Chapters 23-27

In this section of reading for "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", the reader is quickly introduced to Huck's first experience with death. Until this point, Huck has been living his life in the now, never really thinking about the future or reflecting on the past. He has never had to deal with the devastating effects that a death can take mentally, physically, and emotionally. The fact that he is recognizing the idea that he isn't a little kid anymore is huge. When Huck begins to notice Mary Jane and develop feelings for her, he wants to do anything he can to help out her and her family: including touching and seeing a dead body for the first time. Huck feels bad that the girls have to deal with what has happened to them, but the King and the Duke becoming involved, makes him feel worse. In the next few chapters, Huck will become more grounded because he finally realizes how precious life really is.