Huck Finn and the American
Experience
“History is bunk,”
Henry Ford
“I don‘t take stock in dead
people.” Huck Finn
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-january-112011/mark-twain-controversy
• 1. INTELLECTUAL VERSUS SIMPLE
A. Pioneers start from scratch. . . they have
very little to use from the past. Much of Huck
Finn makes fun of culture and accepted
values.
eg. Even Shakespeare is somewhat mocked.
• B. Twain has a certain disdain for the
intellectual, even though he spent much time
with the wealthy and educated.
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/369991/january-052011/huckleberry-finn-censorship
• 2. RESTLESSNESS VERSUS TRADITION
The book is written in 1885 but looks back to the
past, a past which was more simple and even
peaceful, before the Civil War. Nonetheless,
Huck’s restlessness as well as the violence and
death he and Jim encounter at times on the
river, suggest that changes are needed.
Chapter 6
• Huck never cared for school, but he continues
to go just “to spite pap.” Have you ever done
something you did not like just to spite
someone? In your opinion, is spite a good
reason to do something? Why or why not?
Think of an instance when it might actually
be beneficial.
• 3. FAITH IN DEMOCRACY VERSUS
OBVIOUS PREJUDICE IN SOCIETY
There are several examples where Twain
satirizes the treatment of blacks and the points
out the hypocrisy of the establishment.
Those in places of position are often satirized. . .
The Grangerfords. . . Wealthy, yet hypocrites
--the King and Duke are funny, but also cruel
and evil
• 4. FREEDOM VERSUS CONFORMITY
Huck becomes used to the widow’s home, yet
he longs for the adventure of the river. This
is similar to many of us. . . Especially
considering the American Experience
Reflection ch. XI: “They’re After Us!”
• Huck goes ashore disguised as a girl, hoping to find
out what is going on in town, particularly what is
being said about him and about Jim’s escape.
• A. In about 100-150 words summarize the key
events in this chapter, identifying any “satire” in
the account.
• B. In another paragraph explain what we learn
about Huck’s changing perceptions of Jim.
(Remember, Jim is a slave, and by society’s
standards at that time, only a piece of property.)
What Does Huck Finn Say?
• 1. Tale of Adventure
• 2. Picture of the World
The setting for the story is 1840. What are some of the
“pictures” Huck sees that influence him?
a. Contrast the smug respectability of the Widow Douglass
and Miss Watson and the harshness of Pap Finn, the
representative of the rugged frontiersman and town drunk.
b. The Sherpherdsons and Grangerfords can sit together in
church on Sunday, express a sense of culture in art and
music and books. But they too are hypocrites, particularly
in their treatment of one another.
Twain is exposing the hypocrisy of his day!
3. A Story of Moral Conflict & Development
• Changes occur inside of Huck as he deals
with struggles of the conscience. . . Should he
listen to the dictates of society, or should he
follow what his heart is saying.
a. At first Huck doesn’t turn Jim in due to a
promise he makes. He struggles with his
decision, but he chooses to protect Jim.
b. Later he lies to protect Jim from slave hunters,
but he then has second thoughts. His deformed
conscience tells him to turn Jim in; even the
“Christianity” of the time tells him slavery in
right.
c. In the end he follows his more highly developed
moral intuition. He tears up a letter that he’d
written to the Widow Douglass, and thus turns
his back on the faulty moral values he has
learned from a hypocritical and corrupt society.
Is “Huck Finn” a National Epic?
• There is a “supernatural guide”. . . The Mississippi
River
• “Wanderer”. . .Huck is on an adventure, much like
Odysseus
• The hero has a cohort. . . .Jim
• Kings and Dukes enter the story. . . .even though
they are frauds
• A voyage is central to the plot
National Epic?
• What separates this novel from classic epics is its
humor and satire. Huck Finn is both serious and funny
at the same time, much like Dave Chappelle is in his
sketches on racism. It exposes hypocrisy and scorns the
pretense of American society in the late 19th century. It
is irreverent to much of what is held up by tradition. It
exults the wonders of being young and free to explore
the world. The most salient irony is that its heroes are a
young boy and an escaped slave.
Chapter XIV
• 1. What does Jim think concerning the
“wisdom of Solomon” and why?
• 2. What does Jim think of speaking a foreign
language? Explain.
Creative Assignment
• Choose a character from the novel. . . Jim,
Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, Pap, Widow
Douglass, Judge Thatcher etc.
• Do a series of tweets – at least ten – that
explains the course of events in the novel,
from your perspective of course, up until this
point in the story.