THE GREAT AMERICAN author Ernest Hemingway famously said, “All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn.” High praise indeed! As you read this novel, try to think beyond the controversy about Twain’s use of the n-word–-a frequent reason the book has been banned in some places–-and instead ask what the purpose and effect of the word is. More important than that, however, think about Huck’s growth as a human being in the face of extremely difficult societal obstacles for himself and his friend Jim. |
70 Comments
Maddie Thomas-Little
7/21/2015 03:57:35 am
As I began reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, I had to convince myself to withstand the dialect of the characters. The footnotes at the bottom of the pages have definitely helped me through the cringe-worthy “gwynes”. I highly respect Mark Twain for his persistence in portraying his characters with various and distinct dialects. When Huck escapes from his drunk father’s captivity and runs into Miss Watson’s runaway slave, Jim, Huck has to defy the “Southern ways” and protect Jim from being caught. Huck is not only standing up against his father’s abuse, but he is standing up against the oppression of African Americans by befriending him. Jim’s customs and religions can appear a bit far-fetched; however, when Jim tells Huck’s fortune to him, and explains to Huck, “you gwyne to have considerable trouble in yo’ life, en considerable joy”, I believe Jim’s fortune-telling is a mere foreshadowing of the adventures and hardships Huck and Jim will have to face. (Page 20) I am curious to read further into Huck and Jim’s journey and I hope they can one day be free from their oppressors.
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Gabby Cutler
7/22/2015 03:37:18 am
Maddie does a brilliant job at defining the mixture of amusement and amazement I experience while reading Mark Twain's work. I find the language has helped me dive deep into the life of Huck. It symbolizes the simple, gritty life Huck was exposed to all of his life. My sympathy grows for the boy as I read about the abusive situation Huck finds himself in while living with his father. It saddens me to think a child could have "all over welts" or be "locked in and gone three days" ( Page 27). It is encouraging to read of Huck using his wit and bravery to fake his death and escape his father's grip. Instead of turning into a bitter, drunk,like his father, Huck forges forward. Huck doesn't allow what happens to him to deter who he will become. I greatly appreciate Huck's determination for freedom, his wanderlust, as well as his rebellious nature.
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Maddie Thomas-Little
7/27/2015 12:16:07 am
I also felt distressed and sorrowful for Huck as I was exposed to the abuses he had to endure from his father. As I continue reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the bond between Huck and Jim grow stronger each chapter I finish. Huck begins to view Jim as a real person; he even admits, “I do believe [Jim] cared for his people as white folks does for their’n… he was a mighty good nigger, Jim was”(Page 158). Not only does Huck realize Jim is similar to him, but Huck empathizes with Jim and his troubles; he puts himself into Jim’s shoes. By doing so, Huck is exposed to the cruelty Jim has to face due to the pigmentation of his skin. The closer the two become and the more time spent together, Huck overlooks Jim’s skin color and only sees Jim as a loyal friend. The friendship between the two boys indicates the growth and change of Huck’s morals. Before, Huck did not waste a minute thinking about African Americans and whether they had feelings. However, as Huck is exposed to the emotions Jim shares with him, Huck begins to care not only for himself but for another human being.
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Mrs. Buboltz
8/5/2015 04:57:25 am
Maddie, that's a great observation about Huck's growth as an individual and one that you will continue to see throughout the novel. If only others had shown the morality and courage Huck does, our country would now be a very different place.
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Gabby Cutler
7/28/2015 03:55:02 am
Huck and Jim's friendship brings a refreshing sense of humor to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Huck is always playing pranks on Jim such as when he 'found a rattlesnake' and decided to 'curl him up on the foot of Jim's blanket'. There was also the time Huck pretended one of their adventures was a dream of Jim's, that never really happened. The moment quickly turned sober as Jim tells how hurt he was by what Huck had done to him. While Jim yelled at his friend he said to Huck, "..my heart wuz mos' broke bekase you wuz los'"(Page 93). That simple quote emphasizes the loyalty- like Maddie called it, and care Jim holds for Huck. Just the same, Huck is able to put aside their differences, such as skin color, in order to be friends. Knowing what their friendship meant to both boys, my heart broke when they were separated by the steamboat in chapter 16. I'm hoping after Huck gets settled in at Saul and Rachel's home, he will begin searching for Jim.
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Mrs. Buboltz
8/5/2015 05:02:42 am
Gabby, you've identified an important turning point in the relationship between Huck and Jim. Jim has much more life experience than Huck, and Huck really shows his immaturity with the tricks he plays on Jim. Jim helps Huck discover that even slaves have feelings.
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Delaney Bennett
7/28/2015 08:24:11 am
I am already falling in love with the actions and attitude of Huckleberry Finn. Just about a two chapters into The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, it is already known that Huck is a rebellious character and said rebellion is bound to make the book an amusing read. From dressing in his "old rags and sugar-hogshead again" (Ch. 1) and running away, to bowing his head to "grumble a little" (Ch. 1) when the widow asks him to say grace, Huck's unwillingness to be civilized will be a comical way to get through deeper lessons in the story.
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Mrs. Buboltz
8/5/2015 05:04:58 am
Delaney, I like that you have latched onto Huck's rebellious nature. At first it's playful, but it will become more serious later on. Keeping track of that idea will help you see some larger points of the novel.
