He enjoyed every day on the island but suddenly his quietness was disturbed, it turned out that he wasn’t an only inhabitant here. What a surprise it was when he met Jim – Miss Watson’s slave who also escaped from the city, in order not to be sold to a new master.
They began live together and despite Jim was a slave they became real friends. Huck’s attitude towards Jim was not typical in that time. "Niger” was "Niger”, nothing more. The racial discrimination was normal; in fact no one cared about the matter.
There on the island we saw Huck as he was: honest, hard-working, responsible and devoted. When Huck was on Illinois shore and the woman in the town said that there was a reward for Jim’s head, he told her nothing. Jim trusted him and he couldn’t betray him.
In previous chapters we saw that Huck didn’t believe in every word of Tom, he preferred to check himself and that’s why I couldn’t name him a gullible person, but in these chapters his tested led him to the conclusion that omens have their grounds. Mark Twain described these superstitions in a very funny way, showing the confusion and stupidity of them.
To sum it up, I want to say that in these chapters Huck experienced much: inequality, misunderstanding, such notions as honour and trust. All the difficulties made him more mature and stronger.
(by Ayayulia)
Huckleberry Finn: Personal DevelopmentThe main person of the story is Huckleberry Finn. He actually can be
called a child without childhood. From the very first chapters of the book we
see that Huck’s behavior and view on life differs from Tom Sawyer and other
boys’ ones. But can we be sure that Huckleberry is a real grown-up in a body of
a little boy? I think not in the beginning of the book.
Reading first chapters of the story we see that sometimes Huck’s actions
are typical of a little boy of his age. Jokes on Jim, for example, show that. But
still Huckleberry develops his personality. And Jim helps him much actually. Let’s
recollect the last episode of the XVth chapter. A bad joke of Huck
offended the black slave. But then our boy realizes that he has done a terrible
thing, that he was wrong.
What comes next? It is said that Huck humbled himself to a nigger. That means
that the little boy made him equal to Jim. Huck tried to view the world around
as Jim did this. So Huckleberry realized that he would never joke on Jim. We see Huck
becoming an adult. Besides this we realize that now Huck feels responsibility
for his friend Jim, but not only for himself.
Probably, this very responsibility for somebody else is the main thing
Huck lacked. Yes, he has a grown-up’s vision of life. But he was responsible
only for himself, that’s one of the main characteristic features that opposed
children to adults.
But no matter what, Huck is still in a body of a little boy. And this
fact leaves it stamp on Finn’s behavior. That’s why he needs Jim to stay with
him. Where will Huck’s personal development lead? We will see…
(by
Seagull)
Not
all jokes are really funny.
"The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” is a deceptive book – it
seems to be written for children, but the problems it deals with are
far from children's understanding. It's a book where serious themes
are hidden in a child's narrating. Huck's story is a reflection of
the whole society viewed from small boy's eyes. The problem of
slavery, the problem of educational gap, the problem of child abuse
and a great deal of other problems are in focus of Mark Twain's
novel.
Besides
for social conflicts, the book concerns the theme of character's
development. Huck's view and attitude towards the world and people
are changing due to different circumstances. The reader witnesses the
development of boy's life-perception and he understands that Huck is
becoming more mature from chapter to chapter.
Just
remember the episode in which Huck wanted
to play a joke on Jim, putting a dead snake on his pillow. A boyish
joke is opposed to the serious consequences it caused and the very
difference between what was expected and what really happened made
Huck understand that every deed can lead to tragedy. Huck didn't want
Jim to find out that it was his fault, that the reason for it was
just a boy's pastime. He understands that he was guilty but he
doesn't want to accept this quilt just because he's ashamed of what
he has done. Now he knows that not all jokes are really funny.
