Huck+Questions

Huckleberry Finn Focus Questions

1.	Why did Twain include the "Notice" on the opening page? The “notice” at the commencement of the novel was to establish a tone and make the reader aware of the type of recurring features and incidents that occur throughout the course of the novel. They also help establish a sense of slight humor but yet also containing some seriousness throughout the novel. This opening informs the reader that despite the humor and irony within the text, Twain also includes crucial and in depth meanings and morals within the text and he utilizes comedy and satire to symbolize these deep moral ideas. 2.	Can the book's 43 chapters be grouped according to distinct action sequences? Are there correspondences among chapters or groups of chapters? Certain chapters can be grouped according to occurrence of events and their significance and contribution to the main plot. Certain chapters have their own theme and message towards the reader, therefore certain groups of chapters can simply stand alone.

3.	Each stage of Huck's moral growth culminates in a crisis of conscience and a decision to assist Jim (as when Huck tells the two slave hunters that there is "only one" man on the raft and that "He's white"); and each decision is more consequential than the previous. What are these stages and decisions; when do they occur; and what are their consequences? In numerous stages throughout the novel, Huck found himself split between two decisions caused by two sides of his life. Since the beginning when they meet once again, Huck’s view toward Jim was that of an inferior and unequal man. One side was society and its way of condemning and torturing blacks and the fact that it was considered wrong not to turn in a missing or escaped slave. The other side was his inner morality and compassion for other human beings. This question was very recurring to Huck all throughout the novel but as he got to know Jim more, he realized he was another human being just like him and he deserved equal treatment. The morality soon came out victorious constantly throughout the whole novel. His beliefs against slavery got so strong that near the end of the novel, he preferred going to hell than turning Jim in.

4.	What are the consequences of Huck's and Jim's going past the mouth of the Ohio River in the fog? (Chapter XV) The consequences of missing the mouth of the Ohio River proved to be massive and they completely shifted the outcome of the story. First Huck and Jim encounter a group of men looking for escaped slaves and Huck must dig deep inside of him in order to make another crucial decision. His decision was hard but in the end he was able to make the right one and conceal Jim’s presence. This also leads to the temporary re-enslavement of Jim who is later freed, and Huck’s refusal of being adopted and decision to migrate west-ward.

5.	Among the novel's great ironies is that Huck's and Jim's quest for freedom takes them farther and farther into the Deep South, the heart of slavery. How and why does this happen? What are the implications? The reason Huck and Jim keep heading deeper into the south is because they missed the route of the mouth of the Ohio River detour therefore they are now forced to head deeper and deeper into the South. Twain implies a sense of hopelessness and trapped ness within Huck and Jim because as they sail further and further into the river, their chances of reaching freedom decrease dramatically until they are finally captured.

6.	The primary movement of Huck's and Jim's journey and of the novel is linear, from north to south. A back-and-forth pattern of movement between river and shore also occurs. How is this pattern important in terms of plot? How is it related to the north-to-south movement? Does it reflect any other kind of movement experienced by Huck or Jim? Huck and Jim’s journey from north to south symbolizes and alludes to the fact that as they head deeper into the south, they are also headed deeper into trouble and into the awful conclusion of their trip. These two ways of direction both in the plot and in their journey are directly related and proportional to each other. This constant pattern also helps establish a sense of awareness and prediction to the reader without giving too much information away.

7.	How do the king and the duke impact Huck's and Jim's life on the raft, their quest for freedom, and the novel's movement? The King and Duke’s arrival on the raft definitely delay the progression of both the novel and Huck and Jim’s journey toward freedom. Jim and Huck were forced to obey them because since they were white, they had the power of turning Jim in so they took advantage of the situation and manipulated Huck and Jim. Their malicious and tricky ways cause numerous issues for Huck and Jim and ultimately were the cause for the re-enslavement of Jim.

8.	What are the parallels between the king's and duke's treatment of Jim in Chapter XXIV and Tom Sawyer's treatment of him in the final chapters?

Both the king and the duke are extremely mischievous much like Tom Sawyer. They both try to trick Huck and specially Jim into turning himself in. These characters are very similar in that they are very tricky and up to no good.

9.	The cemetery passage in Chapter XXIX is one of the few times when Huck is in immediate danger of actual harm or death. What are some similar incidents? What threatens his safety and well-being in each instance--other people or forces of nature? How does he escape in each instance? Similar incidents where Huck seems to be in trouble are when his drunken father abuses him and whips him, or when he attempts to save Tom from being shot. Huck was able to escape and runaway from his father whenever he had the opportunity, which was usually when he was sober and had a hang-over. His unscathed outcome in the shooting incident was only luck but it was a very just and fortunate situation where he didn’t get shot because Tom did not deserve to be saved.

10.	Do the final chapters, beginning with Huck's arrival at the Phelps farm, rely too much on coincidence? The arrival of Huck and Jim at the Phelp’s was a moderate surprise but the fact that they were related to Tom was a huge shock. This incident made it seem like it was perfectly set up by Tom in order to go along with and carry on with his scheme. These mere “coincidences” cause certain doubt in the readers mind concerning the reality of this journey.

11.	Do Tom Sawyer's elaborate escape stratagems indicate that Jim's and Huck's goals are unobtainable? Tom Sawyer’s tricks make it seem to Jim, Huck, and the reader like the escape is practically impossible. Tom’s thorough complications make it seem extremely difficult for Huck and specially Jim to be able to get out of this predicament. Twain adds yet another twist near the end of the story to trick the reader.

12.	Is there any justice in the fact that only Tom is wounded in the final chase through the swamp? It is very justified and fair that Tom was the only one shot because he had made up a crazy scheme to escape just for amusement and adventure. He knew all along that Jim was a free man yet he continued on with his plan on trying to fool Huck and Jim. Karma came back and struck Tom and he finally decided to tell the truth about Jim and his freedom.

13.	The story is told by a fourteen-year-old Huck, who admits to elaborate lies and fabrications. Can we trust him? Can we accept his version of things, or must we read between his lines? Huck can be trusted but only to a certain extent because he is only a kid. Most of his telling and elaboration can be trusted however some parts may need a little closer analysis in order to obtain the true meaning of certain incidents. We can affect his version however slight further examination and investigation should be done.