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Brooke Rollston
7/29/2015 02:33:10 am
I am reaching the middle of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and am beginning to notice strong changes in Huckleberry Finn's character. He is growing into a thoughtful and considerate young man who is learning to respect and care for others. This has become very apparent as Huck has been introduced to a new family who has been very kind in allowing him to stay with them. He is learning about the family's children, in particular the daughter, Emmeline, who passed away. Huck learns she would write poetry for those who have passed and becomes sad when he realizes, "Emmeline made poetry about all the dead people when she was alive, and it didn't seem right that there [was not] [anyone] to make some for about her, now she was gone; so [he] tried to sweat out a verse or two" (37%). This was very surprising to me when I came across it. This is something Huck would have never done or thought to do before, he would simply have let it go and paid no attention to it.
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Mrs. Buboltz
8/5/2015 05:07:40 am
That is an interesting moment, Brooke. People have talked about the recurrence of death in the novel. I wonder if Huck's reactions to different deaths or mentions of deaths are similar throughout or if they change as he grows.
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Alyssa Lodes
7/29/2015 07:22:09 am
As Maddie and Gabby have wonderfully explained, Mark Twain does exceptional work while keeping all of his character’s dialect persistent. At times I question exactly what the characters are trying to suggest; the dialect slows you down and forces you to read more in depth, but it expands on the character’s personalities. Huck’s use of colloquial words, incorrect pronunciation, and bad grammar portray the little education he has. Jim’s dialect is noticeably different than Huck’s. As Jim tells Huck a story, “I see a light a-comin’ roun’ de p’int bymeby, so I wade’ in en shove’ a long ahead o’ me en swum more’n half-way acrost de river” (Page 44) It becomes difficult to comprehend what is being said, but the dialect constructs Jim’s identity of an uneducated slave. The differing dialects in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is essential in learning more about the character’s lives.
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Mrs. Buboltz
8/5/2015 05:11:07 am
Alyssa, you have mentioned something that readers of this book discuss a lot: the dialects and how they develop character. I wonder if you think the dialect impedes our understanding of characters or if it ultimately enhances them. Sidenote: it might help to read the dialogue aloud.
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Maddie Thomas-Little
7/29/2015 11:15:51 am
Spoiler~
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Jared Cloutier
7/31/2015 01:30:41 am
So far I am about eleven chapters into the book, and thus far I would have to say it has been a very entertaining read. I can already understand why the author decided to name it "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" because literally every chapter presents a new riveting adventure or challenge that Huck must overcome. I think it is interesting that it is actually the lessons that Huck's father teaches that helps Huck survive rather than anything Miss Watson or the Widow taught. I, like Maddie, Gabby, and Alyssa, am very fascinated with the dialect that Twain uses to portray the characters in such a realistic way. This is especially evident in Jim's character, like when he says, "Sometimes dey'd pull up at de sho' en take a res' b'fo' dey started acrost, so by de talk I got to know all 'bout de killin'" (Page 43). The time the author must have taken to perfect the dialect of each of these characters and write out each part in such a realistic way is unthinkable. I am quickly starting to understand why this story is considered a classic, and I cannot wait to continue reading.
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Mrs. Buboltz
8/5/2015 05:16:28 am
Jared, you bring up an interesting point about the episodic nature of the novel. Even though there are separate "adventures," I wonder if you are beginning to see some threads that run through and which of these threads are important in helping us understand some larger points.
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Isabel Virtue
7/31/2015 01:35:05 am
A very prominent feature I have noticed in Mark Twain's writing style is the use of southern diction. This is evident through Huckleberry Finn's narration when he uses words such as "a-going" (19) and phrases like "I says" (24). At first this was confusing to me, but as I read on I realized it really helped in developing both character and setting. The use of this southern-style diction helps the reader better picture and imagine who Huckleberry Finn is.
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Mrs. Buboltz
8/5/2015 05:19:41 am
Isabel, great observation about dialect developing both character and setting. Do you think the dialect ever holds us back from seeing the complexity in the characters, especially Jim?
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Gabby Cutler
8/1/2015 03:35:31 am
Both Huck and Jim had been told all their lives they were trash. Huck's father thought of his son as a burden who will turn into a thief. Jim, because of his skin color, was immediately judged cruelly. All this was only talk of who others thought they would become, up until the two get involved with the King and the Duke. The con-artists have a very negative influence on Huck and Jim. While traveling with them the boys trick church goers into giving "a pirate for thirty years" (Page 142) money and scamming their audience at a play. Huck and Jim are turning into the rebellious boys everyone expected them to become. Its disheartening to read of their downward spiral.
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Delaney Bennett
8/2/2015 06:06:29 am
I agree with Brooke about the fact that Huck's personality is changing tremendously. I'm already seeing changes from the boy that grumbled while saying grace that I discussed in my first post. I believe Jim is mostly responsible for these changes. He has shown Huck friendship, even if Huck is hesitant to show it back. Jim may be so willing to have a relationship with Huck because he misses his family so much. Huck says that during Jim's night watches he can hear him "moaning and mourning" (Ch. 23) his wife and children. I'm hoping that the love and companionship Jim shows Huck will keep improving Huck's compassion as the novel continues.
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Marisa Carmean
8/10/2015 02:50:07 am
I agree with Delaney that Jim creates a relationship with Huck because he misses his family. I also believe Huck was willing to accept the relationship because he saw a fatherly image in Jim. Huck grew up with an abusive father, which may have corrupted his vision of family and friendship. Miss Watson tries to explain to Huck how prayer is meant to "help other people" but he "couldn't see no advantage about it" because his father twisted how Huck envisioned the world (chapter 3). Being around Jim opened Huck's eyes to relationships without abuse and negativity. Huck changes more throughout the book because of this new understanding. He starts to accept to friendships, with Buck for example. He experiences grief when Buck dies, which causes Huck to cherish his relationship with Jim, and push him to save Jim in times of desperation, instead of following in his father's footsteps and abandon people on acts of selfishness. Huck's relationship with Jim opens world of new friendships for Huck.