Another
episode illustrates quite the same idea. As the
journey goes on, Huck and Jim lose each
other in a fog, and when Huck catches up with the raft again, He
pretends that it was nothing else, but Jim's dream. Huck expected his
joke to be funny but it turned out to be offensive for Jim. "I
didn't do him no more mean tricks, and I wouldn't done that one if
I'd a knowed it would make him feel that way”. Huck understands
that his jokes can lead to serious consequences, they can hurt other
people's feelings and this is so-to-say a crucial point that changed
Huck's attitude to his own behaviour.
There
are a lot of other situations in the book that make Huck review his
behaviour. "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”
is a book not only about social problems and conflicts. "The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” is a book about small boy's
understanding that life isn't a funny joke.
(by Rina)
Imagery
Nobody doubts that the
book "The adventures of Huckleberry Finn” is a masterpiece. But what makes it
so outstanding? What does the author manage to do so that he is called a great
writer?
I suppose that a lot of
factors contribute to it: themes raised, the style of narration, imagery, symbolism
and just clever thoughts and ideas. Let me cover some of them in detail. I
would like to focus on themes and imagery.
Of course, there are
many themes raised in the story but some of them still remain major, the others
being minor ones. There is a theme of adventure. A river is a haven of the
society. When travelling down the river Huck meets different types of people,
overcomes various calamities of life and learns about people’s prejudices.
But the river is not
only a way of travelling. This river is a symbol that Mark Twain uses
throughout the book. It symbolizes freedom, independence, and life in the wild.
Huck flees to live in the river to live freely and have an adventure. Huck
escapes from everything in the river.
As for Jim, the river
will take him to "freedom” in the legal sense because he and Huck are aiming
toward the free states.
For Huck, the river carries him away from his frustrated. Prior to hitting the
rapids, Huck feels confined – both by both society (which, figuratively, kept
Huck imprisoned by its restrictive rules) and by Pap (who, literally, kept Huck
locked up). So when Huck and Jim decide it’s about time for them to move on
out, they take their raft to the river. It’s the only route they can take if
they want to be free both in that present moment and in their respective
futures.
So, it is quite clear
that the Mississippi river is a symbol. And,
as we have just proved, it is a symbol of changes and freedom for both Huck and
Jim.
(By Asya)
"Civilization
is the limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities”.
(Mark Twain)
You
definitely didn’t have such childhood as Huck Finn does. You have never
imagined the adventures that were real for him. But you have always dreamt of
going through them, haven’t you? Mark Twain seems to be a shrewd psychologist
when presenting his story about a boy who’s experiencing all the adventures
imaginable. The author is unwrapping the narration to tease you, to make you
feel a little bit envious, to tickle your "dreams deferred”. You can’t but cry
content with the events described in the novel. Even if you are an adult.
But why are
we so stunned about the book?
Huck Finn
and Jim, a runaway Black slave, took a river voyage along Mississippi – the river of freedom, hope,
hair-raising adventures, bearing the sense of breakoff from civilization. And
this is the very thing that might be creeping under your skin – no civilization,
no rules, no laws, no instructions, no people pressing your initiatives down.
Isn’t this what you have always thought about?
After
having learnt that he was still hunted, Huck met Jim and was mighty hilarious
about that. He needed a companion and Jim was a perfect one for such a young
devil as Huckleberry. They are not deprived of their due share of adventures:
they got into a floating house with a dead man inside (whose identity is
revealed only at the end of the book); Jim was bitten by a snake and had to go
through a painful recovery. Huck disguised himself as a girl and went ashore
but was soon found out. They fled from the island as people were chasing for
Jim to get a reward for a runaway slave. The two friends got to know real
swindlers but Huck was generous enough to do everything possible to save them
from the sinking ship. Huck and Jim happened to be lost in a fog and when they
found each other again, the boy managed to turn everything into a joke.
And they
felt happy. Happy because they were not tied with fast ropes of civilized life;
they were not suppressed by a heavy stone of obligations. All they did was to
get fun and not to die. They lived natural lives – never staying still at one
place, moving forward, clinging to everything new. This is the book for those
who want (at least virtually) to experience real freedom, to think like the
characters do, to grasp a worldview of a child. Are you of this kind?...
(by MissJane)