Aurel Lazar
Mrs. Murray
AP English 3 Early Bird
January 12, 2007
Quotes
Reflections
“I never seen anybody but lied, one time
or another, without it was Aunt Polly, or
the widow, or maybe Mary.” (1)
Seems to suggest that Huck feels that
lying, and all sorts of other normally
“bad” activities are commonplace; his
naivety is shown in his inability to
recognize that what is commonplace is
not always the right thing.
“Then she told me all about the bad
place and I said I wished I was there… I
was glad about that because I wanted
him and me to be together.” (2)
Once again, Huck seems to see things
from the simple point of view of a child
and not from the desires of his own
personal micro-universe. The fact that
he’s glad Tom won’t go there not only
shows his intense gullibility but also a
heavy inability to comprehend the
consequences of his words. It almost
seems to suggest that later on this
inability to see the results of his actions
will lead to a misfortunate event.
“Tom whispered to me and wanted to tie
Jim to the tree for fun; but I said no; he
might wake and make a disturbance, and
then they’d find out I warn’t in.” (5)
In this, Huck’s practicality and childlike
sense of logic is juxtaposed with the
impish and utterly mischievous nature
prevalent in Tom’s desires to always play
tricks. However Huck seems to admire
Tom’s courage in willing to “resk it” (5).
“Now we’ll start this band of robbers and
call it Tom Sawyer’s Gang. Everyone that
wants to join has got to take an oath and
write his name in blood.” (7)
Relating back to the previous example of
Tom’s impish desire to constantly play
tricks, the boys all seem to ardently
worship Tom for his courage by seeming
to always give the position of leader to
Tom.
“Well I don’t know. But per’aps if we
keep them till they’re ransomed, it
means we keep them till they’re dead.”
(9)
Pride seems to be shown in this example,
as if is an absorbent figure of attention,
he wishes to preserve his status even by
making up something. It seems Tom
would make an excellent politician, as he
says virtually nothing, yet allows others
to interpret his words and conduct his
decisions.
Aurel Lazar
Mrs. Murray
AP English 3 Early Bird
January 12, 2007
Quotes
Reflections
“I knowed mighty well that a drowned
man don’t float on his back, but on his
face. So I knowed then, that this warn’t
pap, but a woman… ” (12)
Street smarts appears to be something
Huck has in abundance, even if he can’t
master his multiplication table. These
logical facts seem to be things lost to our
time period, as modern medicine and
forensics seem to take over our ways of
thought.
“He said there was hundreds of soldiers
there, and elephants and treasure, and
so on, but we had enemies which he
called magicians, and they had turned
the whole thing into an infant Sunday
school, just out of spite. I said, all right,
then the thing for us was to go for the
magicians. Tom Sawyer said I was a
numbskull.” (13)
Another example of Tom’s pathetic
attempt to keep himself from becoming
publicly humiliated. Once again, Huck
seems to show a powerful ability to find
the best path to resolving the situation, a
practicality
not
normally
in
high
prevalence in children. Huck seems to be
an expert tactician, whereas Tom seems
to be attempting to keep his head high
while retaining a pathetic childish hope.
“Oho-o. I think I see. You want to sell all
your property to me—not give it. That’s
the correct idea.” (17)
I feel that Twain seems to be suggesting
that adults seem to fail to understand
the simplicity of life as viewed from a
child’s mind. The judge feels the need for
legality, whereas Huck simply feels
especially philanthropic.
Aurel Lazar
Mrs. Murray
AP English 3 Early Bird
January 12, 2007
Quotes
Reflections
“You’re educated, they say; can read and
write. You think you’re better’n your
father, now, don’t you, because he
can’t?” (19)
What surprised me about this passage is
the intensity with which Mr. Finn objects
to any educational advancement of his
son. Normally, a father would wish for
his son to be educated, but Mr. Finn is
not normal. Aside from that is not a
desire for Huck not to learn, but rather
for things to stay as they are. He would
like his son to be exactly the same as
him, and the “meddling” of the widow
seems to have intruded on his intimate
desires.
“He reckoned a body could reform the
ole man with a shot-gun, maybe, but he
didn’t know no other way.” (22)
At first, I was shocked that he actually
“repented” but then it turns out that it
was only an external change, as words
cannot affect addiction.
“Two months or more run along, and my
clothes got to be all rags and dirt, and I
didn’t see how I’d ever got to like it so
well at the widow’s, where you had to
wash, and eat on a plate, and comb up,
and go to bed, and get up regular, and
be forever bothering over a book and
have old Miss Watson pecking at you all
the time.” (24)
I personally see this as a sort of allegory
to the life of a sinful person. Once
somebody repents, he is always tempted
by “Me-ows” coming from the window,
sinful attractions that want to detract
from a clean, sinless lifestyle. It is not
easy, apparently, to grow to repel
temptation, but, if you do happen to be
carried away, the sinful lifestyle will
always seem beautiful until one realizes
what one has done. Take it as a sort of
prodigal son, fallen into the world, runs
out of money and sees his predicament.
In such a way, he lost all he struggled to
achieve because his father took him, but
later he began to realize that he was
being maltreated.