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Mrs. Buboltz
8/10/2015 09:26:20 am
You're taking an interesting angle, Marisa. Huck has not grown up trusting many people, but you point out how he learns to trust Jim. And the fact that Jim is a slave makes the relationship even more poignant and rare. Very insightful comments!
Brooke Rollston
8/4/2015 08:22:18 am
Each place Huck, Jim, the King, and the Duke stop reminds me a lot of To Kill a Mockingbird because each town is a small community of people who know each other, his or her family, and background simply by a last name. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Jean Louise tried to explain to the teacher, Miss Caroline, why the boy Walter will not accept lunch money in saying, "'Miss Caroline, he's a Cunningham.' I sat back down. 'What, Jean Louise?' I thought I had made things sufficiently clear" (To Kill a Mockingbird). I was reminded of this passage when reading of the Shepherdson and Grangerford family feud and it is explained to Huck that, "if a body's out hunting for cowards, he don't want to fool away any time amongst them Shepherdsons, [because] they don't breed any of that kind" (39%). This allowed for a better understanding of how realistic and tight these towns are, as well as how corrupt and terrible it is for the Duke and King to come to these small and quiet towns and rob and trick them.
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Brooke Rollston
8/4/2015 08:55:33 am
I am half way through the book and have come across a very interesting and thought-provoking passage which comes from Sherburn after he has shot and killed the town drunk, Boggs. As a mob approaches Sherburn's residence with intentions of murder, Sherburn stops them and says, "You didn't want to come. The average man don't like trouble and danger. You don't like trouble and danger. But if only half a man-like Buck Harness, there-shouts 'Lynch him, lynch him!' you're afraid to back down-afraid you'll be found out to be what you are-cowards-and so you raise a yell, and hang yourselves onto that half-a-man's coat tail, and come raging up here, swearing what big things you're going to do. The pitifulest thing out of a mob; that's what an army is-a mob; they don't fight with courage that's born in them, but with courage that's borrowed" (48%). I felt this was a very real and true statement which can be found each day. People often are in certain situations or performing certain actions out of fear of what others will think. This fear could be the fear of standing out, being rejected, being left behind, or many others. So far, this has been the strongest and most intriguing passage I have found in the book due to it revealing a very dark but shockingly honest view of society then which is still relevant today.
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Ellie Szymoniak
8/4/2015 11:33:14 am
So far I am loving Huckleberry Finn as a character, he is such a strong young boy for putting up with the harm and abuse of his father. I thought it was very clever and brave when Huck escaped his father's cabin, I feel that most boys his age would not have thought of anything so extreme as faking one's death. I also love the friendship that formed between Huckleberry and Jim. It makes me happy to see how they treat each other, Jim treats Huck as if he saved Jim and will forever be his savior and Huck treats Jim like he is an actual man while most white boys call their slaves awful names, another cause for my love of the character Mark Twain created.
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Mrs. Buboltz
8/5/2015 05:26:43 am
Yes, Ellie, it's interesting to watch Huck change from someone who plays tricks on Jim to a person who values him as an individual with feelings and humanity. I wonder if you've noticed any particular passages that show that growth.
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Samuel Tejchma
8/4/2015 02:45:08 pm
Just like Maddie and the others stated the dialect of Mark Twain's characters really make me uncomfortable. I'm having to force myself to push through all the "gwynes" and other confusing statements like "you go en git in de river" (page 41). Mark Twain's use of dialogue really hammer in the point of the time period the book is portrayed in, the location, and education of the people in it. It's amazing how he could write this, but with that said I still don't particularly enjoy deciphering it. I myself am far past chapter two but I think that chapter really foreshadowed into the rest of the book. All the boys take a blood oath into a secret society and if they spill any secrets about it then I believe one of their family members has to be killed, but this shows how easily the boys are influenced by Tom and I believe we will be seeing a lot more of his heavy influence he has on the boys later in the book. Which is a very understandable situation, whenever one friend does something the rest just kind of tag along. I've seen it a lot at school and I myself can even say I have fallen victim to another friends influence.
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Mrs. Buboltz
8/5/2015 05:32:58 am
Sam, you bring up an interesting point about the influence of Tom on Huck and his other friends. I don't think I'm spoiling anything when I tell you that Tom will come back into the story, and you'll get to see how your theory plays out.
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Ellie Szymoniak
8/5/2015 12:31:13 am
My favorite line of this book is when Jim tells Huck "Yes; en I's rich now, come to look at it. I owns myself, en I's wuth eight hund'd dollars." because it shows how certain people see themselves as rich. Many people see being rich as having a lot of money but those who may not have a lot still consider themselves rich because they have a family to come home to and a free life they can live. It is just so incredible that people have the hope and happiness even if they live in poverty.
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Alyssa Lodes
8/5/2015 05:47:33 am
Huck has noticed the cruelties of society. Earlier in the book Huck was upset for Miss Watson’s loss of Jim knowing she was losing money. Although he could have easily returned Jim back to his owner, Huck helped Jim from getting caught as a runaway slave multiple times. Huck recognized assisting Jim’s escape to the north would be viewed badly to society, but on a moral perspective Huck realized protecting his friend Jim was ideal. At night, ‘[Huck] went to sleep, and Jim didn’t call [Huck] when it was [his] turn” (Page 155). Jim would allow Huck to sleep longer and began to treat Huck like family because he was all Jim had. Through the friendliness of Jim Huck learned slaves are not just property; slaves are all real people. Sometimes what society thinks is ‘right’ may not always be the appropriate action. A skin color does not determine another’s personality and respect he/she should receive. As a character, Huck has grown and learned many lessons from which Jim is unintentionally teaching.
