck for the moment for his money, and despises him for his ability to read and write.
2. How does the refusal of the court to grant custody of Huck to the Widow Douglas and Judge Thatcher reflect on society?
The blood relation seems more important to the society. They should be looking at the best interests of the child in question, Huck in this case, for life would be considerably better for him living with Widow Douglas and Ms. Watson as opposed to his abusive father.
3. Even though Huck is regularly beaten, he prefers to stay at the shanty. Why? How does this reflect one of the major themes?
Because he'd rather have the freedom to swear, not have to pray, and to avoid most responsibility that he'd have to endure under the care of Ms. Watson. He is free from the society out there, even though he is locked inside the cabin most days while his father goes out on a drunken frenzy. The theme of freedom is shown in this behaviour of choosing the torture and pain of life under his father than conforming to the society.
4. Comment on Pap's drunken tirade over the "govment." What message is Twain sending?
Dat govment. Twain is commenting on the people and their eagerness to blame the government and society whenever something goes wrong.
5. What major theme is reflected by Huck's escape from his father and his discovery of Jim?
Death/Rebirth
6. What is ironic about Huck wishing Tom were there to help plan the escape? How do you think the plan would have developed had Tom been there? Would it have been successful?
Because Tom would seem to be the mastermind and could help carry out the plan effortlessly. However, Huck comes up with a rather ingenious plan all by himself which ends up fooling everyone successfully.
7. Discuss the irony in Huck's finding bread to eat. He also seems to modify his position on prayer. Discuss.
The bread's purpose was to find Huck's dead body so that the people in the town could find him. The bread found him, yet he was not realistically dead, but he was symbollicaly dead, awaiting to be reborn once he found Jim on Jackson Island.
He figures that Widow Douglas/Ms. Watson wanted the bread to find him so they prayed for it to happen. They got what they wanted through prayer, so he decides that maybe praying actually does work, but just not for certain people.
8. Discuss Jim' actions after meeting Huck.
9. Discuss how running into Jim represents Huck's rebirth. Discuss the resulting conflict in Huck's mind.
10. Significance: "People would call me a lowdown Abolitionist and despise me for keeping mum."
The society feels that the people who want to repeal slavery are bad, and thus abolitionist is used as an insult. This is ironic but its alright in the view of the society.
11. Even though Jim seems to rely on superstition, many of his predictions are rooted in knowledge.
Explain the significance.
12. Discuss the trick that Huck plays on Jim. It that typical of Huck's character? What does he learn?
13. What do we learn about Huck's character from his trip to shore?
He is a bad girl, because he hasn't interacted with too many of them in his life.
14. When Mrs. Loftus discusses the money that Tom had found, a common human trait emerges. Discuss.
15. Discuss the satire revealed in the amounts of the rewards.
The father with a motive to kill his son to get his money who is a known drunk and a liar has been issued an award of 200 dollars. However, Jim is a runaway black slave. He has a reward of 300 dollars which signifies he has done something far worse than Pap, which in the society's eyes, is being black, which is far worse than pretty much anything.
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Huck Discussion Questions: XV - XX
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.
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 really bad because he knows that Jim is property, but through their adventures, Jim has developed as a person into Huck's mind and he has made a friend. He needs to apologize because he understands that he has feelings and he must atone for the cruel trick he played.
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).
Huck begins to question what he is actually doing. He feels that he has done a bad deed in stealing Jim from Ms. Watson. Ms. Watson hasn't done anything bad to Huck which makes this even more troublesome in Huck's conscience. The society he grew up in has morphed his mind to believe what he is doing is wrong, but he is actually doing what is morally right in today's society it seems.
"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 has helped this 'nigger' escape which in essence is stealing someone else's property. However, the irony is that in order for Jim to get his children back, he would have to steal them from their owners. Sadly, this is because his children are the property of someone, however they are HIS children and to whites he is taking away property, but Jim feels he is regaining his family and making them free. He has regained his property, even though he, as a black man, doesn't look at his family in this way.
