THE STORY SO FAR…The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

CHAPTER 1

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Huck and Tom find $6000 each

Huck lives with Widow Douglas and Miss Watson because they are going to “civilize” him Hypocritical: Widow Douglas disapproves of smoking

but she smokes snuff The adults are too strict; Huck wants to be free

Huck accidently kills a spider Superstition: bad luck will occur (foreshadowing)

Huck sneaks out from Widow Douglas’s house Onomatopoeia: me-yow me-yow

STUDY QUESTIONS 1

1. Summarize briefly Huck’s review of the end of Tom Sawyer’s story.

2. Who is actually more irritating to Huck than the widow?

3. What omen does Huck receive that the adventures beginning may be bad or dangerous?

4. Why doesn’t Huck care about “Moses and the Bulrushers”?

5. Why does Huck decide he wants to go to the bad place?

CHAPTER 2

Tom plays a joke on Jim, Miss Watson’s slave Puts Jim’s hat on a tree Superstition: Jim blames it on witches

Tom creates “Tom Sawyer’s Gang” Tom is bossy, leader, violent (child but acts like

an adult) Tom is imaginative, dreamer vs Huck is realistic

Huck offers Miss Watson as family (sacrifice) if he tells the gang’s secrets Huck does not like Miss Watson much

STUDY QUESTIONS 2

1. Who does Huck offer as his “family” that may be killed if he should reveal the secret of the gang?

2. What does it mean to “ransom” captives?

3. How does Jim account for his hat being hung on a tree limb and the nickel being left on the table?

CHAPTER 3

Miss Watson is strict with Huck but Widow Douglas is more caring Huck prefers Widow Douglas’s Providence Huck wants to go to hell to be away from Miss Watson

and to be with Tom

Huck does not understand prayer/ religion Religion does not help him to live everyday life (not

realistic) Superstition: Huck walks under a ladder

Townspeople believe that Pap drowned but Huck does not believe it Huck has good instinct

The Tom Sawyer Gang resign because nothing happens

STUDY QUESTIONS 3

1. Whose idea of Providence does Huck prefer?

2. What has become of Huck’s father?

3. What happens to the gang of robbers?

CHAPTER 4

Huck finds a footprint Foreshadowing: looks like Pap’s boot tracks Huck is intelligent: “sells” his money to Judge

Thatcher

Jim tells Huck a fortune with a hairball Superstition Symbolism: black angel and white angel

Huck comes home and finds Pap in his room

STUDY QUESTIONS 4

1. Why does Huck want Judge Thatcher to take all his money?

2. What is a hairball and what properties does it have?

3. What does Jim say that the hairball tells him?

4. What does Huck find when he returns to his room?

CHAPTER 5

Pap is dirty, hairy, and pale white A drunkard (alcoholic) Needs money to buy more drinks Huck dislikes Pap

The new judge wants Huck to live with Pap The law cannot/does not protect the weak and

innocent

The new judge tries to reform/change Pap Pap pretends he is changed (superficial, fake) Takes advantage of a good-doer for money

STUDY QUESTIONS 5

1. What has Huck’s father come for?

2. What is Pap’s “new life,” and how long does it last?

3. What kind of man is Huck’s father? What would he be called today? How does Huck react to him?

CHAPTER 6

Pap wants Huck to quit school Does not want his son to be better than him Connection to race Kidnaps Huck and takes him upriver

Pap’s beatings are too much and Huck decides to escape

Pap gets extremely drunk and blames the government (gov’t) for his problems Racism: Angry at the positive treatment of

African Americans Foreshadowing: calls Huck the “Angel of Death”

CHAPTER 7

Huck finds a drifting canoe Huck is resourceful

Huck escapes Takes food and supplies and puts them in the

canoe Fakes his own death by killing a wild pig and

using its blood -> does not want people to look for him

Show’s Huck’s intelligence

Goes to Jackson’s Island

CHAPTER 8

Huck realizes that people are looking for his dead body Superstition: fill a loaf of bread with quicksilver

