Chapters 19-23

1. Imagery

     

        In the beginning of chapter 19, after Huck and Jim have reunited and set sail again, Huck narrates how they spend their time over these two or three days. He describes how quiet it was, with not a sound to be heard except the occasional "bullfrogs a-cluttering, maybe." This allows readers to gain knowledge of the quiet, peaceful solitude the two are thoroughly enjoying. Sometimes, though, Huck states that "sometimes you could hear a sweep screaking; or jumbled-up voices, it was so still, and sounds come so far..." which also depicts the quiet of the river was. As the day goes on, the songbirds stir up and emphasize the joy of their current place.

   Huck could also see the beauty of the earth while sitting and watching the day begin. He mentions the "dull line" over the water, which was the woods on the other side of the river. He talks about how the sky's colors changed, and the "pale place" that spread all over and made the water less dark. He watches "he mist curl up off of the water" and spots a log cabin in the woods. Readers establish the time of day, and once again the beauty of the area. 

    When a "nice breeze springs up," Huck senses the sweet aroma that is "so cool and fresh and sweet to smell on account of the woods and the flowers..." but also the repulsive scent of the dead fish. The sense of touch is also described, as the feel of the river is illustrated. The two men dipped into the river after setting their lines to "freshen up and cool off," which shows that the water was nice, clean, and cold. The sand also depicts how the river felt. All of these images touch on the senses and make readers understand the beautiful calm Huck and Jim have reached after a bit of chaos. 

2. Characterization

         The king and the duke are, frankly, awful individuals. They are con artists and believe in using lies and manipulation to get what they want, which is mostly money. They believe in telling ridiculous tales and going to extremes to get this wealth they desire. 

       

     Their characterization is satiric because they probably represent Twain's view of government leaders, or "nobles." The king and duke try to mislead and convince the regular folks to respect and obey them, which government officials tend to also do. They also target people that may be unintelligent or uninformed because they are easier to persuade and they can typically get what they yearn for from them. Government leaders and politicians are known to stretch the truth in their campaigns, to in a way con voters to go in their direction, which will be them getting what they want, which is similar to the king and duke's plans and goals.

           Twain is trying to emphasize that the con-men have no morals. They will do anything to get as much money and riches as possible. This includes conning religious people at the large revival. They convince them that the dauphin is a reformed pirate, and are showered with money and great attention from people. This could also be a bit of a jab at religious people, and could be a way of Twain suggesting that faithful people are easily fooled and believe unbelievable things, such as the tale the dauphin is spouting. 

            The Arkansas townspeople are also shown in a negative light by Twain. They are described as drunks and loafers, and their town is a dirty, rundown place filled with mud, roaming pigs, and people with bad reputations. They all do not possess morals, and do not seem to know what the right thing to do is. Boggs is an example, as he is a rude individual that is aggressive towards Huck, but is killed by another drunk that does the wrong thing, Colonel Sherburn. Twain describes them this way because it creates evidence that they are less likely to catch on to the scam of the con-men, for they do not seem to know what morals are, and are probably more gullible for this reason. The final jab made at this town is the success of the king and duke's second show. This gives the people the negative connotation of being stingy about money, as they are angry about being ripped off, and also not compassionate to their neighbors, because they want to trick them into being conned as well. 

           

3. Motif

          Yet another spell of bad weather strikes Huck and Jim in chapter 20. Huck is keeping watch but is in awe of the majestic storm. He describes it by saying "My souls, how the wind did scream along! And every second or two there'd come a glare that lit up the whitecaps for a half a mile around, and you'd see the islands looking dusty through the rain, and the trees thrashing around in the wind..." (Twain, pg. 129) and also states the loud and marvelous noises it created and the forceful way it moved the raft and snags. This dark and dangerous storm foreshadows difficult, challenging, or maybe frightening times that will be coming. These times do, in fact, make an appearance when the "duke" devises a plan to advertise a reward for capturing Jim, but with full intention of making look as though him and the "king" caught him so they can receive the reward. This is yet another struggle that Jim and Huck need to cunningly get out of. 

4. Theme

          Huck observes a "moaning and mourning" Jim for many of the nights they are together. He knows that Jim misses his wife and children greatly, and is awfully homesick. With this knowledge, Huck has the epiphany that black people "cared just as much for [their] people as white folks does for their'n." (Twain, pg. 155) This is Twain once again addressing the theme of racism, but specifically racial equality, for black and white individuals are almost the same. While people in the days of which Huck and Jim lived did not believe they were similar, they have all of the same qualities, apart from their complexions. 

5. Pathos

       An obvious example of a character in chapter 23 that is a helpless, innocent victim is Jim's daughter, Lizabeth. Jim is unaware that she has become deaf due to scarlet fever, and believes she is not listening to him and being disrespectful when he tells her to shut the door, so he hits her and causes her to fall down and weep. It is not her fault she is deaf and could not hear her father's orders, but she suffers because of it. This tugs at the heartstrings of readers, because of her inability to help herself. We feel instant pity for her because of her disability, but even more when Jim reacts so negatively towards her. We understand the remorse and mistake that Jim feels and it causes a tenderness within us. 