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Ellie Szymoniak
8/5/2015 11:38:58 pm
I find it extremely funny how much people continue to underestimate Huckleberry Finn. The king and the duke think that Huck is a stupid young boy who cannot see that they are frauds when in fact he knows they are fakes. He is so smart and just because he is a boy many believe that he knows nothing about the world. Mark Twain finally shows us how some boys think and it is incredible how book and street smart they are. Huckleberry has gotten himself out of some pretty sticky situations because he is such a smooth talker. I only have about 80 pages left and Huckleberry still continues to amaze me.
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Delaney Bennett
8/6/2015 02:38:35 am
The relationship between Huck and Jim is one of my favorite parts of the novel. Witnessing Huck treat Jim like an illiterate slave to a friend, or even an equal has been such a joy to read. Huck was raised to see black people as property so experiencing him break away from the values he was taught is heartwarming. A particular quote I loved was when Huck states, "I knowed he was white inside" (Ch. 40). Even though the quote is still pretty racist, it is Huck's way of displaying his love and sense of equality to Jim.
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Isabel Virtue
8/9/2015 05:27:51 am
The growth of a friendship between Jim and Huckleberry Finn reminds me of Scout and Boo Radley in "To Kill a Mockingbird." Like Scout, as the book progresses Huck is able to look beyond the surface and see Jim for who he is: a real person. I agree with Delaney, and everyone else who already stated this, it was interesting, and one of my favorite parts of the story, to watch their relationship evolve as the two became friends, something you wouldn't expect between a slave and a young boy.
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Shane Lucas
8/6/2015 10:18:25 am
Huckleberry Finn, as a character, appears to be a child with a strong sense of adventure and prefers to live a restraint-free life. He does not enjoy the mundane lifestyle of the Widow as she tries to convert him into a civilized member of society. " All I wanted was to go somewheres; all I wanted was a change"(pg.13). Being with his father, although abusive, allowed him to be free until his father returned. This pushes Huck to escape the troubles of his past life and start new.
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Maddy Fri
8/7/2015 08:47:12 am
I agree with Shane about how Huckleberry has a sense of adventure and how his abusive father played a prominent role in that. Huckleberry was very adamant about being apart of Tom Sawyer's gang of robbers and wanted to cry when he almost could not be let in because he "got no family" (Twain 11). Everyone knows his father is the town drunk who is unreliable so I wonder if Huck feels he has to prove something to the townspeople. I also wonder if the goes on adventures to avoid the reality at home.
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Mrs. Buboltz
8/9/2015 05:27:51 am
Maddy, interesting point about Huck escaping his own reality. I wonder if we could say that he discovers a different reality for himself during his adventures.
Mrs. Buboltz
8/9/2015 05:24:25 am
Shane, that's an interesting irony that Huck is more free when he is with his abusive father. So do both the Widow and his father imprison him in different ways? I wonder if they can represent different aspects of society.
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Ellie Szymoniak
8/7/2015 02:29:18 am
I dislike the king and the duke as characters but I find Twain's addition of them fairly amusing. They are scheming frauds who seem to enjoy to steal from innocent people but at times they act as if they were children. It seems that Huckleberry is more mature than these two and it makes me laugh because they try to overcome each other when they aren't working together. It is obvious that the man who claims to be a king has taken the position as leader and you can tell the duke does not like this because he questions some of the decisions the king makes. Especially regarding the issue with the gold that Huck stole, they argue and the duke snaps and yells at the king "Dry up! I don't want to hear no more out of you!" (pg208) like a mother usually tells her child. They are adults yet they argue and act like children who have a hunger for power. I believe this to be a fairly serious book and these two provide much needed comic relief.
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Shane Lucas
8/7/2015 05:52:09 am
Both Huck Finn and Jim end up running from their past lives. Huck Finn wants to escape his abusive father and Jim wants to avoid being sold to a new owner.Due to these events corresponding, most draw the conclusion that Jim killed Huck Finn. " They found out he hadn't ben seen sence ten o'clock the night the murder was done. So they put it on him, you see." (Pg. 66). This reflects the bias of the times, with Jim being black most assume he is responsible for the crime without any clear evidence showing so. This allows Huck Finn to connect with Jim on a personal level since they both have voices that are not heard and come from abusive situations.
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Maddy Fri
8/7/2015 08:59:15 am
I think Huck Finn is very influenced by Tom Sawyer. When Huck faked his death, he was thinking about how to make it look like robbers did it. In chapter 2 that's what Huck's friend group all plans to become, thanks to the brilliant idea from Tom. Huck even says, "I did wish Tom Sawyer was there, I knowed he would take an interest in this kind of business" (Twain 33). If Tom had never shared information about the business of robbers, Huck probably would have never developed the idea of faking his death. I'm anxious to see how else Tom influences Huck!
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Marisa Carmean
8/10/2015 03:09:09 am
I too have noticed how Huck mentions Tom many times throughout the book. Whenever Huck has a plan or scheme, he includes a little snippet about how Tom would "throw in the fancy touches" (chapter 7). This really points out the impact the Tom has on Huck and how he comes up with his ideas. I became a little frustrated towards the end, though, when Huck and Tom were rescuing Jim, and Tom would drag it out with small details that were not necessary, but he claimed it was "the regular way". This allows the reader to really understand Tom's personality, because he does everything like it is just a story and the only way to solve a problem was to make it interesting.
