Huckleberry Finn
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SETTING
The novel is set in the 1930s in St. Petersburg, a fictitious place supposedly reminiscent of the town of Hannibal, Missouri the place where Mark Twain grew up. It follows the events in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, also of the same author.
CHARACTERS
Huck Finn. Huckleberry Finn or Huck Fin is the protagonist of the story. A dynamic character, he is a liar and sometimes a thief. In Tom Sawyers book, he is a vagabond with a drunkard father. In this book, he starts as a ward to Miss Watson and Widow Douglas. He is afraid of responsibilities and being civilized. Everything that he is changed, when his father kidnapped him and he ran away. He became responsible and loyal to the slave Jim whom he freed from slavery.
Jim. Nigger Jim is a slave of Miss Watson and the Widow Douglas. He overhears that the sisters are planning to sell him, to he tried to escape and believing that he has the chance to be free. While in hiding, Huck sees him and let him join to his journey to the Mississippi river. He is the antagonist to Hucks character. Although they became true friends, through him Huck felt guilt and shame but later realized the value of friendship.
Tom Sawyer. He is Hucks best friend and comrade to their adventures. He is smart and witty but sometimes nasty. He betrayed Jim just to play along with the scheme that Huck put up just to be adventurous even if he dont have to. He is both static and a flat character.
Pap Finn is the drunkard father of Huck. He is a miserable human being capable of hurting his son just to fulfill his drunkard lifestyle. He is the epitome of evil in the novel. Just before the novel closes, Tom told Huck that his father died, and he died drunk.
Aunt Sally. She is Toms aunt. When Huck and Jim posed as Tom (Huck) and Huck (Jim), she accepted them fully and lovingly. She is a compassionate lady and made Huck feel something about having a mother.
Miss Watson and Widow Douglas. They are the sisters that took care of Huck after the affairs that happened in Toms novel. They taught Huck about responsibility and being civilized, but Huck as said before hates both, until the later events happened. After the said events, nothing more is said about them but only about Miss Watsons death and will to free Jim.
The Duke and the Dauphin. They are two grafters that joined Huck and Jim in their raft. They are both scheming artists and thieves. They used Jim and Huck to help them steal the properties of Peter Wilks, a deceased rich man. They even tried to sell Jim, but unknowingly, to Toms uncle.
THEME
Friendship means Loyalty and Trust.
The novel show the importance of responsibility and loyalty to friends. Huck was at first reluctant to accept the responsibility to Jim but as Huck realized that Jim was truly a friend to him and not just a mere slave, he accepted that responsibility and became loyal to that cause.
PLOT
The story of Huck Finn is about a young boy in search of adventure. He found it when he helped Jim escape and let him be free. They met different people in their every stop over bust most of them bad people. They met Tom as they came to Aunt Sallys house and there the story came to and ending and Jim became free and Huck a more responsible young man.
SYMBOL
Mark Twain uses many different types of symbols to get Twains numerous messages across. Twain signifies the Mississippi river as a symbol to get away from society for Huck and Jim. Twain also criticizes the way society runs and the things it teaches everyone to be. The river vs. land setting in Huckleberry Finn symbolizes Hucks struggle with himself versus society; Twain suggests that a person shouldnt have to conform to society and should think for themselves.
STYLE
In every work of Mark Twain, there is always irony and humor. I think this novel is not just a novel but a satire. Such kind of work had been the trademark of Twain.
POINT OF VIEW
The point of view depicted in the novel is the first person point of view. Huck Finn himself told his adventures as well as his realizations.
CONCLUSION
All children have a special place, whether chosen by a conscious decision or not this is a place where one can go to sort their thoughts. Nature can often provide comfort by providing a nurturing surrounding where a child is forced to look within and choices can be made untainted by society. Mark Twain once said “Dont let school get in the way of your education.” Twain states that this education which is provided by society, can actually hinder human growth and maturity. Although a formal education shouldnt be completely shunned, perhaps true life experience, in society and nature, are a key part of development. In the novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain throws the curious yet innocent mind of Huck Finn out into a very hypocritical, judgmental, and hostile world, yet Huck has one escape–the Mississippi River constantly flowing nearby. Here nature is presented as a thought provoking environment when experienced alone. The river is quiet and peaceful place where Huck can revert to examine any predicament he might find himself in: “They went off, and I got aboard the raft, feeling bad and lowThen I thought a minute, and says to myself, hold on,- spose youd a done right and give Jim up; would you felt better than you do now? No, says I, Id feel bad…” (p.127). Only a few weeks with Jim and still feeling great ambivalence, Huck returns to the river to think. Twain tries here to tell the reader