Huck Finn Study Guide – Flashcards
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Identify: Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, Jim, Miss Watson and Widow Douglas.
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Huck Finn is the main character of the novel. Tom Sawyer is Huck's best friend and the leader of the boys' gang. Miss Watson and the Widow Douglas take care of Huck. Jim is Miss Watson's slave.
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Why doesn't Huck get along with Miss Watson and Widow Douglas?
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v Huck Finn doesn't get along with Miss Watson and Widow Douglas because they want to civilize him, and he wants to remain free
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What does Huck think about religion -- specifically the good place, the bad place and prayer?
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Huck doesn't believe in formal religion. If the "good place" is going to be boring, he doesn't want to go there. If his friends go to the "bad place", that is where he wants to go. Huck "don't take no stock" in prayer since it doesn't seem to do him any immediate good.
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Give at least two examples of superstition in this section of the novel
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Huck said that the spider's burning in the candle was bad luck. Jim talked about the witches bewitching him. Huck and the gang talk about rubbing a lamp to make a genie appear.
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Contrast Huck and Tom. What are their main differences?
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Huck is very practical and full of common sense. Tom is a dreamer and a bookworm, full of grand ideas which are for the most part impractical.
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Why did Huck give his money to Judge Thatcher?
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Huck gave Judge Thatcher his money because he knew Pap Finn was coming to see him, and Pap would want all of Huck's money for buying drinks. Huck's life would be miserable and all the money would be wasted anyway.
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Describe Pap Finn. What kind of a person is he?
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Pap was fifty years old with greasy, long, black hair. He was unshaven and had a pale white complexion. His clothes were rags. Pap was a drunk who abused Huck.
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What is Huck's attitude towards his father?
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Huck disliked and feared Pap.
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Why does Pap yell at Huck for becoming civilized? Is he right?
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Pap yells at Huck for becoming civilized because Huck's being civilized makes Pap feel inferior. Huck is becoming educated while Pap remains ignorant. Pap is not right to yell at Huck; he should have been proud of his son's accomplishments.
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What was Huck's plan of escape from his father?
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Huck made it appear as if someone had broken into the cabin, murdered Huck, and dragged the body off to the river. Then Huck escaped down the river in a canoe.
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How do you know that material things don't matter to Huck?
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Huck is always leaving material things behind. He travels light and uses whatever he can find handy to suit his needs. Also, he gave all of his money to Judge Thatcher. Material things don't mean anything to him compared to his freedom.
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What purpose(s) does Huck's death serve?
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Being "dead," Huck is truly free. He doesn't have to worry about Pap or Widow Douglas or Miss Watson coming to find him.
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How does Huck meet Jim on Jackson's Island? Why is Jim there?
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While looking for food, Huck found a smoking campfire. Later, he set out to find who else was on the island with him. After some searching, he found Jim. Jim ran away from Miss Watson because she was going to sell him to someone from New Orleans.
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What is in the two story house that floats by?
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A corpse was in the house. Also there were some useful items which Huck and Jim took.
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Give three examples of Man vs. Society in this section.
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Three examples would be Huck's not liking society, Jim's not liking slavery, and Pap's attitude towards society
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How are the townspeople superstitious? Jim? Huck? Give examples.
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The townspeople thought that the bread would help to locate the body in the river. Jim saw the birds as a sign of rain, said counting things for dinner or shaking a tablecloth after sundown was bad luck, and said having hairy arms and breast meant you'd be rich. Huck doesn't believe that holding the snake skin would bring bad luck, but changes his mind when a snake bites Jim.
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Compare/contrast Huck & Jim.
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Huck and Jim are both looking for freedom. Both have run away, and both have common sense. Both are superstitious, though Huck is a little less so than Jim. Jim is much older than Huck, almost a father-like figure, giving him advice and trying to keep him from harm.
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Why does Huck dress as a girl to go ashore? Why does he go? What does he find out?
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Huck disguises himself as a girl to go ashore so no one would suspect his true identity. He went ashore to find out what was going on and whether the townspeople were still looking for him and Jim. He found out that people think Pap Finn or Jim may have killed Huck. There are rewards out for both Pap and Jim, and some people are going to look for Jim on Jackson's Island.
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How do you know Huck and Jim are friends by the end of Chapter XI?
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Huck and Jim do things friends do for each other. Jim tries to protect Huck from danger and unpleasantries, and Huck tries to protect Jim from danger. They work together to help each other.
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Why do Huck and Jim begin their journey down the Mississippi?
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Huck and Jim begin their journey down the Mississippi when people start looking for them on Jackson's Island
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Why do Huck and Jim board the Walter Scott?
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Huck and Jim board the Walter Scott to investigate and to salvage goods.
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Why does Huck want to save Jim Turner?
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Huck began to think how dreadful it was, even for murderers, to be in such a fix. He thought that one day he might be a murderer, and he wouldn't like being in that kind of a fix.
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How does Huck send help to the Walter Scott?
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Huck went ashore and found a watchman. Huck said his family and a member of a prominent, local family were on board the wreck so the watchman would go attempt to rescue them.
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What do we learn about Jim from his talking about "King Sollermun"?