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Jared Cloutier
8/7/2015 01:19:27 pm
I am now about halfway into the book and I must say that Huck continuously proves himself as a brave young man. From dressing up like a girl to lying to men who were looking for runaway slaves, Huck is willing to do whatever it takes in order for himself and Jim to stay alive. Even though Jim is a black man in a time where race was a huge barrier, he provides relief for Huck when he needs to calm his mind, and also helps Huck whenever the two get into a bad situation. Although there is one point that Huck starts to feel bad about helping a slave runaway, and even considers turning Jim in, thinking to himself, "It ain't too late, yet- I'll paddle ashore at the first light, and tell," Huck eventually decides against this, realizing that helping Jim is actually the least of his worries, and he is actually gaining help in return (Chapter 17). Although Huck may have been able to survive by himself, things may have gotten very lonely had Jim not showed up. I agree with Delaney that Huck and Jim have a special relationship, and I believe that even though the rattlesnake has brought them bad luck up to this point, they are bound to see good luck come eventually.
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Samuel Tejchma
8/7/2015 05:09:59 pm
I'm about halfway through the book and obviously, the biggest issue in the society in this book is racism. I believe Huck's immaturity puts color blind glasses over his eyes allowing him to see Jim for who he is not what he looks like. I really enjoy reading about Huck and Jim's relationship. They both haven't known each other long and both have had a rough life, Jim being a slave and Huck not having any good parental guidance or role models, but they seem as if they would lay down their lives for each other and that to me is inspiring to read during a book in this time period. I strongly agree with Jared in the regard of Huck being a brave young man he is willing to do anything for Jim and himself and even though he did contemplate turning him in I believe it was just a moment of weakness by Huck and can almost guarantee he wouldn't do that. Even though Jim isn't the smartest guy in the world he really seems to be taking a fatherly role in Huck's life, he always lets Huck do his own thing even if it might hurt or bother Jim. For example Huck left to stay at a house for a few days and Jim gladly just lied in a swampy area while Huck had fun with the family. Also, with the family feud between the Shephardsons and Grangerfords I got a laugh out of them constantly battling and killing each other but at church "the men took their guns along, so did buck, and kept them between their knees" (pg. 109). It truly humored me knowing they kill and hate each other but then on Sunday's attend the same church and sit together with their guns by their side whill the preacher preaches about "brotherly-love" (109). It's such obvious irony that it really made me laugh.
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Alyssa Lodes
8/8/2015 03:11:44 am
Throughout Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck has struggled with understanding society. Huck questions if his actions are appropriate and often wonders how others will criticize him. Times such as whether or not he should help Jim become a freeman, or to respectfully return him to his owner has brought many occasions of uncertainty. Huck and Jim spend a large amount of time with the frauds, duke and dauphin, but Huck was too afraid to accuse the frauds for the sake of Jim’s life. Huck knew the actions of the duke and dauphin were corrupt, but after all he was helping a runaway slave. Unsure of what to say or how to react, Huck kept to himself. It was not until Huck seen how upset Mary Jane was that he finally admitted to the wrongdoings of the duke and dauphin (Ch. 28). Huck still has many lessons to learn, but he is slowly grabbing on to our questionable and corrupt society.
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Bailey Umstead
8/8/2015 08:16:14 am
As I began reading "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" it was difficult to get past the dialect as it is extremely different from most of the books I have read. As I read I started to question whether or not Huck and Jim would have gone as far as they did if those men were not suspicious of where Jim was and went to the island to find him, "after midnight he'll likely be asleep, and they can slip around through the woods and hunt up his camp fire" (Twain 55). Would they have ever left the island if that did not happen? Huck and Jim were happy on the island and there was never talk of leaving or going any further down the river.
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Mrs. Buboltz
8/9/2015 05:40:37 am
Interesting theory, Bailey. I wonder if that arrangement would have satisfied Huck but not Jim. After all Jim has a goal of becoming an official free man. I could definitely see Huck living there, except he does enjoy adventure.
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Brooke Rollston
8/8/2015 02:13:15 pm
Nature versus nurture has been a very intriguing subject to me, whether we act and live based on who we are individually, or if instead it derives from who we come from and how we are raised by them. I think about this as I read and would have previously chosen nurture, believing Huck Finn acts and does on account of how he was brought up as a child and the life he has been forced to live. However, I now follow the opposing view as Huck states, "I [will] take up wickedness again, which was in my line, being brung up to it" (67%). I believe this statement is nothing but a contradiction to everything Huck has been demonstrating lately in the novel. He has proven to be caring and thoughtful and as he states he "will take up wickedness again", he is preparing to save Jim. Though Huck Finn was introduced to evil and wrong, even in the very beginning of his life, he is proving to be a poor representation of everything bad he has been exposed to and come from.
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Marisa Carmean
8/10/2015 12:49:51 pm
I completely agree with Brooke that Huck negated the argument of nurture posing a very large impact on someone's behavior. I believe that a person's attitude or personality comes from whether they want to let their childhood have an impact or not. I do agree that at some level a person cannot completly rid their memories of their childhood, but they can choose to use them as a life lesson or an anchor to keep them down. Huck decided to use his father as a representative of wrong actions, and instead used the positive role models in his life to shape his decisions. Many times Huck had the opportunity to rid himself of the runaway slave Jim, but he chose otherwise because of the times when Jim "called [Huck] honey, and pet [him], and [did] everything he could think of for [him], and how good he always was..." (chapter 31). Huck chose to help Jim because of his past behavior towards Huck. The boy did not hesitate to rid himself of the negative people in his life, the Duke and the King for example. Multiple times Huck found opportunities to leave them behind but they snuck their way back into his life. Though Huck chose to be a kind person, the actions that others took did affect how he acted and felt about them.