(poison) to find a drowned body Hypocrisy of the townspeople

Huck finds Jim Jim ran away because Miss Watson is planning

sell him for $800 Racism/ Slavery

CHAPTER 9

There is a large storm Jim’s prediction in chapter 8 comes true Religion vs. Superstition

Huck and Jim find a house floating and a dead body inside Jim won’t let Huck see the body Jim as an adult figure

Compare to Pap, Widow Douglas and Miss Watson, Townspeople

STUDY QUESTIONS 5-9

1. Why does Pap yell at Huck for becoming civilized?

2. What was Huck’s plan to escape from his father?

3. What purpose does Huck’s death serve?

4. Why is Jim on Jackson’s island?

CHAPTER 10

Jim tells Huck that it is bad luck to touch a snake Superstition

Huck plays a prank on Jim Jim gets bitten by a snake and is sick for days Huck feels bad, grows compassion towards Jim Huck realizes the danger of defying superstition

and Jim’s knowledge

Huck disguises as a girl to hear of the town news

CHAPTER 11

Huck introduces himself as “Sarah Williams from Hookerville”

Hears news about his “death” Jim is suspected of murdering Huck $300

reward Pap is suspected of murdering Huck $200

reward Men are going to hunt Jim to get the money

Huck and Jim leave Jackson Island

CHAPTER 12Huck and Jim continue down the river

Peaceful and easygoing Symbolism: weather and nature

The two find a steamboat caught on a rock from a storm and decide to explore Two men on the ship have tied down another man

and are threatening him Compare to Tom’s pretend gang of robbers

When Huck tries to prevent the men from escaping, Jim finds that the raft has floated away Huck and Jim are scared but still trying to do good

CHAPTER 13

Huck and Jim find the raft again Steals provisions from the gang

Begins to storm “I begun to worry about the men… I begun to

think how dreadful it was, even for murderers, to be in such a fix” (p72).

Huck creates an elaborate story to tell the watchman about the steamboat Steamboat is named the Walter Scott Ferryman hurries to the rescue for a “reward”

CHAPTER 14

Huck and Jim share knowledge Friendship, partnership “Well, he was right; he was most always right;

he had an uncommon level head, for a nigger” (p76).

“I read considerable to Jim about kings, and dukes, and earls and such” (p76).

Huck and Jim decide that they do not take stock in King Sollermun’s (Solomon) wisdom King Solomon is supposed to be the wisest man

alive (bible) They (kings) just sit around, whack heads off,

keeps harems “A harem’s a bo’d’n-house, I reck’n” (p77).

STUDY QUESTIONS 10-14

1. What is in the two story house that floats by Jackson’s Island?

2. Why does Huck dress as a girl to go ashore? What does he find out?

3. What is the name of the ship in which Huck and Jim find murderers?

4. What do we learn about Jim from his talking about “King Sollermun”?

CHAPTER 15

Huck and Jim are going towards Cairo, Illinois where they can go up the Ohio River to the free states

Bad weather: fog separates Huck and Jim

When they find each other, Jim is extremely happy to see Huck again but Huck plays a prank on Jim

Huck pretends that their separation was a dream and confuses Jim

When Huck tells the truth, Jim says that cruel tricks are like “trash” and it should make friends ashamed

“It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger – but I done it, and I warn’t ever sorry for it afterwards, neither” (87).

CHAPTER 16

“Jim said it made him all over trembly and feverish to be so close to freedom” (88).

“Well, I can tell you it made me all over trembly and feverish, too, to hear him, because I begun to get it through my head that he was most free – and who was to blame for it? Why, me” (88).

Huck’s internal conflict: struggles with his shame of helping a slave escape

Huck decides to turn Jim in but changes his mind when Jim calls him his “bes’ fren’” (90)

Huck lies to slave hunters so that Jim would not be found What do the slave hunters and the townspeople

have in common? Is Huck a moral or an immoral person?

