LyN+Event+In+The+Novel

**The Grangerfords vs.** Shepherdsons
As Huck is traveling along the shore of the river, he encounters the Grangerford Family. He was given shelter for the time being. Huck becomes friends with Buck Grangerford and learns that there is an on-going feud between the two largest families in the town, the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons. The feud has lasted longer then you can remember, though they do not know why they are fighting or why they are still fighting. The Feud has reached its peak when Sophia Grangerford and Harney Shepherdson have run off together. This started the battle and resulted in a tragic ending, causing many men to die.. Huck had barely escaped and continued on with his quest to his freedom and helping out Jim.

"Did you want to kill him, Buck?" "Well, I bet I did." "What did he do to you?" "Him? He never done nothing to me." "Well, then, what did you want to kill him for?" "Why, nothing -- only it's on account of the feud." "What's a feud?" "Why, where was you raised? Don't you know what a feud is?" "Never heard of it before -- tell me about it." "Well," says Buck, "a feud is this way: A man has a quarrel with another man, and kills him; then that other man's brother kills //him;// then the other brothers, on both sides, goes for one another; then the //cousins// chip in -- and by and by everybody's killed off, and there ain't no more feud. But it's kind of slow, and takes a long time." "Has this one been going on long, Buck?" "Well, I should //reckon!// It started thirty year ago, or som'ers along there. There was trouble 'bout something, and then a lawsuit to settle it; and the suit went agin one of the men, and so he up and shot the man that won the suit -- which he would naturally do, of course. Anybody would." "What was the trouble about, Buck? -- land?" "I reckon maybe -- I don't know." "Well, who done the shooting? Was it a Grangerford or a Shepherdson?" "Laws, how do I know? It was so long ago." "Don't anybody know?" "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."

"Has there been many killed, Buck?" "Yes; right smart chance of funerals. But they don't always kill. Pa's got a few buckshot in him; but he don't mind it 'cuz he don't weigh much, anyway. Bob's been carved up some with a bowie, and Tom's been hurt once or twice." "Has anybody been killed this year, Buck?" "Yes; we got one and they got one. 'Bout three months ago my cousin Bud, fourteen year old, was riding through the woods on t'other side of the river, and didn't have no weapon with him, which was blame' foolishness, and in a lonesome place he hears a horse a-coming behind him, and sees old Baldy Shepherdson a-linkin' after him with his gun in his hand and his white hair a-flying in the wind; and 'stead of jumping off and taking to the brush, Bud 'lowed he could outrun him; so they had it, nip and tuck, for five mile or more, the old man a-gaining all the time; so at last Bud seen it warn't any use, so he stopped and faced around so as to have the bullet holes in front, you know, and the old man he rode up and shot him down. But he didn't git much chance to enjoy his luck, for inside of a week our folks laid //him// out." "I reckon that old man was a coward, Buck." "I reckon he //warn't// a coward. Not by a blame' sight. There ain't a coward amongst them Shepherdsons -- not a one. And there ain't no cowards amongst the Grangerfords either. Why, that old man kep' up his end in a fight one day for half an hour against three Grangerfords, and come out winner. They was all a-horseback; he lit off of his horse and got behind a little woodpile, and kep' his horse before him to stop the bullets; but the Grangerfords stayed on their......

This scene in the novel is when Huck learns of the feud between the two families. He questions on what a feud is, and Buck explains to him how the killing is only an "account for the feud." He then further explains the feud by saying, "a feud is this way: A man has a quarrel with another man, and kills him; then that other man's brother kills //him;// then the other brothers, on both sides, goes for one another; then the //cousins// chip in -- and by and by everybody's killed off, and there ain't no more feud. But it's kind of slow, and takes a long time." Twain satirizes a man's cruelty to another man, how society can be cruel and unjust, though they may be sophisticated. Not knowing why they were fighting, the feud between these two families was a bizarre fight for family honor. Twain demonstrates how the foolishness of an educated and respected family, can destroy themselves through absurd behavior and excessive pride for the family. After Huck's escaped from the bloody fued, Huck realizes that death and brutality is present in all apsect of society, even in the wealthy.

Also, Twain used this fued to satirize his idea of religion. Both, the Grangerfords and the Shepherdson attend the same church, and are very religious people, but because of the fued, they bring along there guns. In church, the preaching was about brotherly love. This was definitely the brotherly love he preached about, the family fued that ends in a tragic.

Home