1. Identify: Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, Jim, Miss Watson and Widow Douglas. Huck Finn is a young boy and the main character Tom sawyer is the best friend of huck and the leader of the boys gang. Widow Douglas and Miss Watson take care of Huck Finn Jim is Miss watson's slave. 2. Why doesn't Huck get along with Miss Watson and Widow Douglas? Huck does not like them because they don't give him enough freedom, he feels restricted and suffocated by them. 3. What does Huck think about religion -- specifically the good place, the bad place and prayer? He doesn't really believe in religion. If the “good place” was boring he would not want to go but if the “bad place” is where his friends are going than he would go. Huck does not see no good in prayers
he `uz gwyne to chop in two” (133). Yet the significance of King Solomon’s test in order to determine who was the mother of the child was lost on his uneducated mind. Similarly when Miss Watson tells Huck about hell he said “I wished I was there” (50), Huck was never taught to grasp the concept of heaven or hell, it was only described to him, leading him to believe that hell would be a far more exciting place to live than Heaven. Society’s view of prayer is harshly criticised as well. Huck was taught that if he prayed every day “…whatever [he] asked for [he] would get” (60).
Huck has a grim attitude toward people he disagrees with or doesn't get along with. Huck tends to alienate himself from those people. He doesn't let it bother him. Unlike most people Huck doesn't try to make his point. When Huck has a certain outlook on things he keep his view. He will not change it for anyone. For instance in Chapter Three when Miss Watson tells Huck that if he prayed he would get everything he wished for. “Huck just shook his head yes and walked away telling Tom that it doesn't work because he has tried it before with fishing line and fishing hooks.” This tells us that Huck is an independent person who doesn't need to rely on
Huck's religion also changes as he encounters various influences, such as Miss Watson, the Widow Douglas, and Jim. For instance, his view of Providence is at first both unusual and humorous, as he concludes that there must be two Providences. Later, he comes to trust Providence in a truly devout way. He puts it this way:
13) Whereas most people would condemn the robbers, Huck expresses a sort of flexible empathy towards them. Huck does not always share the same views as society.
At the beginning of the novel, Miss Watson, Miss Douglas’s sister, tried to teach Huck the Bible and to raise him as a Christian. However, Huck vehemently refused this notion and ironically even said that he would rather be in hell than learn about Christianity. He chose to follow his own rules, not the ones that were just taught to
Although he predicts society will deem him to be "a low down Abolitionist and despise me for keeping mum," he prefers to be shunned and to risk punishment and shame for the sake of freeing Jim (Twain 43). Clearly, Huck's fondness for Jim is evident when Huck intends to send a letter to Miss Watson returning Jim but chooses to rip it to save him instead. Huck responds, "I'll right, then, I'll go to hell'- and he tore it up" (Twain 214). Huck accepts his rebellious nature and terrible fate to hell as he escapes from civilized society and into a place driven by his instincts. Jim's desire for freedom puts Huck in a moral dilemma because he must decide whether to follow his innate sense of morality or the restrictive guidelines of society.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel based on the journey Huck, a young boy with an abusive father, and Jim, a runaway slave, have down the Mississippi River to Free states for an end goal of freedom. Freedom means different things to both of them, to Huck freedom means to be able to do what he wants and not be “sivilized”, while Jim’s definition of freedom is being able to live in peace with his wife and children. While on their journey to freedom they develop a caring unusual friendship. There is a great deal of controversy over whether or not The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be taught in
"…Then I'll go to Hell." P.215. Finally, after developing a good relationship, Huck realizes that Jim is a person and that society is wrong about him. "I knowed he was white inside…" P.276.
Now huck just sees religion as an opinion of sorts and he proves that by saying “Then she told me all about the bad place, and I said I wished I was there. She got mad, then, but I didn’t mean no harm. All I wanted was to go somewheres;”(mark twain ch 1 pg 2). Today religion is as I said a touchy subject because there are many opinions about it. Like there is no god or spirituality, the universe there are different takes on it which means that it’s different than what was believed back in the 1840s.
Huck as a boy part of the poor white society, highlights that moral values can differ even within the same race. As a child, Huck represents a character not yet manipulated by society. At the beginning of the book, Huck is not yet influenced by Tom Sawyer, his id’s, romanticizing of stereotypical society. When individuals attempt to civilize Huck through warning him about the “bad place”, Huck exclaims that “all he wanted was to go somewhere; all he wanted was a change” (Twain 2). Huck does not believe in a stereotypical heaven or hell as portrayed in religion.
1. Why did Huck give his money to Judge Thatcher? Huck gave the money to judge thatcher because he want to keep the money away from pap. 2.
In order for Huck to challenge any of the values and assumptions of the time he must first be acquainted with them. And he is not only intimately acquainted with the values of his society but he holds many of its beliefs himself. But Huck longs for freedom away
The purpose of this quote was to show that Huck's actions are driven by his secular beliefs of the world, not one driven by faith. His eyes are not clouded by predisposition ideas of the world, or an interpretation of ethics through the religion of another being.
He like the majority of the Deep South’s population was forced to submit to popular religion in the form of Christianity, being racist and not being able to criticize the institution of slavery, as well as acting like a “proper” boy and being civilized with manors, rules, and restrictions. However, he is the polar opposite of the ideals expressed by his society. Huck is forced to reside with Widow Douglas, he describes the experience in the first chapter, “She took me… allowed she would sivilize me; but it was rough living in the house all the time … I wanted to smoke, and asked the widow to let me. But she wouldn't. She said… I must try to not do it any more.” (Twain, 2). In this particular environment, Huck is forcefully civilized by the Widow Douglas as well as Miss Watson. This essentially shows an indirect form of slavery in which Huck is forced to do as society and his elders dictate regardless of what he believes in which many of us are also subject to. This enslaves him and leads him to decide that he needs to relocate himself as far away from society as possible. Therefore, he forges his death and runs away meeting Jim on the way. This idea of Huck being controlled by society influences him through the novel, for instance he thinks about turning Jim in because it is wrong to steal since Jim is
Illustrated in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain reveals Huck’s character as honest and transparent; Widow Douglas wants to civilize Huck because he has no manners and she wants to save his soul. Huck portrays to the audience that he is truthful and honest. In Widow Douglas view Huck should be respected by white society which means having to wear new clothes and having to come to supper when called. Huck tries to defy the norms of society by running away from it. As a result of leaving society Huck feels free (para. 2). Huck feels free from society because he feels like society was changing him into someone he is not (para. 2). Society to Huck is condoning slavery and racism. Huck acts “uncivilized” according to Ms. Watson because Huck can’t spell nor behave properly and she is concerned that he will not go to the good place (para. 6). Huck doesn’t want to go to the good place because its is full of white society. Ms. Watson’s interpretation of the good place reveals the ignorance of her society because she believes that in heaven would be a great place with people playing harps and singing all the time (para. 7). Huck doesn’t want to go to heaven because if his best friend wasn’t going he wasn’t going either and he wanted to be with him.