"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" Chapters 6-10 Notes
Chapter 6: "Pap Struggles with the Death Angel"
Huck's father: on page 32-33
Pap is drunk and he speaks about the role of African Americans in government. How extreme are Pap's opinions compared to the other people during this time and age?
-Overall, Pap's opinion is extreme compared to the majority.
-Huck and his friends were speaking poorly of abolitionists, and Pap was not an abolitionist.
Huck likes living the comfortable and relaxed lifestyle, so Would Huck have wanted to spend the rest of his days with his father if his father wasn't so abusive and always drunk?
Nature vs. Nurture
-Hucks upbringing will shape how he will be as an adult. If Huck would have stayed with the widow, then he would have had a better future because he would have been educated and "civilized" rather than when he is with his father where they did whatever they wanted.
Huck talks about how he wants to escape. When he has the gun, Huck possibly could have wanted to shoot his father. What is the relationship between Huck and his father?
-Huck wants a good relationship with his dad, but he doesn't know how to do this because his father is drunk all the time
-Huck only wanted to protect himself with the gun rather than kill his father: his gun is a sense of security
-Because Huck couldn't find a sense of security and feeling safe with his father, he wants to have the gun to protect himself instead
Chapter 7: "I Fool Pap and Get Away"
How old and experienced was Huck in order to figure out such an intricate plan to get away from Pap?
-Huck has the influence of Tom Sawyer, where they would often play clever games, so Huck could plot all of this
-It was weird for Huck to this of everything about the authorities following his tracks, especially for a young boy
-Huck did't figure this all out because of his age, but more his wisdom and maturity, which is beyond his years. Most children would have freaked out and run away, while Huck was brave and planned out something clever to get away from Pap.
Why doesn't Huck want to just escape his father and go back to the widow? Why would't he just go back to town and go back to his life before?
-It shows Huck's character development, and how he is brave and clever

-He doesn't like the life he had with the widow, and is perhaps scared that if he went back to town he would be sent back to live with his father
-Maybe Huck thinks that this is all a game, and doesn't really realize what he's doing
Why is Pap going on the boat with Judge Thatcher? Is that surprising?
-No because Pap would want to have a good reputation in front of Judge
Thatcher, so then if they found Huck, Huck would have to go back to live with Pap because he looks like a good father
-No, because then everyone thinks that Pap cares for Huck and that no one would be suspicious that maybe Pap killed Huck
Chapter 8: "I Spare Miss Watson's Jim"
It's funny and ironic that Huck felt lonely. First, he wanted to get away from the whole situation, and then is feeling lonely when he finally escapes. (pg. 47)
Was he trying to escape the people so he could be alone? Why is Huck lonely?
-He just wants to move and have adventures and never stay in the same place at one time
-Huck wants to reach a point in his life where he isn't feeling lonely, and he hasn't reached that yet.
This is similar to Holden Caufield in The Catcher in the Rye
-Huck is going out into the world and doing everything he wants, without really thinking of the consequences
-Huck is similar to Holden in that he is "coming to terms with self and society" and is trying to figure out his purpose in life and what he's doing
Why did Huck run away when he heard rustling and thought he heard someone else on the island?
-His whole point of running away and faking his death was to get away from everyone, and if he ran out to discover someone else, it could blow his cover and story
-Huck is probably thinking about what would happen if he got caught and
Pap found him...?
What does Huck feel about Jim being the man he finds in the woods?
-Huck feels happy because he has Jim to run away with, and so he won't be lonely
-Both Huck and Jim feel a bit more relaxed because they are both trying to run away and so they know they will work together and not tell on each other

Why does Twain choose to have both Huck and Jim speak in such a specific dialect?
-This adds a good layer to the characters and the story, making the characters different and show the different amounts of "book-education" each character has received
-It would be surprising to see what would have happened if Huck had stayed with the widow, and to see how his dialect would have improved?
How long would have Huck and Jim survived independently on the island if they would have not found each other?
-They both have special things they know, such as how Jim knew the birds were saying it was going to rain, so they would have not survived long at all
-They each had resources that the other one needed
How do Jim's superstitions reflect his education and who he is?
-Jim's upbringing shows that since he probably did not have a book- education and might not be able to read and write, he knowledge and intelligence is more based on nature, good ideas, his experiences, and superstitions rather than with what comes from books
-Jim is very intelligent and knowledgable, especially because he was right about when it was going to rain and to know what do when he was hurt by the snake
Does Huck have any regrets about escaping and having his adventure?
-Huck likes consistency and being around others, so perhaps if he wouldn't have found Jim, he would have gotten tired of his adventure and moving around
Chapter 9-10 "The House of Death Flows By" and "What Comes of Handlin' Snake
Skin"
Why did Huck put the rattlesnake in Jim's bed? Was it a prank or something purposeful?
-Huck was just trying to have a little fun with Jim and play a game, rather than actually trying to hurt Jim