...Jim and Huckleberry Finn’s growth throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn set the stage for Daniel Hoffman’s interpretation in “From Black Magic-and White-in Huckleberry Finn.” Hoffman exhibits that through Jim’s relationship with Huckleberry, the river’s freedom and “in his supernatural power as interpreter of the oracles of nature” (110) Jim steps boldly towards manhood. Jim’s evolution is a result of Twain’s “spiritual maturity.” Mark Twain falsely characterizes superstition as an African faith but, Daniel Hoffman explains that most folk lore in Huckleberry derives from European heritage. Tying your hair into knots with thread to defend against witches who ride their prey is even referenced in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Mr. Hoffman then goes on to ask and answer “Why, then does Mark Twain make such a point of having only Negroes, children and riffraff as the bearers of folk superstitions in the recreated world of his youth?” (109) He clarifies that during the time Huck Finn was composed, Twain was living far from his childhood home. His memory of Uncle Dan’l, who Mark Twain divulges in his autobiography, was the origin of Jim, and his stories are skewed by Twain’s memory. Hoffman also believes that Twain infuses his ideas on “superstition: slaves: boyhood freedom” (109) It Is grouped together due to his experiences of his youth. “The minstrel stereotype, as we have scene, was the only possible starting point for a white author attempting to deal with a Negro character...
Words: 741 - Pages: 3
...The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay Mark Twain, well acclaimed author, writes the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in the attempt to satirize society's negligence towards race during the 1800’s. The plot follows a teenage boy, Huck Finn, along with an escaped slave, Jim, whom Huck helps in freeing. Throughout the novel Huck faces an inner conflict that objectifies the moral conditioning of society, while his father, Pap antagonizes the government for it’s unjustful decree to race. Twain satirizes the moral conditioning of society through a tongue and cheek approach where the use of satirical devices such as stereotypes and irony are employed. Huck, a white American being brought up through a time of racial impoverishment,...
Words: 771 - Pages: 4
...Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ to show what is revealed about characters and themes Huckleberry Finn is an American Novel written by Mark Twain which was published in 1885. It is one of the first books ever to be written in dialect. In this essay, I will be specifically focussing on the final chapter of the novel and will be showing how the language reveals key points about the characters and themes. Throughout the novel, Jim is constantly referred to as a ‘nigger’. However Huckleberry calls him by his real name, Jim. This shows how Huckleberry values Jim more as a person compared to other people. It shows how spending all this time together has made a special connection and bond between them. Jim has been a father figure to Huckleberry as well as a friend for the whole journey and it plays a powerful role in the novel. In the final chapter, it is very clear to see that Tom Sawyer is an imaginative individual who is adventurous, and is obsessed with wild plans taken from the plots of adventure novels. This is shown when Huck says “And then Tom he talked along and talked along, and says le’s all three slide out of here one of these nights and get an outfit, and go for howling adventures amongst the Injuns…” The use of the adjective ‘howling’ when describing the adventures shows how wild Tom is as a person and a character in the novel. He wants to experience the extreme and nothing less. It is obvious to us that Tom serves as a foil to Huckleberry. He shows Huck to be better than him...
Words: 1156 - Pages: 5
...The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: An Analysis of Pap’s Influence The introduction of Pap Finn in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn precipitates a dark and unscrupulous element which shrouds the novel, as his presence in any situation designates obstacles, trials, and neglect. His character is a symbol which exposes the bigotry of white society and the melancholy and taboo element of a dysfunctional family. Despite the abounding negative impacts of his character, his relationship with Huck nevertheless manages to generate constructive developments in Huck’s character. Their impaired relationship possibly elicited Huck’s compassionate and empathic approach to Jim’s predicament, as he himself endured mistreated and captivity from his father....
Words: 613 - Pages: 3
...The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain Chapter 1 How much money did Huck get from the treasure he found? ______________________________ How much interest does he earn per day? ____________________________________________ Huck comes back to town to join ___________________________________________________. Why doesn’t Huck care about what happened to Moses in the Bible? _________________________________________________________________________________ Why doesn’t Huck want to go to heaven? ___________________________________________ Huck accidentally kills a spider. What are all the things he does to try to keep bad luck away? _____________________________________________________________________________ Chapter 2 1. Whose presence in the kitchen door stops Huck and Tom? ____________________________________ 2. How does Huck’s body threaten to betray him? _____________________________________________ 3. It is Tom who hangs Jim’s hat in the tree above Jim’s head. How does Jim explain it? _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4. If a person makes the mistake of wronging one of the boys in the band, what will happen to that person? _____________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Since Huck doesn’t have a family, whom does he offer as a sacrifice? __________________________ 6. What are the only two crimes in which the gang will participate? ______________________________ ...
Words: 3391 - Pages: 14
...THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN ~ Study Questions ANSWERS Chapter 1-11 Ch 1 1. How did THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER end? Tom and Huck found ($6,000 each) from robbers 2. With whom did Huckleberry (Huck) live? Widow Douglas 3. What is Twain satirizing in Huck’s attitude toward Moses? Religion-“faith” wisdom from dead people 4. Who is Miss Watson? Widow Douglas’s sister 5. What did Huck like to do that the Widow Douglas would not allow? Smoke 6. Why did Huck decide to go back and live with the Widow Douglas after he ran away? Tom Sawyer said he’d start a band of robbers 7. What happened when Huck went to bed that demonstrated his superstitious beliefs? He flicked spider-landed in candle and burned – He then turned around 3 times bent and tied lock of hair Ch 2 1. Who is Jim? Miss Watson’s slave 2. For whom does Jim work? Miss Watson 3. How did Jim explain about how his hat got on the tree limb? Witches 4. Where do the boys meet for their secret meetings? Cave/hole in hill covered by bushes 5. What were the two requirements to join the gang? Every boy stick with band –never tell any secret 6. From where did Tom get the idea for the robber’s oath? His head, pirate-books and robber books 7. What was the punishment for breaking the oath? Kill families of boys who broke the oath 8. What problem did the boys realize that Huck would have concerning the punishment for a broken oath? His father was...
Words: 2519 - Pages: 11
...Reading the Novel in English 1950–2000 i RTNA01 1 13/6/05, 5:28 PM READING THE NOVEL General Editor: Daniel R. Schwarz The aim of this series is to provide practical introductions to reading the novel in both the British and Irish, and the American traditions. Published Reading the Modern British and Irish Novel 1890–1930 Reading the Novel in English 1950–2000 Daniel R. Schwarz Brian W. Shaffer Forthcoming Reading the Eighteenth-Century Novel Paula R. Backscheider Reading the Nineteenth-Century Novel Harry E. Shaw and Alison Case Reading the American Novel 1780–1865 Shirley Samuels Reading the American Novel 1865–1914 G. R. Thompson Reading the Twentieth-Century American Novel James Phelan ii RTNA01 2 13/6/05, 5:28 PM Reading the Novel in English 1950–2000 Brian W. Shaffer iii RTNA01 3 13/6/05, 5:28 PM © 2006 by Brian W. Shaffer BLACKWELL PUBLISHING 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK 550 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia The right of Brian W. Shaffer to be identified as the Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs, and...
Words: 123617 - Pages: 495