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Baley Umstead
8/8/2015 10:30:48 pm
In "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" there is a saying, "Give a [n-word] an inch and he'll take an ell" (Twain 82). I thought about this and looked it up in the back of my book; it is described as black people taking advantage of a kind white person at this time. I wrote down the question, do you think Jim took advantage of Huck Finn? For a moment I thought he did, that was my final conclusion. Thinking back in the book there was not a time Jim had thanked or praised Huck up till now, "Huck; you's de bes' fren' Jim's ever had; en you's de only fren' ole Jim's got now" (Twain 83). My perspective changed on the question. Jim does love Huck. Their friendship is very odd for this time period but it is also wonderful. Huck found Jim while in a time of need and Jim also needed anybody to care for him. Their friendship is my favorite part of the book and it grows continuously throughout the book.
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8/8/2015 11:20:31 pm
Huck Finn has struggled with prayer throughout the book. Starting in the beginning of the book when Miss Watson was teaching him right from wrong and telling him stories from the bible, "Then Miss Watson she took me in the closet and prayed, but nothing come of it. She told me to pray every day, and whatever I asked for I would get. But it warn't so" (Twain 13). The widow then explained how prayer works but Huck did not like how it sounded. As the book progresses and develops, so does Huck. He matures and becomes more responsible "And I about made up my mind to pray; and see if I couldn't try to quit being the kind of boy I was, and be better" (Twain 193). This shows how Huck as developed along with the book. By the end of that chapter Huck comes to the conclusion that it is not worth it to pray but he thought about it, tried, and tried again shows sign of change. It is always satisfying to see the development of characters and how much they change, Twain does a spectacular job at showing this in Huck.
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Delaney Bennett
8/9/2015 01:11:38 am
I find it hilarious how as soon as Huck is back with Tom Sawyer he goes back to following his ridiculous plans and rebellious ways. When Huck just happens to show up at Tom's aunt and uncle's house to find Jim, I figured he would just grab Jim and go. But Tom comes up with an outrageous plan and then tells Huck,"It don't make no difference how foolish it is, it's the RIGHT way—and it's the regular way. And there ain't no OTHER way" (Ch. 35). I hope Huck will continue to be the compassionate person he was becoming throughout the novel, even though Tom has come back into his life.
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Maddy Fri
8/10/2015 02:11:31 am
I agree with Delaney, it is funny how influential Tom is on Huck. I'm sure Huck could manage getting Jim on his own, but the sense of adventure is there when Tom arrives, which is what Huck really enjoys. It is obvious that Huck really looks up to Tom, especially when he compares him to all the people in his other adventures and says "If I had Tom Sawyer's head, I wouldn't trade it off to be a duke, nor mate of a steamboat, nor clown in a circus, nor nothing I can think of" (Twain 211). I find it funny how after all of these adventures Huck has been on, he still admires Tom Sawyer and time spent with him.
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Kayleigh Newman
8/9/2015 04:12:02 am
As I read through the beginning of this novel, I've observed that Huck was quite innocent. In life, he was dealt a bad stack of cards as he was stuck with a man like Pap as a father and guardian. He is nothing but a drunk and a terrible influence for his son. Brought up with this skewed view of the world, Huck probably possesses a confused set of morals. I believe he struggles with what is right and wrong. As he discusses with his his friend he does not know what Quote 1: "'Ransomed? What's that?'
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Kayleigh Newman
8/9/2015 04:13:49 am
When I read further into this novel, I can see that the child-like state of mind, as well as innocence in the two boys is staunchly maintained. Despite finding and taking a stash of gold that didn't belong to the boys, they still have a conscience and know it. When they witness an event it is explained that
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Mrs. Buboltz
8/9/2015 05:51:19 am
Yes, Kayleigh, Huck is definitely going through a crisis of conscience throughout the novel due to his own experiences in his friendship with Jim being in stark contrast to his society teaching him that blacks are inferior.
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Kayleigh Newman
8/9/2015 04:15:13 am
Huck is a huge conformist. He tends to shape and mold to fit whatever circumstance that comes his way. He changes his ways and becomes more proper when he lives with a family that is of a higher class than he. He takes on a more rebellious attitude when he's with his buddy, Jim. When he is with Pap, he tends to be more fearful. But his actions with other characters aside, he conforms with places. Huck is forced into school, against his will. Even though he does not want to attend school, he does anyways. He got used to the new customs even if he preferred his old customs. When Huck was with Miss Watson, she would say things like "don't put your feet up there, Huckleberry." Or, "don't scrunch up like that, Huckleberry--set up straight." It's almost as if he snaps into a character to fit in right away.
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Kayleigh Newman
8/9/2015 04:16:22 am
As I dive deeper into the pages of this book, I notice a common theme. That theme is freedom. In several instances, Huck has things holding him back figuratively and literally. He carried baggage from his deadbeat father Pap. He also must hold guilt from his crimes. But the literal escape would be from the situation in which Pap sought him out and kidnapped him. He was forced from within to break free from these past hurts and torments and ran as far as he could away from it. The river is mentioned numerous times as a significant symbol to Huck. The river also ties into the theme of freedom. It is mentioned that "so in two seconds away we went a-sliding down the river, and it did seem so good to be free again and all by ourselves on the big river, and nobody to bother us" (57%). I read the book on a Kindle and the actual hard copy...I alternated between the two. The river can take one to multiple places. It is a secluded, isolating place and there is no one to tell you how to act or what to be.
