Twain - Huck Finn - notes
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Narration alternates between description of dialogue and quotation
Racism
Is Huck Finn racist? (11)
It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger; but I
done it, and I warn't ever sorry for it afterwards, neither. I didn't do him no more mean tricks, and I
wouldn't done that one if I'd a knowed it would make him feel that way. (15)
There was empty drygoods boxes under the awnings, and loafers roosting on them all day long,
whittling them with their Barlow knives; and chawing tobacco, and gaping and yawning and
stretching -- a mighty ornery lot. (21)
We blowed out a cylinder-head." "Good gracious! anybody hurt?" "No'm. Killed a nigger." "Well,
it's lucky; because sometimes people do get hurt. (32)
Narrator reliability (lies)
How is the narrator unreliable? (Pd. 5: 13) (16)
First chapter about train
6ft. catfish (ch. 10)
Lies to woman (ch. 11)
Trick to save robbers (sinking ship): Told people in a boat house that there were people stuck on
a ship that was sinking.
Tricks Jim after fog (15).
This is the speech -- I learned it, easy enough, while he was learning it to the king: (21)
(Students)
Child → trust
Lies to the King and Duke
Lies to Tom's family
Fakes death
Lies in situations; good intentions
Good at lying; Lots of practice
So I went to studying it out. I says to myself, I reckon a body that ups and tells the truth when he
is in a tight place is taking considerable many resks, though I ain't had no experience, and can't
say for certain; but it looks so to me, anyway; and yet here's a case where I'm blest if it don't look
to me like the truth is better and actuly SAFER than a lie. I must lay it by in my mind, and think it
over some time or other, it's so kind of strange and unregular. I never see nothing like it. Well, I
says to myself at last, I'm a-going to chance it... (28).
Irony
Introduction
End: Finn an author
Tom's most well now, and got his bullet around his neck on a watch-guard for a watch,
and is always seeing what time it is, and so there ain't nothing more to write about, and I
am rotten glad of it, because if I'd a knowed what a trouble it was to make a book I
wouldn't a tackled it, and ain't a-going to no more. But I reckon I got to light out for the
Territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she's going to adopt me and sivilize me,
and I can't stand it. I been there before.
THE END. YOURS TRULY, HUCK FINN.
Morality
What is the morality of the book? (0)
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? I was stuck. I couldn't answer that.
So I reckoned I wouldn't bother no more about it, but after this always do whichever come
handiest at the time. (16)
but something inside of me kept saying, "There was the Sunday-school, you could a gone to it;
and if you'd a done it they'd a learnt you there that people that acts as I'd been acting about that
nigger goes to everlasting fire." (31)
It was a close place. I took it up, and held it in my hand. I was a-trembling, because I'd got to
decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. 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. (31)
// Quijote
How is Huck Finn a modern Don Quijote? (1)
Characterization
Pair of characters
Early reference Sawyer game
Dumb and dumber, but not
Main character
Sidekick
Comparisons
Scared
Not?
Superior / inferior
Dominant / passive
What is the interaction between Huck & Jim? (8) (11)
Huck Finn v Jim
Jim has to hide
Jim a slave
Escaping
Birds flying, rain is coming
Jim spent extra time watching over raft, cooking
Called Huck “Honey”.
Did not allow Huck to go in the ship.
Provided escape from Grangerfords
Dialogue
Jim // Sancho
Follow blindly
Lower class
Servants
Whiny
Other circumstances, it would be superior / inferior (Tiffany)
Plains // River
Undirected
Jim and Sancho helped the others
Parody
How does Twain use parody? (4) (2)
Don Q.: horses speaking // poems quoted at the beginning of chivalric romances.
Emily Grangerford // Dickinson
Romeo & Juliet? (Mentioned ch. 20)
Southern aristocracy, feuds
"Well," says Buck, "a feud is this way: A man has a quarrel with another man, and kills him; then
that other man's brother kills HIM; then the other brothers, on both sides, goes for one another;
then the COUSINS chip in -- and by and by everybody's killed off, and there ain't no more feud.
But it's kind of slow, and takes a long time." (17)
If you notice, most folks don't go to church only when they've got to; but a hog is different. (18)
Shakespeare in rural America (King & Duke).
Satire of literature
Don Q.
Emily Grangerford // pastor (17).
Shakespeare
River // plains
Adventures
Anti-romance
Aristocrat families fighting
Dickenson
South too romantic?
Sawyer = Quijote
Then we started for the house, and I went in the back door -- you only have to pull a buckskin
latchstring, they don't fasten the doors -- but that warn't romantical enough for Tom Sawyer; no
way would do him but he must climb up the lightning-rod. (34)
Anyhow, there's one thing -- there's more honor in getting him out through a lot of difficulties and
dangers, where there warn't one of them furnished to you by the people who it was their duty to
furnish them, (35)
I didn't see no di'monds, and I told Tom Sawyer so. He said there was loads of them there,
anyway; and he said there was A-rabs there, too, and elephants and things. I said, why couldn't
we see them, then? He said if I warn't so ignorant, but had read a book called Don Quixote, I
would know without asking. He said it was all done by enchantment. 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 to do was to go for the magicians. Tom Sawyer said I
was a numskull.
