Name: ___________________________________ Date: ______________________ Period: _________
Huck Finn
Chapters 1-18: Theme/symbolism discussion
Directions: In your assigned group, discuss your theme or symbol. You need to include specific examples from
the text to prove your points, which will be written on a piece of paper. Make sure to include page numbers for
your examples. THESE WILL BE SHARED WITH THE CLASS. Include the names of all group members at
the top of the page. Group members will each have a different role: facilitator/editor, presenter, recorder, or
checker. You are ALL responsible for helping to find examples from the text.
1. Island living vs. Domesticity
According to Donald J. Olsen in his book, The City as a Work of Art, “the two dominant
institutions of the nineteenth century, the two focuses of loyalty were the family and the nationstate”(89). This emphasis on the family and the belief that the family unit provided all the moral,
ethical, and physical guidance necessary for children is, in part, termed domesticity. Yet Huck
and Jim leave the town, the very heart of domesticity. Find examples in chapters 1-18 that
establish the island/river and the town as contrasts of each other. Does Huck ever really leave
domesticity? Why or why not?
2. Anti-Hero
In literature and film, traditional heroes are often superhuman. We look up to them because they
are braver, stronger, cleverer, or more unwilling to sacrifice their principles than the average
person. Antiheros, on the other hand, are very human. Like us, they have faults, make mistakes,
and puzzle over difficult decisions. An anti-hero is a character that possesses some of the
personality traits and weaknesses traditionally assigned to villains, outlaws, and those that either
are shunned by society or do not abide by the status quo. Still, the anti-hero has enough heroic
qualities to align them with the heroes in the reader’s mind. Think about Huck’s role as the
protagonist of this novel. Is Huck an anti-hero? What makes him so? Find examples that
support your position.
3. Importance of Folklore
In his book Mark Twain’s America, Bernard De Voto contends that “between a boy and a white
man was the barrier of age, but the slave met the boy as an equal, instructing him and sharing
with him what the whites denied him because of his age” (65). Jim instructs Huck through the
use of folklore, which is comprised of legends, superstitions, songs, tales, proverbs, and stories
about animals, the weather, and nature. Offer specific examples of the lessons Jim teaches Huck.
How do they impact him? How do they create a relationship that is evolving from a simple
slave-master beginning, and how does Jim’s use of folklore help that relationship advance?
4. Socialization and Maturation
According to Claire M. Renzetti, a professor at St. Joseph’s University, socialization “is the
process by which a society’s values and norms, including those pertaining to gender [and race]
are taught and learned” (Renzetti 73). The process of socialization teaches a child what to do,
what to think, and what to believe. It helps to develop an individual’s morals and conscience.
Twain himself called Huckleberry Finn “a book of mine where a sound heart and a deformed
conscience come into collision and conscience suffers defeat.” By the end of the novel, Huck
abandons the norms and values of his Southern upbringing. This is a step towards Huck’s
maturation and, ultimately, his entrance into adulthood as he chooses for himself what to believe
is right and true. This is a gradual process, though. As a group, trace Huck’s maturation process
up through chapter 18.
5. River as Symbol
A symbol is a person, place, object, or activity that stands for something outside itself; a literary
symbol takes on its meaning within the context of a particular book. In Huckleberry Finn, the
symbolism is often vast, unmistakable, and unavoidable. The novel derives much of its power
from the central symbol: the Mississippi River. Explain what the river symbolizes for the
various characters that rely upon it.
6. Racism and Slavery
Although Twain wrote the novel after slavery was abolished, he set it several decades earlier,
when slavery was still a fact of life. In this light, we might read Twain’s depiction of slavery as
an allegorical representation of the condition of blacks in the United States even after the
abolition of slavery. Twain exposes the hypocrisy of slavery and demonstrates how racism
distorts the oppressors as much as it does those who are oppressed. The result is a world of moral
confusion, in which seemingly “good” white people such as Miss Watson express no concern
about the injustice of slavery or the cruelty of separating Jim from his family. What effect does
racism and slavery have on each of the characters? Find examples up through chapter 18.
7. Hypocrisy of Civilized Society
Huck lives in a society based on rules and traditions, many of which are both ridiculous and
inhuman. Huck comes to recognize slavery as an oppressively inhuman institution, one that no
truly “sivilized” society can be founded on. Again and again, Huck encounters individuals who
seem good, but who Twain takes care to show are prejudiced slave-owners. This shaky sense of
justice that Huck repeatedly encounters lies at the heart of society’s problems: terrible acts go
unpunished, yet frivolous crimes have dire consequences. Who are the hypocrites? What makes
them so? Find examples from chapters 1-18 for support.
8. Characters as Symbols
Twain uses many characters to represent characteristic qualities of Americans. Some characters
are used in a satirical way. Think about the characters that have been in the novel so far. What
could these characters symbolize? What specific values, beliefs, and cultural practices does
Twain criticize about American life with the characters and why? Find examples to support your
arguments.