Huck Finn Ch 24-26
Valerie Valles, Kaitlin Williamsen, Matthew Smith, Drew Cliburn,
Chiara Bender
Summary
The King learns in town that a rich man named Peter Wilks has died and left much of
his fortune to his brothers, whom his family has never seen since they've lived in
Sheffield, England.
The King and the Duke show up at the Wilk’s home to pose as Peter’s brothers to try
to steal his fortune. They cry and act sympathetic to earn the town’s trust.
Wilks left a letter stating that his house and $3,000 will go to his nieces(Wilks sisters),
and his brothers will get another $3,000, along with more than double that amount
in real estate
Wilks friend, Doctor Robinson, accuses the King and the Duke of being frauds and
tries to convince Mary Jane, the oldest of Wilk’s daughters, to dismiss the impostors.
In reply, Mary Jane hands the King the $6,000 to invest as he sees fit.
Huck’s Lesson
1. Never steal from the needy
2. When Huck watches the cons pose as the girl’s uncles, he realizes that they are
too innocent and sweet of a family to steal from.
3. “I says to myself, this is another one that I’m letting him rob her of her money.
And when she got through they all jest laid theirselves out to make me feel at
home and know I was amongst friends. I felt so ornery and low down and mean
that I says to myself, my mind’s made up; I’ll have that money for them or bust”
(Twain 409).
-Huck grows and develops by feeling guilt from robbing innocent people and he feels a
sense of responsibility and obligation to do the right thing
Literary Analysis
Tone- negative, disgusted, sympathetic, disappointed
Diction- “slobbers” (Twain 384), “flapdoodle” (Twain 324), “rot and slush” (Twain
384), “yaller-boys” (Twain 559), “ashamed” (Twain 380), “idiotic” (Twain 380)
Mood- suspenseful, heartbroken, anxious
Study Guide Questions
1. What contrast emerges immediately in these chapters?
Huck and Jim are no longer in control of the raft, and the King and Duke are the
ones ordering them around and making the plans.
1. What is Huck’s attitude toward the townspeople who accept the King and Duke
as the Wilk’s relatives?
He feels ashamed of the human race for falling for their act.
1. What does Dr. Robinson represent?
The sole voice of reason.
1. Why do the girls make Huck so ashamed?
Works Cited
"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 10 Dec.
2015.
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Clara Gabrilowitsch, 1912. Print.