Huck Finn Post 3

After Huck and Jim get split up from the raft, Huck stumbles across the Grangerfords. After establishing that he is not a Shepherdson, the Grangerfords are quick to welcome Huck into their home. Unlike anything Huck has seen before, the Grangerfords large estate with over one hundred slaves and lavish lifestyle bewilders him. However there is humor in Huck’s portrayal of the Grangerfords stylish house for it can be seen as somewhat tacky and comical. Twain adds satirical elements to the Grangerfords by exaggerating their deep family rift with the Shepherdson’s and their deceased daughters Victorian Age traits. Through the Grangerfords Twain pokes fun at generational family feuds and the mourning during the Victorian Age. The Grangerords deceased daughter, Emmeline, mocks the dark and melancholy mood of the Victorian Age with her obsession for the dead. Twain also mocks the idea of family honor when describing the Grangerford-Shepherdson feud. Huck finds out that the families don’t know the reason that started the fighting and later describes a church service saying, “The men took their guns along, so did Buck, and kept them between their knees or stood them handy against the wall. The Shepherdson’s done the same. It was pretty ornery preaching—all about brotherly love…” (Twain 111). This shows the absurdity of maintaining family honor. The two families don’t know why they are fighting, yet they still bring guns to church sermons preaching of brotherly love. In a comical way Twain is making fun of maintaining family honor and how ridiculous it can become.

Although there are comical aspects to the Grangerfords there are also some more serious and saddening realties. Although Twain mocks the Victorian Age through Emmeline he expresses a feeling of loss with her death. Although she is dead the family makes an effort to maintain her room, and keeps all of her poems and art to remember her by. Twain’s mockery of the Grangerford-Shepherdson also takes a more serious spin when Buck, Huck’s newfound friend dies in a gunfight. As he cover’s his friends face Huck says, “I cried a little when I was covering up Buck’s face, for he was mighty good to me” (Twain 117). Although the family feud was first seen as comical the result was tragic for Huck and the Grangerfords. Buck, his father and two brothers were killed in a gunfight with the Shepherdson’s to maintain a sense of family honor. This tragic ending represented the great loss and sadness for the Shepherdson’s.

The Grangerfords are an allusion to Shakespeare’s famous play “Romeo and Juliet.” The Grangerford-Shepherdson feud is very similar to that in Romeo and Juliet between the Capulets and Montagues. Both are tragic in their ending and irrational on their reasoning. In both stories each family is trying to uphold a sense of family honor which results in grim and devastating results. Similar to the Capulet-Montague relationship in Romeo and Juliet the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons are both powerful families that are at odds from quarrels long ago. When Huck asks what the fighting is about Buck replies, “Oh, yes, pa knows, I reckon, and some of the other old people; but they don’t know now what the row was about in the first place” (Twain 110). This shows the stupidity of the families for they did not even know what they were fighting about. Twain was trying to show the irrationality of family feuds through the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons just as Shakespeare was through the Capulets and Montagues.

Huck Finn Post 2

Over the course of time that they have spent in hiding, Huck and Jim have created a father-son relationship. As they venture down the Mississippi, they grow fond of each other’s company. Huck and Jim are able to build a shelter from the outside world. On the river, they feel at home. Both Huck and Jim look after the other and do their best to protect one another on the river. When they are looting a floating house on the river and find a dead man, Jim says to Huck, “Come in, Huck, but doan’ look at his face— it’s too gashly” (Twain 57). Jim wants to protect Huck from seeing such a disturbing sight and further places a blanket over the man. This protective act form Jim shows that he cares about Huck and wants to make sure he is not disturbed by the image. When they took shelter in the cave on Jackson’s Island Huck says, “Jim, this is nice, I wouldn’t want to be nowhere else but here” (Twain 55). This shows the comfort that each other’s company gives Huck and Jim. This also shows that Huck is found of Jim and enjoys his company.

Although Huck and Jim have developed a close bond, their relationship is constantly strained by Jim’s lingering fear of being turned in by Huck. Their relationship suffers from implications of white society at the time. Although they are both runaways and Huck is merely a boy, he has more power over Jim only because he is white, and Jim is black. At that time slaves were viewed as property, not people and it was against the law for Huck not to turn Jim in. However Huck does start to see Jim as a person and struggles over what to do. When they come across a wrecked steamboat, Huck wants to explore inside but Jim argues, “I doan’ want to go fool’n ‘long er no wrack. We’s doin’ blame’ well, en we better let blame’ well alone, as de good book says” (Twain 71). This quote is important because it shows that Jim does not want to go on the boat because he knows it is a bad idea. However, he must follow Huck in fear of upsetting him and therefore being turned in. This shows Huck’s superiority over Jim in their relationship.

Huck Finn Post 1

After reading the first ten chapters of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain I perceive the main character Huck Finn as a free-spirit. He does not like to be committed or tied down to a strict way of life. It seems as if whenever he does get accustomed to something in his life he becomes bored and finds a different way to live. For example, when Huck Finn was taken by his father to the woods he began to forget about the way of life with the Widow Douglas and begins to take to this new way. As he quickly loses civility he begins to enjoy freedom found while living in the woods. Huck describes how he feels by saying, "Two months or more run along, and my clothes got to be all rags and dirt, and I didn't see how I'd ever got to like it so well at the widow's..."(Twain 32). Huck realized he did not like all the restrictions at the widow's house and became comfortable living in the woods. However after awhile Huck became unsatisfied with living with his father, and once again moved on to live on his own. Huck lives in the moment and does not like to have any limitations in his life.

Another impression that I get of Huck after reading these chapters is that he will follow Tom Sawyers word. Although Huck prefers to live independently, he does not think independenlty from Tom. From the first few chapters one can tell that Huck looks up to Tom as his role model. He idolizes Tom's ideas and follows his lead. He agree's to join a band of robbers called Tom Sawyer's Gang and follow rules created by Tom because he respects Tom's ideas. Huck shows his dedication to Tom in Chapter one when he says, "I asked her if she reckoned Tom Sawyer would go there, and she said not by a considerable sight. I was glad about that, because I wanted him and me to be together" (Twain 13). Huck is saying that he wants to go to Hell with Tom. He thinks fondly of Tom and respect him almost as if he were a brother to Huck.