Chapters 19-22

In this section of reading for "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", the reader is introduced to the idea of role models. Role models have, in the past, been the people we look toward for answers, guidance, and the standard of right versus wrong. Until this point, there has been no person like that in Huck's life. His father has been a drunk who cannot control his own life, much less help lead anyone else's. When the young man and the older man climb aboard Huck and Jim's raft, Huck is astounded to be standing in the presence of such "royal" people. This leads to the idea that these two men are very much like Huck himself: they exaggerate what is really happening to make their lives seem more interesting than they actually are. On the other hand, these two men introduce Huck and Jim to the world of old English literature, something neither of them has even heard of before. It's very interesting that Huck and Jim are so captivated by the literature that they want to help the two men put on a play about it. This represents a desire to learn and explore different parts of the world.