Section One- Chapters 1-3
I love this book. I love the simplicity of childhood and boys who run around barefoot getting into mischief. Mark Twain's writing is lovely in its way of portraying the mind of a young boy- his worries and opinions. I feel connected to Huck Finn through the writing style- I feel what he feels, and understand his childish reasoning.
You get real insight to Huck Finn's life when you learn that his father was thought to be dead and he was relieved about it. His father must have been really horrible, and as a child that can be damaging. But still Huck goes on, living life, and getting into trouble.
You get real insight to Huck Finn's life when you learn that his father was thought to be dead and he was relieved about it. His father must have been really horrible, and as a child that can be damaging. But still Huck goes on, living life, and getting into trouble.
Section Two- Chapters 4-6
Mark Twain's writing is fantastic- I hate Huck's father before he is introduced. The imagery is so vivid, I can't help but feel for Huck as we get to know his Pap. I understand how he falls into a state of comfort, though, when he is in the cabin with his father. He has been harped on by many adults for being too wild and uncivilized, and he finally is in an environment, however damaging, where he can be himself. I can't imagine what he must be feeling with the return of his father though, because in previous chapters he has shown so much fear and hate towards his father. He has so much to deal with as a boy- with constant nagging from grownups for being himself, and no real family to care for him- I understand his decision to run away. He doesn't fit in anywhere so far.
Section Three- Chapters 7-8
This is the chapter in which Huck really shows his ingenuity and thought. He really does not want to be with his father or the Widow, and so he puts a lot of effort into insuring that he won't be followed. When he meets Jim I can't help but wonder if he sees some of himself in the slave. They both were kept somewhere against their wills, and not allowed to be themselves. They both ran away for fear of the people whose hands their lives are in. It's interesting to compare a young boy and a slave the way Mark Twain does in this chapter.
Section Four- Chapters 9-11
This chapter shows how Huck is somewhat suited for being by himself. He shows creativity in his costumes and solutions to problems. He and Jim are becoming friends, which shows how Huck's mind hasn't been completely tainted by the racism of those around him. I am reminded of To Kill a Mockingbird, where the children are much more open minded about black people than the grown ups of their time. These two books tie together in many ways.
Section Five- Chapters 12-14
Huck really has good intentions throughout this whole novel. He didn't run away to implicate his dad. He also wanted to save the robbers. He really doesn't show much prejudice toward Jim after all of his upbringing. Huck is actually a really like-able, relatable character.
Section Six- Chapters 15-16
In chapter 15 I feel sad for both Jim and Huck. Huck hurts Jim's feelings and this makes Huck feel guilty. These chapters make me really admire Huck. His upbringing shows in his prejudice against Jim for being a black man, but still he overcomes some of this to realize that Jim is a true friend. Chapter 16 ends quickly and I can't help but wonder what will happen to our adventurer in the coming chapters.
Section Seven- Chapters 17-18
This section reminds me of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet as well as other books with themes of unforbidden love. These chapters serve to cement Huck's beliefs that being on the run with Jim on the raft is a much better life than being on land with the chaos and confusion. He prefers the simple life on the raft. The shootings on land provide him with all the more reason to want to get away. He becomes involved with a family and as soon as he is attached, something horrible happens. Huck must feel that most personal relationships end badly.
Section Eight- Chapters 19-20
It makes me happy when Huck and Jim are going lazily down the river. Life has improved for both of them. Then the duke and the king come along. It is very frustrating to see them ruining Huck and Jim's time. Huck ran away from his father, and the duke and the king are just as bad as him in some ways. Except they don't get drunk. I am sad that Huck and Jim's time together is over.
Section Nine- Chapters 21-24
This section made me laugh out loud, quite literally. The writing is so clever, and the characters are so neatly developed. Twain is a genius with words. The section where they are reciting Shakespeare is very funny. I recognized so many of the lines from famous soliloquies. It was fun to hear them mixed together.
Section Ten- Chapters 25-28
This chapter is really funny. I think it's great how everyone believes the king and the duke, and cries at the funeral. The way Huck reacts to all of the crying and snobbering with contempt is hilarious. I feel sad though when the duke and the king use the death of a man to get money. I feel bad that Huck has to endure that.
Section Eleven- Chapters 29-31
Huck finds out, in chapter 31 that Jim is gone. He debates writing to Miss Watson about her runaway slave. He thinks it's the right thing to do. Then he decides against it. I find it interesting that Huck doesn't try to pretend that he wouldn't go to hell, he fully accepts that he will (even though he obviously won't), but even taking this into account is willing to go through that for Jim. That's true friendship.
Section Twelve- Chapters 32- 34
It shocked me when Huck said that there were no casualties aside from the death of a slave. It reflects the views of that time period. Even Huck- who has a runaway slave friend- views black people as inferior- almost subhuman. That was shocking, but not surprising. It reminds of To Kill a Mockingbird, and the movie Lincoln I recently watched. In Lincoln, Abe Lincoln is trying to abolish slavery- even though he wants it abolished, he still doesn't believe blacks and whites are completely equal. This reminds me of Huck Finn.
Section Thirteen- Chapters 35-38
Tom always loves an adventure, and Huck prefers to get things done quickly and safely. With Tom making the decisions, it makes Huck uncomfortable with the risks they are taking. I feel bad for Huck because he was becoming a better, happier person with Jim. He was learning morality and how to make his own, good decisions. When Tom comes into the picture it causes Huck to revert to his old ways of being an accomplice instead of the person in charge.
Section Fourteen- Chapters 39-40
It is interesting how Huck comes to the conclusion that Jim must be white on the inside. I thought that Huck was coming to terms with the fact that his friend is a black man. But because of all the racism in society in Huck's time, he automatically thinks that things Jim does point to him being white on the inside. This is shown especially when he wants to send for the doctor right away when Tom is shot. Huck for some reason believes that this is something a white person would do. I was hoping that Huck would come completely to terms with Jim's skin color- but I guess we still have a ways to travel.
Section Fifteen- Chapters 41-43
I loved this book. It was wonderful to see a boy's journey through a different time. His view on the world was simple, yet you could watch him grow and learn throughout the book. It was interesting to see Twain portray a black man as one of the main characters. There was a lot of social commentary on society's view on black in the time period. Even so, it was obvious Twain was mocking it.