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Through his talking about King Sollermun, Jim shows us that he thinks for himself, comes to his own conclusions, and sticks to his conclusions no matter what. We also learn that he is a very compassionate man who has a certain code of ethics.
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What trick does Huck play on Jim?
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Jim is asleep when Huck returns to the raft. He sits down next to Jim and pretends to be asleep. When Jim wakes up, Huck tries to make him believe that he dreamed the events of the past evening.
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Why doesn't Huck turn in Jim?
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Huck didn't turn in Jim because they had become friends.
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Why don't the slave hunters get Jim?
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The slave hunters don't get Jim because Huck made up a clever story about his father being ill on the raft so the hunters would not want to go near it.
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Explain the differences between Huck and the hunters.
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The hunters were interested in collecting reward money. Huck wasn't interested in the money; he was trying to do the "right" thing. The hunters considered the runaway slaves as property; Huck considered Jim as a friend.
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What is the bad luck in Chapter 16?
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A steamboat ran over the raft.
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How does Huck get to the Grangerfords?
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After jumping off the raft to keep from being run over by the steamboat, Huck makes his way to the shore and comes upon the Grangerfords' house where their dogs stop him.
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Why did Twain include this adventure with the Grangerfords?
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The Grangerfords and Shepherdsons have been feuding so long that they don't really remember why they are fighting. Twain points out how ridiculous the feud is and shows this trait of human nature as being foolish.
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How did Jim and Huck meet the king and duke?
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Huck went ashore to look for berries. He ran into the king and duke while they were running away from some people and dogs.
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Does Huck believe their story?
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Huck believes the story at first, but after thinking about it, he decides that they are liars and frauds
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Give two examples of the "cleverness" of the king and duke.
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At the Pokeville camp meeting, the king got up and convinced the preacher to let him speak to the people. He told them that he was a pirate, now poor and reformed, who wanted to return to the Indian Ocean to reform other pirates. He asked for money for his cause, and the people gave him some. The duke printed up hand bills describing Jim as a runaway slave and offering a reward. He decided they would tie ropes around him to pretend they were "taking him in" so they could run the raft in the daytime.
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Why did the people return to the show?
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People came to the show the first night to see what ladies and children were not supposed to see. After seeing the show, they didn't want to admit that they had been tricked, so they told other people in the town what a great show it was. The second show's audience was a result of the great reviews. People came back the third night to get even with the king and duke, but the king and duke left early.
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What's the point of the incident of the shooting of Boggs?
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The incident with Boggs points out many weaknesses in the human character. Boggs was foolish in his drunkenness to push Sherburn's patience. Sherburn was foolish to pay any attention to Boggs. The townspeople all rushed to see the murder of Boggs and almost immediately enjoyed playing the scene again. Then, the townspeople, following the lead of Buck Harkness, all decided to lynch the colonel. The colonel's speech is Twain's voice about the justice system of his time. In this section, Twain shows the worst of human nature.
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Why do we hear about Jim's daughter "'Lizabeth"?
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Jim's story about Lizabeth shows that he is a good father and a compassionate man
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Where did the king and duke get their plan about being the Wilks brothers?
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The king and duke found a young man by the side of the river. He told them the story of the Wilks brothers.
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How did the king and duke get the money?
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By pretending to be the Wilks brothers
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Why does Huck steal the money from the mattress?
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He doesn't want the King and Duke to have it because he knows that they are not the Wilks and its not right to rob the nieces.
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Why doesn't Huck's conscience bother him when he lies so much?
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Because even though he is breaking the rules or laws, he feels like he is doing the right thing.
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What things give away the king and duke?
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The real Wilks brother's show.
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Why is Huck upset when Jim is sold?
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Jim is a good friend of Huck's and he is sad to lose him.
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Why is it important that Huck says, "All right the, I'll go to hell."
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Huck values his relationship with Jim more than the morals of the people at the time/laws. The right thing to do was to get Jim out of slavery no matter if he got in trouble or was breaking the law.
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Why does Huck assume Tom Sawyer's identity?
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Because Tom's aunt mistake him for Tom and he goes along with it so that he can try to rescue Jim.
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What happens when Tom appears on scene?
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He pretends to be his own brother Sid, and starts to complicate the situation with Jim.
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What's the difference between Tom's plan for freeing Jim and Huck's plan?
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Tom is imaginative and Huck's is rational.
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How does Huck change when Tom comes?
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Huck becomes passive when Tom arrives and he lets him take charge. He seems to lose any ability to act for himself.
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Tom's plan is actually cruel. Why?
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Tom is planning a game with Jim. He fills his cell with snakes, which aren't necessary, Tom is just worried about his adventure.
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What more do we learn about Tim is these chapters?
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Tom is selfish and stubborn.
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How is Huck appear to be superior to Tom?
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Huck knows the difference between right or wrong and Tom does not. Huck is rational, mature and has common sense.
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What happens to Jim?
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Jim is set free once Mrs. Watson dies. Mrs. Watson set Jim free in her will.
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What happens to Tom?
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Tom heals from the bullet wound and wheres the bullet around his neck and went home with Aunt Polly.