Huck and Jim discover that they passed Cairo in the fog

A steamboat wrecks the raft and the two are separated again

CHAPTER 17

Huck arrives at an impressive house owned by the Grangerford family

Grangerfords are hospitable to Huck once they check that he is not a member of the Shepherdson family

The Grangerfords have a son named Buck Similar age, close friends Wants to kill a Shepherdson

CHAPTER 18

Colonel Grangerford: gentleman, aristocrat, kind What does he represent?

Easy person in the Grangerford family has his/her own slave

Grangerfords and Shepherdsons are feuding Killing one another No one remembers the reason

The Grangerfords and Shepherdsons go to church and learn about brotherly love Everyone is carrying a gun

Huck finds Jim hiding behind some trees with their raft

Miss Sophia Grangerford and young Harney Shepherdson run away together The two families shoot at one another People die including Buck

Huck and Jim run away “It made me so sick” (116) “there warn’t no home like a raft” (117) Twain shows the foolishness of humans

STUDY QUESTIONS 15-18

1. What trick does Huck play on Jim?

2. Why doesn’t Huck turn Jim in?

3. Describe the difference between Huck and the slave hunters.

4. Why did Twain include this adventure with the Grangerfords?

CHAPTER 19

Huck helps two men who are chased by men on horses with dogs What does this show you about Huck? Huck and Jim could have been in the same

situation if the townspeople found them on Jackson Island or if the slave hunters found Jim (chapter 16)

The older man (70years old) was selling fake toothpaste and the younger man (30years old) was collecting money to support prohibition although he was drinking secretly. The men trick the townspeople for money The townspeople are foolish and gullible for falling

for their tricks

The two con men decide to work together

The younger man says that he is the Duke of Bridgewater Duke: high class, just below the king

The older man then says that he is the Dauphin, the King of France

Huck knows that the men are liars but do not say anything Why?

CHAPTER 20

The duke and the king ask if Jim is a runaway slave Huck pretends that Jim is his slave Why does he lie?

The duke and king take Jim and Huck’s beds How do the duke and king treat people?

Huck and Jim have to be lookouts but Jim takes over when Huck is too sleepy Jim takes care of Huck and protects him Friendship, parent figure

In Pokeville, Huck and the king go to a religious meeting where the people are praying and singing so hard that they were “just wild and crazy” As Huck and Jim go further south, the people

they meet are more wild, savage, intense, prejudiced

They cannot see the truth because of their stubborn beliefs and prejudice

SITUATIONAL IRONY

The duke has an idea on how to travel without interruptions: he makes a sign with a picture of a runaway slave and “$200 reward,” then ties Jim with ropes so they can pretend that they caught him for the reward money

Situational irony: What is expected to happen and what actually happens do not match Jim is actually a real runaway slave Jim has to pretend to be caught to be free There is actually a reward for Jim

CHAPTER 21

The duke and the king practice their Shakespearean play “Shakspearean Revival” Mark Twain also alludes to Romeo and Juliet

during the Grangerford vs Sheperdson feud The duke and the king do not know

Shakespeare well What kind of people watch/read Shakespeare?

The town they are in is run down, neglected, and caving in Shakespeare represents Romanticism while the

run down town represents reality

Colonel Sherburn shoots a drunk man named Boggs in front of Boggs’s daughter Boggs: ordinary man, rude, without manners,

ignorant Col. Sherburn: high class, civilized gentleman,

unfair power, law, without sympathy Townspeople: watch Boggs’ death, superficial,

without morals, cowardice

CHAPTER 22

Somebody argues that Sherburn should be lynched and everyone agrees Mob mentality: people act differently in a group

because they do not want to go against the crowd The townspeople become violent Sherburn says that the people are cowards

because they would not be brave without the mob

Huck goes to see a circus People enjoy seeing a drunk man trying to hold on

to a bucking horse -> cruel, selfish, violent Huck is scared to see the danger

CHAPTER 23

The king and the duke put on a play called “The Royal Nonesuch” Women and children are not allowed to watch

The audience is angry but they don’t want to admit that they have been tricked so they do not reveal the scam “What we want is to go out of here quiet, and

talk this show up, and sell the rest of the town! Then we’ll be in the same boat.”