Aurel Lazar
Mrs. Murray
AP English 3 Early Bird
January 12, 2007
Quotes
Reflections
“… I struck another idea, I judged I’d
hide her good, and then, stead of taking
to the woods when I run off, I’d go down
the river about fifty mile and camp in
one place for good and not have such a
rough time tramping on foot.” (31)
This is another perfect example at Huck’s
ingenuity, and especially bravery in
deciding to withhold information from his
father. It almost seems that his intense
wisdom in manufacturing this plan
through-and-through came to him as he
went along, rather than as if he had
planned the whole concept from the
start.
“I took the axe and smashed in the
door—I beat it in and hacked in
considerable, a-doing it… Well, last I
pulled out some of my hair, and bloodied
the axe good, and stuck it on the back
side.” (33)
A sign of Huck’s excessive violence, and
his desire to make it look like the real
thing actually happen seems to be
provoked here. His slyness in using the
gun situation from the night before and
creating an imaginary man seems utterly
amazing to me.
“And so for three days and nights.” (39)
To survive that long would be a feat to
me, but to Huck it seems just like
something natural and enjoyable. I think
that the way he was raised allowed him
to feel at home in this environment.
“Yes—en I’s rich now, come to look at it.
I owns mysef, en I’s wuth eight hund’d
dollars. I wisht I had de money, I
wouldn’ want no mo’.” (47)
Jims feels freedom at last, escape from
the
bondage
he
had
previously
experience, and realizes that he is worth
something despite the constant white
propaganda telling him he is a worthless
slave. However, Jim seems to have a
rather primitive way of looking at
himself, which seems to be the right
way, but we today are so tangled up in
ownership and all sorts of strange ideas
that we have no time to appreciate our
lives the way that we really should.
Aurel Lazar
Mrs. Murray
AP English 3 Early Bird
January 12, 2007
Quotes
Reflections
“Dats de way Sollermun was gwyne to do
wid de chile. Now I want to ast you:
what’s de use er dat half a bill?” (78)
Although difficult to read because of
Jim’s heavy speech, I found this to be
one of the most humorous scenes in the
entire book. I burst out laughing reading
this section because of the amazing
realizations that Jim arrives at, that are
true, yet only true enough to justify a
sort of childish belief. Jim’s mental
capacity is less than that of Huck’s, yet
Jim can understand many things Huck
can’t because Huck is losing his childish
innocence.
“… and then they would both work to buy
the two children, and if their master
wouldn’t sell them, they’d get an
Ab’litionist to go and steal them.” (89)
I find this statement a loaded cannon,
pointed at the slave system of the south.
The separation of families seems so
completely harsh and cold that it would
appear that it would not, in any way
justify slavery. Jim’s hopes are once
again similar to the hopes a child makes
with his future ahead of him that often
do not turn out to be true. However, he
is ardently sure and has even considered
the anti-cases.
“It didn’t take me long to make up my
mind that these liars warn’t no kings nor
dukes at all, but just low-down humbugs
and frauds.” (126)
I think once again, Huck shows a strong
perceptive nature as he can understand
the commonplace things and see things
others can’t. Aside from the initial shock
of being told about the heritages of the
crooks, I think Huck is a very bright
person to be able to arrive at such a
deduction, and that fast.
“These uncles of yourn ain’t no uncles at
all —they’re a couple of frauds—regular
dead-beats.” (188)
Huck’s been struggling with himself for a
long time, and I feel this is the turning
point of the novel, as at this point he
finally decides to stand up and confess
the truth about something. From here on
in all the lies are forced up him rather
than by him, so it marks the period of
change in his journey.
“I studied a minute, sort of holding my
breath, and then says to myself: ‘All
right then, I’ll go to hell’—and tore it up.”
(215)
I believe at this point in the story is the
last climax that begins to slope down to
a denouement. Here, he finally decides
to stand up for Jim, even if it means
defying the very nature of the society
into which he was born. I admire Huck
for this, as he chooses to be a nonconformist.
Aurel Lazar
Mrs. Murray
AP English 3 Early Bird
January 12, 2007
Character
Reflections
Huckleberry Finn
This young man is a genius with an
underdeveloped mind. I felt that he was
perceptive, analytical, and foreseeing.
His journey down the river allowed him
to learn lessons about life and to be
forced to choose a stance on an
important and controversial issue. Huck
is mischievous though, as he is still a
child, but he seems to be conformant as
well.
Tom Sawyer
Tom Sawyer is the foil of Huck because
everything Tom believes in is something
Huck hates. Tom is civilized, and all his
rules and pathetic games are also
civilized. Tom is a powerful leader, yet
he is extremely proud and not very
bright.
Jim
I think Jim is an amazing character,
although his speech is difficult to read at
certain times. Jim’s naivety, especially in
beliefs in superstitions and all sorts of
things leads him to be the target of
almost every joke played in the book,
even if indirectly.
Crooks
I think the crooks are amazing
characters. The method in which they
can make money is astounding. When
they put on the play, they don’t depend
on skill, but on human malevolence.
Sadly, because of their lack of skill they
lose, but they still made a lot of money
ripping people off.