In the first few chapters of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” the reader is able to come to a few conclusions about Huckleberry. One of these conclusions is that he has had a rough life, from being abused by his drunken father, to facing homelessness at a young age. Huckleberry's rough life becomes even more complicated by the internal battle of choosing to either live a life of mischievousness, or to become a civilized human being. Huckleberry has influences for each side, the mischievous influence being Tom Sawyer and positive influence being the Widow Douglas. One example of this internal battle was when Tom wanted to tie Jim to the tree, but Huckleberry opposed this idea, fearing that he might “make a disturbance, and then they'd find out I warn't in” (5). This shows how Huckleberry gave in to his mischievous side by sneaking out with Tom, but when it came down to playing tricks and risking getting caught he decided against it. By declining to help Tom tie Jim up to the tree the reader is able to conclude that Huckleberry is also capable of making good, smart decisions. The internal battle between making good and bad decisions is one that the reader can easily relate to. This is important because by being able to relate to the text, the reader can become more interested and involved in the story.
I agree with you when you state that Huck has to battle between making good and bad decisions, and that he is influenced by Tom Sawyer, but considering Tom is from a higher class family. Where do you suppose he gets his ideas from?
ReplyDeleteJohn, you have tapped into a major issue of this novel. Keep focusing on this as you continue to read. Also consider what Twain is trying to do with Huck. How does Twain use Huck to convey his attitude about Huck's plight, and additionally how does he use Huck to comment about society?
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