Performance goes on for three days

Jim asks Huck why Huck is not surprised at the duke and the king’s behavior Huck: “It’s the way they’re raised.”

Jim thinks about his wife and children Huck: “I do believe he cared just as much for

his people as white folks does for their’n” Jim is thinking about the time when he hit his

daughter, Elizabeth, for not obeying -> he is very upset because he did not realize she was deaf and mute

CHAPTER 24

The duke disguises Jim again by painting his face blue and making a sign that says “Sick Arab – but harmless when not out of his

head”

The group meets a young man by the river The king pretends to be Reverend Elexander

Blodgett The man thinks the king looks like Mr. Wilks, the

brother of a rich man The king and the duke decide to pretend to be

the brothers so they can steal the inheritance (money)

Dead brother: Peter Wilks

Brothers: Harvey and William (deaf and dumb) Lives in England

Nieces: Mary Jane, Susan, Joanna (hare-lip)

The king and duke pretends to cry for the dead brother Huck describes them “It was enough to make a

body ashamed of the human race”

CHAPTER 25

The king and the duke gives all their money to the girls to gain their trust

Dr. Robinson is the only one who realizes that the king and the duke are fakes but no one believes him The king uses a bad English accent and uses

the wrong word during the funeral

The girls give the king and duke all their money to prove that they trust the king and the duke

STUDY QUESTIONS 19-25

1. How did Jim and Huck meet the king and the duke?

2. Does Huck believe their stories about their births?

3. Why did people return to see the “Royal Nonesuch” show?

4. Where did the king and the duke get their plan about being the Wilks brothers?

CHAPTER 26

Hare-lip asks Huck questions about England Huck makes up lies but he does not feel bad

because he lies only when he needs to and for the right reasons

She tells Huck to swear on a dictionary

Huck feels bad that the king and the duke are stealing the girls’ money so he decides to return it

Huck steals the money (under the mattress) from the king and the duke’s hiding place before anyone finds out

CHAPTER 27

When Huck is trying to hide the money, he hears a sound, panics, and puts the money in the coffin

The coffin is buried, Huck is not sure if the money is still in the coffin

The king and duke promise to take the girls with them to England so that they can sell the house and the slaves

When the king and the duke cannot find the money, Huck lies and says that the slaves stole it

CHAPTER 28

Mary Jane feels bad about the slaves so Huck confesses to her that the king and the duke were fakes Huck tells Mary Jane to go to Mr. Lothrop’s

because she is not good at pretending Huck write a letter to MJ to tell her where the

money is

The real Wilks brothers arrive

CHAPTER 29, 30

The real Wilks brother asks the king to tell the townspeople what is tattooed on Peter’s chest The king says that the tattoo is a small, thin,

blue arrow The real brother says that it is P-B-W

The people dig up the coffin and finds the money

Huck tries to run away but the king and the duke catches him

CHAPTER 31

While the king and the duke are fighting, Huck tries to run away from them, but he cannot find Jim

Huck finds out that the king sold Jim to a man named Silas Phelps for $40

Self vs. Self Conflict: Huck thinks about whether he should write a letter to Miss Watson about where Jim is If Jim is a slave anyway, then he is better being a

slave near his family But Miss Watson might be mean to him for running

away

Huck write the letter but thinks about his friendship with Jim

“All right, then. I’ll go to hell” Huck rips up the letter and decides to help Jim

escape He does not regret his decision

STUDY QUESTIONS 26-31

1. Why does Huck steal the money from the mattress?

2. What doesn’t Huck’s conscience bother him when he lies so much?

3. What things give away the king and the duke?

4. Why is it important that Huck says, “All right, then, I’ll go to hell.”?