Huckleberry Finn Notes

by DH

Genreo Picaresque novel

Written in episodic style In Huck Finn, a young man breaks with his past and sets off on a journey (literal

and symbolic) Mark Twain

o Samuel Clemenso Pseudonym o Born in 1835 and when he was 4 years old, his family moved to Hannibal, Missouri

The fictional town of St. Petersburg where Huck Finn was from represented Hannibal, Missouri

o In 1857, Mark Twain always had a fascination in the steamboats on the Mississippi. He sought out to be a steamboat apprentice.

o He served as a river pilot until the start of the Civil War (early 1860's) This was the reason that he chose the name Mark Twain When they shouted this on a boat, this meant that the water was deep enough

(2 fathoms) o He went out west, went to Europe, went to mining camps, and lived a long lifeo He died in 1910 in Stormfield, Connecticut o He is so many things in his writing! Even romantic!o He showed both sides of human nature in this novel.

The Subject mattero Man can function better as an individual rather than as a group of society o He tries to make the story realistic o Twain could not stand hypocrisy. Following your conscious was a big deal to him

This is what creates the main issue of Huck deciding if he should help Jim escape or return him.

Society is the corrupting force in this novel. This can be contrasted to Lord of the Flies in which the author felt that

the individual is naturally bad regardless of society. Dialect

o The characters are given everyday speech o They speak in the vernacular or the everyday speech of the average man.o There are various local dialectso Twain was considered a local color writer.

He would write about the area that he knows best and gives you the complete picture of the area.

The Mississippi Rivero This becomes a very essential symbol o It is a symbol of goodo Nature gives back and fosters goodness in youo Huck felt that the river, which took him out of society, made him better offo Coming of age

This is Huck's symbolic road on which he will travel to find himself Rebirth

o Huck must symbolically die and be reborn to find himselfo The river's waters are working with the symbol of cleansing o In the beginning, Huck fakes his own death and is "reborn" on the rivero Huck's father had died and , symbolically, Jim will become like his father

Their bond grows on and on Jim realizes that he is a human being and not property and he comes to care

and respect this man and regarding him as a father-figure Comparing Jim and his real father- there is no comparison based on skin color There are so many hypocrites in this novel

o Huck can't be free until he is HIMSELF Society

o Twain rejects the romantic concept that man is fundamentally good and there is good in everyone. He thinks this idea is naïve.

o There is evil in every mano Man has the capacity for evil.o Even Twain is contradictory because in the end Huck Finn is rewarded and the bad guys

get what they deserve. This makes it more romantic and less realist.o He followed the romantic idea of women which is that they are generally good.

A Great American Novelo Twain did break with the conventions of previous writers in a radical wayo America, at this time, looked to Europe for their arts and literature. o He used dialect which was very uniquely American and this was never done before. o Twain also used satire- he wasn't the first- but he was the first to majorly used it in a

novel. People were not sure enough of themselves as a nation to use satire on

themselves.o Note: the use of the word "nigger" was not racist. It was standard in its use.

Narratoro Huck Finno Speaks in the vernacularo We can, to an extent, identify with him in his moral decisions he has trouble making.

Superstition and Religiono Good/bad omenso Twain feels that organized religion create hypocrites. o Huck smokes, swears, steals, lies, etc. and yet he is a better person and less of a

hypocrite than many of the religious people he meets.o Huck accepts from society that a slave is property

This is ironic because his father treats him like a slave and he resents this. o Tall tales

Very exaggerated story They have a purpose. They can give you prestige (Jim's necklace that he got

from a witch) or you can use it to pull someone's leg (gullible) or it can be used as you think on your feet to save your own ass.

Tom Sawyero He is less of a realist than Huck Finn

o He is not a natural liar.o He is somewhat civilized o He's a romanticist.

Huck's journey beginso He takes on a number of identities

He first dresses up like a little girl As king as he has assumed identities, bad things happen in the plot. When he is himself, there is a peaceful ending and outlook

o The river There is a boat that symbolizes the presence of evil on the river HOWEVER the boat has an ironic name Walter Scott

He was an author who put forward writings about chivalry and honor. o They are discussing royalty

Jim doesn't see the socio-economic difference between himself and royalty. This is Twain speaking through him.

o Relationship with Jim Huck was once teasing him but then takes it back and feels bad about it. He was

engrained with this racist idea that he can take advantage of an ignorant runaway slave. Jim is talking about his future with great enthusiasm

o The feuding families Grangerford vs. Shepardson They are upper class but feud It has like a Romeo and Juliet with two of the young people of the families.

o The duke and the King Before they commandeer them, Huck was giving his version of the "golden

rule" He knows that these guys are bad news but he kind of lets them take over

He wanted to just keep peace and his and Jim's relationship is cemented and he doesn't want to do anything to rock the boat.

These men are called confidence men (con men) and grifterso Town 1

The sheriff and Boggs There is a drunk man who gets into a shoot out The town is excited and entertained by it. They then turn on the sheriff and form a lynching mob Twain feels that man accomplished more on his own- this mob mentality and

the colonel supports this ideao Scams

The royal nunsuch The inheritance with the three sisters The collecting of money from the parish in the woods Huck is ashamed because he sometimes goes along with them Exposing them, though, risks Jim's freedom and he genuinely cares about him

o Turning point He writes a letter to Ms. Watson about Jim's whereabouts but then never sends

it and destroys it. He is going against society as an individual conscience.

o Tom Sawyer He takes on his identity He romanticizes everything He creates an escape "plan" because "that's the way it's done" It is preposterous He isn't even upset when he's shot in the leg because it is a part of the

"adventure" Jim risks his freedom for him

o Freedom The west symbolizes freedom Slavery and racism Jim Crow

o Civilization vs. the Wildo Tom Sawyer was written prior to this

Twain says that both characters were loosely based on childhood friends of his When published, it was banned because of it's abolitionist themes Twain went on tour to promote the banned novel but people were reading it

anyway simply because it was banned and they were curious It is still frowned upon in some places today for themes and language and will

most likely remain so.