Post Don Q: aware of fictitiousness of romance
"It don't make no difference how foolish it is, it's the RIGHT way -- and it's the regular way. And
there ain't no OTHER way, that ever I heard of, and I've read all the books (35)
Narrator
1st person narr. is character
Differences
Finn is Sancho Panza free of European shackles
1st person narr. is character in story more extensively
Picaresque
Raft symbolism // plain of Don Quijote
What is the symbolism of the raft? (4) (3)
Allows one to redefine one’s roles
Always get in trouble on land, or with boats (linear)
We said there warn't no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and
smothery, but a raft don't. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft. (18)
Humor
How does Twain use humor? (0)(1)
"Bilgewater, kin I trust you?" says the old man, still sort of sobbing. (19)
He told them he was a pirate -- been a pirate for thirty years out in the Indian Ocean -- (20).
Sick arab (25)
And so he went a-mooning on and on, liking to hear himself talk, and every little while he fetched
in his funeral orgies again, till the duke he couldn't stand it no more; so he writes on a little scrap
of paper, "OBSEQUIES, you old fool," and folds it up, and goes to goo-gooing and reaching it
over people's heads to him. (25)
Advice, philosophy at end of chapter nx
What is the philosophy of this book / Finn?
Pragmatism quote above
If I never learnt nothing else out of pap, I learnt that the best way to get along with his kind of
people is to let them have their own way. (19)
everybody went to the show looking very innocent; and laid low and kept dark till the poor old king
was in the middle of his cavortings on the stage; then somebody give a signal, and the house
rose up and went for them. So we poked along back home, and I warn't feeling so brash as I was
before, but kind of ornery, and humble, and to blame, somehow -- though I hadn't done nothing.
But that's always the way; it don't make no difference whether you do right or wrong, a person's
conscience ain't got no sense, and just goes for him anyway. If I had a yaller dog that didn't know
no more than a person's conscience does I would pison him. It takes up more room than all the
rest of a person's insides, and yet ain't no good, nohow. Tom Sawyer he says the same. (33)
Anti-intellectualism / romanticism?
Grangerford
Duke
Tom Sawyer
Madness provides benefit
How does madness provide benefits at the end of the story? (0) (2)
Tom and Huck's game succeeds in fooling everyone.
Done for the intention of fun v Huck's break him out right away approach
Takes blame away from children?
Tom & Huck's game more interesting than simply saying that Jim was a free man.
Jim gets hero's welcome.
Everyne talking about his escape.
Huck rejects Sawyer's romance, but then accepts it for Jim
Real repercussions v pure fantasy of original games.
Difference
Sawyer did things for the art of romanticism, not for romanticism as an end
But Tom he showed him how unregular it would be, and set down and told him all about our
plans, and how we could alter them in a minute any time there was an alarm; and not to be the
least afraid, because we would see he got away, SURE. (36)
Class discussion
Why didn't the kid robbers do delinquent things at the beginning? (0) (0)
Kids being kids
Why did Huck Finn keep the company of the frauds? (1)
He didn't want them to turn in Jim.
Lonely (AM)
Father / mother fgures
Had rouble separating.
Dangerous
What was the message? (3)
What someone tells you s the right thing may not be.
Didn't turn in Jim
Helped young girl recover inheritance by telling daughters.
Liar with conscience.
Did Huck do the right thing by going against his morals and helping Jim? (Minh)
Went against he morals of society.
Only you can make decisions abut what is right / wrong.
Are Twain / Finn racist (8)
Slavery immoral to Twain?
Huck consider slavery immoral?
Didn't want to go back to his Aunt.
Didn't have racist attitude?
Racist?
Still appealing
Racist young kid
Poor, orphan
Saves Jim
Huckleberry Finn racist?
Jim was a good N.
Line from Classic version
Huck Finn appealing narrator
He was a child.
Narrator
Quote from intro.
Considers him =?
Doesn't absorb all of negative side
Some people believe the dad wasn't so bad. Comment.
Does Twain talk down everyone?
Themes
Racism
Racism distorts everyone
Intro
How does the intro use reverse psychology? (0) (6)
Reverse psychology
Don't find a theme -> look for themes
Language
How did Huck Finn use language? (0) (2)
Common language
American literature
Sounds southern but wasn't at the time (Missouri)
Extra complications and Don Quixote (pd. 5)
Annoying
No deeper meaning
Didn't understand seriousness of situation.
Like books
Humorous
Pd. 7
Kid
Wants to fantasize.
Wants to be like his books.
Why did he discuss Jim's superstition? (4)
Period 7
Was Huck's dad wrong by taking him away?
n
Was Dad's property (Gonzalez)
Father failed to change
Liar
y
Tried to change for judge / pastor.
Theme: Property, stolen
What is the significance of the theme of stolen property? (1)
Stolen money that is Huck's
Huck, $6000
Jim
Inheritance money
No right or wrong, only an upbringing?
Brought up one way, goes against it.
Rhetoric
Intro
Intro -> don't analyze?
Lower expectations // Don Q
Life has no plot
Life like a river?
(Bookmarks
Book banning (5, 7), new version
Pd. 7: Sancho defecates
Twain parody)
Assignment
Argument
Can’t trust Huck (Father’s point of view) (3) (Dairon) (6)
When do people fall back to social roles in Finn? (Minh) (4)