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Gabby Cutler
8/9/2015 04:51:03 am
Having finished reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, I am glad to see the theme of friendship evident until the end. Huck and Jim's friendship is able to survive a band of boat robbers, a poisonous snake, con men with bad accents, and prejudice. Both boys faced and struggled with the expectations others hoisted on them. Though they struggled while in the company of the thieves, in the end, Huck and Jim found themselves. Not only that but they found freedom and adventure. The story ends with a bit of humor as Huck tells the reader, "..Aunt Sally she's going to..sivilze me and I can't stand it"(Page 312). It's good to know Huckleberry Finn will always be the same, adventurous, brilliant boy.
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Shane Lucas
8/9/2015 05:07:40 am
When the characters of the duke and the king are introduced, Huck Finn conformes to their state of mind. The duke and the king create a fabricated royal lineage to earn a form of respect from Huck and Jim and Huck is the one to realize it. As Kayleigh stated, Huck easily conforms to any bizarre situation which he comes across. Huck realizes these two men are lying and decides to uphold their facade and to not inform Jim on the truth, as this would allow them to cooperate. " I learnt that the best way to get along with his kind of people is to let them have their own way" (pg.86)
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Jared Cloutier
8/9/2015 12:33:57 pm
As I continue to read "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," now being about three quarters of the way through the story, I am very intrigued by the moral being that Huck is proving himself to be. Huck initially shows that his conscience as an individual is weak when he considers turning Jim in. Once he gets through this initial hesitation, however, and makes up his mind to not turn him in, I think that Huck knows that he has done the right thing, and is ultimately satisfied with his choice. I agree with Kayleigh that Huck is very good at conforming to people's standards and adapting to whatever lifestyle is necessary to survive, and he shows that he has this ability numerous times throughout the story, especially during his time living with the Grangerfords. I think that Huck's moral is strengthened the most, however, during his time with the King and the Duke. When Huck initially goes into town with the two men he already knows to be frauds, he is disgusted at the stunts they continuously pull. Finally, when Mary-Jane and Susan come to Huck's rescue during his conversation with the Hare-lip, Huck realizes that he cannot let the greedy men get away with another stunt, especially on such innocent and genuinely good people, thinking to himself, "My mind's made up; I'll hive that money for them or bust" (page 160). For me it is at this point when I realize that Huck may not have been the most intellectual being, but he is perfectly capable of distinguishing right from wrong, and when Huck actually goes through with his plan to get the money out of the robbers' hands, it is a huge step for him as a character, in a way almost transitioning from a boy to a man with just a single action. I think that Huckleberry knows that he has been doing the right thing, and I cannot wait to finish reading and see what else Twain has in store for his main character.
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Samuel Tejchma
8/9/2015 03:32:07 pm
As I continue further into the novel I completely agree with Jared that Huck has proved himself to be a very morally right person. Whether it was through not turning Jim in, or like Jared said going against the con artists it seemed like he always went with his gut feeling even though society might not approve. I am at the part of the book where the boys are hatching a plan to free Jim from a plantation owned by some of Tom's relatives. The part I'm reading right now I think is the turning point for me because this is one of the first times he is going out of his way to actually free a slave which is a huge crime in this time period. So while Jared said he felt he became a man a little earlier in the book I believe he just did around chapters 34 and 35. I believe Huck really hit the nail on the head when he said "it don't make no difference whether you do right of wrong, a person's conscience ain't got no sense" (Page 231). In Huck's position he might do what's morally right to him but is against the law, but If he follows the law then he is breaking his moral code so either way he feels bad. I believe that really speaks volumes to life cause a lot of times you find yourself with a difficult decision and you have to weigh the pros and cons and usually either choice you make someone or something is gonna get hurt or it just won't feel right to you. Sometimes doing the right thing might seem so obvious but not the "cool" thing to do so people don't do it. A lot of times either way you make a decision like Huck there is always gonna be cons but at the end of the day you just have to choose the best pros.
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Maddie Thomas-Little
8/9/2015 09:47:57 pm
I found The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn comical and touching.I enjoyed Huck's recalcitrant behavior towards societal norms and his sense of wanderlust. He reminded me of Peter Pan in the sense that he never truly wanted to grow up; he simply wanted to explore and venture freely from rules. However, the growth of Huck's knowledge and morals towards society throughout the book justified that an individual has the right to question society. Huck saw Jim as a person rather than a slave and began to understand the treatment of African Americans was not moral. Although Huck matured as the book progressed, I found it funny that the adventurous Huck will never change and he will continue to treasure the "howling adventures" he will go through in life.(Page 293). I laughed when Huck later tells the reader Aunt Sally will adopt him and he is reluctant to go through the lessons of proper etiquette all over again as Gabby has mentioned. I hope Huck will forever remain the rebellious boy who craves freedom and I also hope his new adventures of growing up will continue to teach him to stand up against what is wrong even if others do not agree.I loved The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; even Tom Sawyer and his crazy and dramatic ideas that he took from books he had read such as his “band of robbers…[where] everybody that want[ed] to join ha[d] got to take an oath, and write his name in blood." (Page 9) Huckleberry Finn inspires the reader to be spontaneous in an individual's day-to-day events and create an adventure out of them.
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Maddy Fri
8/10/2015 01:38:55 am
I believe Jim and Huck have a lot more in common than what meets the eye. Although they're of different races, they are, or were, trapped somewhere they were not happy with no way of getting out. Huck was burdened with a drunk father who even when he wasn't around he still had a bad influence on his life. Jim was a slave to Miss Watson, a woman who Jim claims "pecks on me all de time, and treats me pooty rough" (Twain 42). When the two escaped to the island it was the beginning of freedom and a friendship. Huck and Jim both having the courage to leave their misery was the first step in getting where they wanted to go.