25: Narrator and Point of View

   The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is told from the first person point of view from Huck himself. This omits a main character from the novel because the text is not about Huck often, even though his name is in the title. He is always talking about other characters and simply his interactions with them. The chapters focus on other major characters, from Pap, to Jim, to the Grangerfords. A main character cannot be identified because each part of the story has a different one, but it is not ever Huck.

    Huck is a youthful narrator, and his personality and some views make that obvious. This influences how readers will interpret the novel because his views may not be fully developed. As a child, he does not know very much about a lot of aspects of life, such as morals and ways the world works. This means that readers can rely on what Huck is narrating, because it is his story. However, the narration of serious topics coming from a child is what produces a lot of the satire in this book, so they need to realize some things may not be accurate interpretations coming from Huck's perspective.

23: Frame Story

  The entirety of chapter 18 is basically a frame story. It takes a break from the plot thus far of Jim and Huck's escapade, and focuses on developing the Grangerfords as characters, at least in the beginning. A more specific frame story begins on page 110 though, when Buck begins to tell Huck the tale of the feud between his family and the Shepherdsons. He explains why he tries to kill Harney, but says that no one remembers why it started.

24: Situational Irony

    The sermon delivered at church could not be any more fitting than it was when the Grangerfords' and Shepherdsons' attend at the same time. The sermon was "all about brotherly love, and such-like tiresomeness." It is ironic because the families have a deep hatred for one another, and will not ever bond as brothers. This is further emphasized as they hide their rifles with them in the church. They have basically been at war for quite some time now. This feud does not even begin to fade after what the characters stated was a good sermon, but instead climaxes with a gun battle in the woods. This results in the death of Buck, his father, brothers, and cousin, along with a couple Shepherdson family members.

22: Foil

   Buck and Huck have several similarities. Their names only differ by a single letter, and they are approximately the same age. The two also develop a friendship rather quickly. Buck was raised in a classy, loving, wealthy family, while Huck was brought up in quite the opposite environment, being poor with an abusive, alcoholic father who was barely around. However, Huck seems to have better sense than the Grangerfords. They are in a feud with the Shepherdsons, and a few family members from each group have been killed because of this ridiculous spat. No one can remember the way this fight has started. Huck seems to somewhat realize how awful this fight is, which shows that a better upbringing may not make an individual superior. The boys are different in the way they grew-up, but also in the way they act now because of this.

21: Satire

  Satire continues to be a prominent feature in this novel. In chapter 17, one example would be Huck's forgetfulness of his fake name. It is dramatic irony when he does not remember that he is known as George Jackson, which causes him to ask Buck if he can spell it, so he will be reminded. He then memorizes how to spell the name so he is able to do it if he is ever asked to do so. It also seems ironic that Huck loves his time in the home and has a great feeling of happiness, but Emmeline, the deceased daughter, seemed to live a rather melancholic life. She had a fascination with death and created multiple poems and art pieces that were dark and depressing. It seems interesting that they both had such different experiences in the home they lived in at the same age. Chapter 18 also brings dramatic irony, when Huck is uncomfortable with a servant waiting on him. Each Grangerford family member has one, but he does not feel right about having his wait on him hand and foot, even though slavery was obviously perfectly normal during this time. This most likely developed from his friendship with Jim. Another example of irony is when the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons attend church together, but have their rifles hidden with them, and the sermon speaks of brotherhood. Not only is having a lethal weapon in a church ironic, but so is this idea of the two families hating each other despite hearing these words of how they should band together.

    Twain also satirizes Emmeline Grangerford's morbid poetry, as well as the idea of feuding families. He most likely does this to show that families may seem lovely and put-together on the outside, but every one is dysfunctional in their own way. This shows that even seemingly perfect families can mess things up, which he shows through the ridiculous feud between the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons, and the sadness of the dead daughter.

 

20: Characterization

 A prominent theme of this novel is "coming of age." Huck starts out the novel as an immature, mischievous young boy, but as the book progresses, particularly in chapters 12-16, readers see him begin to grow up. He is becoming a more responsible individual, as well as beginning to reason and contemplate his morals. He is starting to decipher rights from wrongs, and seems as though he wants to do the right and good things now, as opposed to stirring up trouble like he once was quite fond of.

   Huck does still possess his quick wit despite his maturing mind. He is still able to get out of situations by using this cleverness he is gifted with. This becomes most helpful when he creates the fantastic story for the ferry watchman of his family being stranded on the Walter Scott, and he convinces the watchman to go rescue this non-existent family. He may be becoming a young man quickly, but his creativity and rascal-like tendencies will most likely never completely vanish.

    This wit does get Huck into yet another sticky situation, however. After being separated from Jim in the fog, his canoe being pulled away from the raft, they are reunited. Jim had slept through that event, but is still thrilled when they are brought back together. Huck manages to convince Jim that he had dreamed the whole thing. Later, though, Jim notices the debris on the raft and becomes angry with Huck for lying and making a fool of him. He makes Huck feel guilty, because he was very concerned for his safety. Huck narrates, "It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger; but I done it, and i warn't ever sorry for it afterwards, neither." (Twain, pg. 90) He apologizes to Jim because he genuinely feels bad for hurting him. This shows that the two are now true friends, and the differences of their skin colors no longer seem to matter in their relationship.