Huck is confused now because he feels that if he has contributed to the stealing of more property, especially the property of some person he has never met in his life, means he is just adding to an even bigger problem.
"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 draws a conclusion for himself. He seems that no matter what anyone does, whether it's right or wrong, the same result seems to ensue. However, he sees that it is more work and harder to keep yourself doing the right thing, when doing the wrong thing is easier, but both bring the same outcome.
"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).
Poor black are the exact opposite of those in power in this society. The world in this society is run by those who are rich, own property, and are white. Impoverished black people are the bottom of the social ladder and they are severely out of luck. Jim also reflects the idea of superstition because they have just missed Cairo and that it is only because they have incured bad luck due to Huck touchin and messing around with that rattle-snake.
4. Why do the bounty hunters give Huck money? What is ironic about their reaction to Huck's story?
Because he is having health problems with his family. This is ironic because they hunt down black people for money and probably do it ruthlessly and without question. However, they look at a young white boy who is having their own troubles, and they cater to his needs since he is one of them. It is also ironic because Huck doesn't care about his father, and he is in fact rich.
5. What does the destruction of the "naturally" created raft by the "industrially" created steamboat symbolize?
The power of the society pwning nature. The society takes away the natural stability of the raft.
6. Speculate on why Twain put Huckleberry Finn aside for a few years at the end of XVI?
Because Mark Twain has done enough fooling around with certain themes and such. He needs to lessen this and moves into more explicit/darker themes. He wanted to get a direction for change.
7. Describe the Grangerford house. What is satirical about the furnishings, art, and poetry? What does this description say about the Grangerfords?
Their dead daughter's art are mixed in with very rich-people paintings such as very romantic Revolutionary War style portraits. Mark Twain sees the mix of the two being somewhat silly, because death is romanticized and the dead daughter's notably disgusting and not very well done art is in the same place as the 'classic' well done art of the romantic era. This is Mark Twain poking fun at the absurdity of Romantic literature and art.
The lawlessness of the South is shown with the Grangerfords, because even though they are quite rich and do relish in the death of their dead daughter, they aren't hesistant to kill their neighbours and bring their shotguns/rifles to church.
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.
He tricks Buck into spelling his name, so Huck can use the spelling for future use in case he needs to use the same persona again. The gullibility, the ignorance theme, the role of the outsider, romanticism vs. realism,
9. What does Huck's reaction to "Moses and the candle" indicate? Discuss the meaning of "Moses" as a motif in the novel.
He doesn't get the joke. He feels that Buck was wasting their time because if Buck knew, why did he ask Huck? He needs a sense of humour... in a way. Moses is important because he led the slaves away from Egypt or something.
10. What does Twain satirize in his description of the church service and the hogs that sleep under the floor?
Because the sermon is all about brotherly love and how to love your fellow man. Although the two families sit in the pews with their rifles and guns with them and go home and kill one another. The pigs are ironic because the pigs can go in the church whenever they want. Although people never go to church except on Sunday, the day they have to.
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.
Reminds you of Romeo and Juliet.
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.
The river is the symbol of freedom. Since the river is far away from the society, they are free from Jim being persecuted, and from Huck being controlled and sivilized. The paradox is, that the raft is much much smaller than the actual land that they find themselves in. This is because the rules, laws, and policies found in the cities and towns are more constraining then peace on the boat.
13. Huck and Jim's manner of dress on the raft is symbolic. What do clothes represent?
14. Why doesn't Huck expose the Duke and the King (Dauphin) as frauds?
15. Who is the most shrewd, the King and the Duke or Huck? Why? Give some examples.
16. What does Twain satirize in the plan to present Romeo and Juliet? Discuss Romeo and Juliet as a motif.
17. Discuss the significance of the pirate and the revival meeting. What is Twain satirizing?
18. Is Twain making a statement about society through the antics of the King and Duke? Explain.