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Bailey Umstead
8/10/2015 01:51:01 am
Towards the en of "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" I find the different ways Huck and Tom use to save Jim amusing. Huckleberry Finn thinks inside the box, offering solutions that are too simple to Tom Sawyer, "But it's too blame' simple; there ain't nothing to it. What's the good of a plan that ain't no more trouble than that" (Twain 211). Tom wants to have fun, take risks, and make it into a crazy adventure and Huckleberry Finn just wants Jim back so they can head back down the river. I feel as though Tom wants to make all of it more complex just to keep Huck around longer. If they make things easy Tom will lose his friend again. There would not be any more adventures with Huck and Tom and Tom craves the experiences they have together.
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Isabel Virtue
8/10/2015 03:26:27 am
Referring back to my first post about the dialect of the characters: at first glance the way Huck spoke made him come across as unintelligent. However, as I read further into Huck's story I realized he is in fact wise beyond his years. Not many 13-year-old boys would have came up with the things he did, such as faking his death to escape his father and pretending to be a girl so that a woman "could tell [him] all [he] wanted to know" (pg. 63). Huck is more than a dense young boy, and if the reader is able to look past the way he speaks he/she can see how smart he truly is.
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Shane Lucas
8/10/2015 04:34:13 am
The duke and the king manipulate others to achieve things they want, such as convincing Huck and Jim that they are royalty. From how good the are at manipulating others trust and emotions, they must have been con-artists for quite some time. The king convinces a small town that he is an ex-pirate who sailed the Indian Ocean but was robbed and he was reborn. The crowd fwfalls for his trick and they react emotionally. "And then he busted into tears, and so did everybody. Then somebody signs out, 'Take up a collection for him , take up a collection! '" (pg.94).
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Alyssa Lodes
8/10/2015 05:37:08 am
Throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck has gained knowledge about society and grasped a new appreciation for adventures. Towards the end of the book Huck finally finds out Jim has been a freeman nearly the whole time (Ch.42) they were traveling down the river. All of Huck’s lies to innocent people and his controversial actions ended up only being apart of their remarkable adventures together.Through all of Jim and Huck’s unexpected journeys they together found freedom. Huck’s desire and love for every new adventure was my favorite part of the book.
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Marisa Carmean
8/10/2015 07:39:25 am
Huckleberry Finn presents great lessons about problems in society. One main problem is racism, as my fellow bloggers have mentioned before me. The book takes place when slavery was still prominent, and is believed to be normal and right. In the book, Huck Finn is turmoiled by his decisions to help a runaway slave, because society claims it is wrong to do so. He ponders over which action to take as he "was trying to make [his] mouth say [he] would do the right thing and the clean thing, go and write to the... owner and tell where [Jim] was" (chapter 31). According to Huck, returning the slave was the moral course. The book suggests that society's problems arise because of people's choices. Sherburn declares that "if only half a man--like Buck Harkness, there--shouts 'Lynch him, lynch him!' you're afraid to back down--afraid you'll be found out to be what you are--cowards..." (chapter 22). When people choose to follow the problem, the problem grows. The only solution is for people to pave their own paths away from society.
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Jared Cloutier
8/10/2015 09:58:19 am
I am now finished with The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and I must say that I actually ended up enjoying reading the story even more than I thought I would. The whole story was filled with new challenges and twists to the plot that would have never been expected, and you are forced to stay focused the entire time that you are reading. I think that the story becomes heavily entertaining once Tom Sawyer re-enters it, just as Sam predicted he would. Although I think that Tom's schemes are always a bit too involved and overthought, he still finds a way to make them work, which is why his character makes the story more enjoyable. I think that it is neat that Sawyer is willing to help Huck with Jim's escape, and the favor is returned when Jim is the one who cares for Tom while he has a bullet in his leg, despite the fact that it causes him to get caught as a runaway. The compassion that Jim shows for Tom causes Huck to say, "I knowed he was white inside," of Jim and despite the context of this comment, I think that Twain's intentions were deeper in the fact that he wanted to show that regardless of where people come from or what their story is, when you act out of compassion, love, or friendship, and do what you know is right, the outcome is bound to be a good one, which is why Jim is ultimately set free (Chapter 40). This book did take me quite a while to get through, but I have learned a lot from it, and at the end of the day I am truly glad that I read this story.
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Isabel Virtue
8/10/2015 11:06:25 am
I feel like part of the reason Huck grew so close to Jim is because Jim filled the void of a father figure in Huck's life. Jim cared for Huck in a way his drunken father never did. The moment I knew he cared about Huck was when he didn't want him to see his dad's body, and lied and told him "doan' look at his face--it's too gashly" (pg 60) so that he couldn't recognize the body. Jim did not want Huck to be hurt, showing that he cared for him as a father would a son.
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Samuel Tejchma
8/10/2015 01:16:00 pm
After finishing the book I couldn't agree more with Maddy! The connection between Jim and Huck being very similar was one I drew too. Besides the similarities mentioned by Maddy they both also had very good morals, each one when presented with the opportunity did the right thing. Jim turned himself in to bring aid to Tom and Huck freed a slave when it was illegal. Also, I believe my prediction of Tom's influence on Huck was mostly correct in the fact that he made him go through this crazy plot when Silas Phelps made next to no effort to keep Jim locked up. This book was a little more of a labor to get through then other books to me but at the end of the day am happy I chose this book because it has a lot of life lessons about friendship, morals, and trust!
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