Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
LESSON I: CHAPTERS 1-3
VOCABULARY – Consider the underlined words, and fill in the synonym or synonymous phrase
that best describes them. Many of these words are derived from the dialect that Twain is using
and, thus, will not be in a dictionary. For these, read each one carefully to define it using the
surrounding words. Refer back to the book, if necessary.
1) “In this book a number of dialects are used, to wit”
synonym: _____________________
2) “The shadings have not been done in a haphazard fashion”
synonym: _____________________
3) “It was an awful sight of money when it was piled up”
synonym: _____________________
4) “…you had to wait for the widow to tuck down her head and grumble a little over the
victuals”
synonym: _____________________
5) “Her sister, Miss Watson, a tolerable old maid, with goggles on”
synonym: ______________________
6) “…pretty soon she would say, ‘Don’t gap and stretch like that, Huckleberry’ ”
synonym: ______________________
7) “If you are with the quality, or at a funeral, or trying to go to sleep when you ain’t
sleepy”
synonym: ______________________
8) “We went down the hill and…hid in the old tanyard”
synonym: ______________________
9) “So we unhitched a skiff and pulled down the fiver two mile and a half”
synonym: _______________________
10) “…every gang that was hightoned had it”
synonym:________________________
11) “ ‘…how in the nation these fellows going to get ransomed’ ”
synonym: ________________________
12) “Well, I got a good going-over in the morning”
synonym: ________________________
13) “…we never hived any of them”
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
synonym: _________________________
14) “Tom Sawyer called the hogs ‘ingots’ ”
synonym: _________________________
15) “…though they was only lath and broomsticks”
synonym: _________________________
CHARACTER IDENTIFICATION AND ANALYSIS – Identify the following characters and write a brief
description (1-sentence) of them as they appear so far in the story.
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
Huckleberry Finn
Tom Sawyer
Aunt Polly
Widow Douglas
Miss Watson
Jim
CRITICAL THINKING – Answer the following questions in 1-2 paragraphs.
1) Analyze the “Notice” at the beginning of the novel. Why would Mark Twain add this? As
Twain was known to be both a humorist and a satirist, is he merely making a joke; or
does it serve a deeper purpose? Should we really ignore the motive, moral, and plot – or
should we keep a close eye on them?
2) Consider Tom Sawyer’s “gang of thieves” and his plan to rob a caravan of “Spanish
merchants and rich A-rabs” (Ch. 3), complete with elephants and camels. How does the
so-called burglary turn out? What does Huck think of Tom’s scheme? Why do you
suppose Mark Twain included this episode at the beginning of the story?
JOURNAL PROMPT – Respond to the following prompt in a free written journal essay.
How do the first three chapters – in particular, Chapter 1 – set up the story? Looking back at the
Theme Analysis, what themes and developing conflicts are introduced? How would you describe
Huck? At this point, what is his relationship with Miss Watson’s slave Jim? Consider, finally, the
following sentence from the beginning of the story: “That book [The Adventures of Tom Sawyer]
was made by Mr. Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly. There was things which he
stretched, but mainly he told the truth” (Ch. 1). What kind of frame does this place around
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
- Otherwise Interesting References The following are quotations from the novel that are important within the context of
the story, but might be difficult to comprehend without some outside explanation.
(1) “By order of the author per G. G., Chief of Ordnance” – This reference is
most likely to General Grant, or Ulysses S. Grant, who was President from
1869 to 1877.
(2) “ ‘Pike-County’ dialect” – That is, the dialect of Pike County, Missouri,
where the setting of the story supposedly begins.
(3) “nigger” – Despite its highly negative connotation today, this would have
been recognized as a common term for blacks or slaves at the time of the
novel’s setting. Far from being derogatory, it is rather intended to provide
authenticity in the speech patterns of the characters. That being the case, it is
important to remember that the term is no longer acceptable and that its use
today is, and should be, considered highly offensive.
(4) “shot-tower” – The shot-tower was a rather heavy device used for
manufacturing bullets
(5) “Don Quixote” – This reference derives from a scene in Miguel de
Cervantes’s classic story Don Quixote. In Ch. XVIII of Pt. I, Don Quixote
blames a magician or enchanter on the transformation of knights into a group
of sheep.
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
LESSON I: CHAPTERS 1-3
VOCABULARY
1) to wit: for instance, for example
2) haphazard: careless
3) awful: immense
4) “grumble a little”: say grace
5) goggles: glasses, spectacles
6) gap: yawn
7) quality: the wealthy, those of a higher social standing
8) tanyard:
9) skiff: open boat with flat bottom
10) hightoned: superior
11) nation: epithet for “tarnation”
12) going-over: scolding
13) hive(d): seize(d)
14) ingot(s): a large piece of metal that is shaped in some simple form to be transported easily
15) lath: a piece of wood, usually slender and round, used to form the structure in tiling or
plaster work
CRITICAL THINKING
1) Despite Mark Twain’s insistence that readers ignore the motive, moral, and plot in
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, it is safe to say that the Notice highlights the potential
importance of all three. Consider also the progressing “penalties” for such examination:
prosecution, banishment, and death by firing squad. This, in itself, suggests that there is a
progressive significance for each aspect. Few, if any, authors go through the trouble of
publishing a story without intending it to have a motive, moral, or plot. For Twain to point
out these qualities – however ironically – seems to draw especial attention to them.
[Twain was, by this story’s publication, already a recognized author, noted for the satirical
nature of his work; and those who had read Tom Sawyer (published in 1876) would be
familiar with his character Huckleberry Finn, as well as with his style and manner of writing.
Tom Sawyer was noted for its playful look at boyhood, with its amusing anecdotes about the
scrapes in which Tom and his friends find themselves. It is possible that Twain anticipated
readers to expect the same type of tale in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; and the Notice
serves as a kind of warning in advance. He is essentially stressing from page one that readers
should not peruse Huck Finn lightly, but should consider it carefully; they should, in fact,
take special note of the motive, moral, and plot.]
2) Obviously a dramatic young man, Tom Sawyer manages to convince his gang of unruly
“thieves” that they are going to stake out and capture a group of Spanish merchants and
Arabian princes (who have somehow found themselves in the backwoods of Missouri). And
as if this is not enough, the exotic assemblage has elephants, camels, and diamond-laden
mules just waiting to be stolen. Huck seems appropriately skeptical but agrees to go along
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
with the others, although we get the idea that his doubts are growing when Tom arms his
noble warriors with “lath and broomsticks” (Ch. 3). The lust for treasure and adventure
drives the boys on until they discover that Tom’s wild “ambuscade” is little more than a
boyish attack on a Sunday school picnic. When Huck points this out to Tom and mentions
that there is a decided lack of Spaniards, Arabs, and elephants, Tom refers him to the
opinions of Don Quixote (always a reliable source!) on magic.
It is significant that Twain places this amusing adventure at the beginning of the story. It
seems to say that Tom Sawyer may have been about such boyish pranks, but Huck Finn will
not be. Huck is an entirely different character. He may go along with Tom’s ideas – in large
part because he sees Tom as his social superior – but he does not spend time dreaming up
such nonsense, and he does not have Tom’s wild imagination for seeing the Far East in
Middle America. That is not to say that Huck has greatly surpassed Tom in maturity; after
all, he is just as eager as the others to believe Tom’s stories. But he is also quick to recognize
things for what they are. As the story progresses, this will be even clearer as Huck is faced
with issues of great consequence and is forced to make weighty decisions.