A Study Guidefor
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
by Mark Twain
adapted from G L E N C O E materials
Before You Read - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Chapters 1–15
Point of View
Point of view is the relationship of the narrator, or storyteller, to the events of the story. Huckleberry Finn istold by the character Huck, using words like I and we. Therefore, it is told from the first-person point ofview. The reader sees everything through Huck’s eyes and is given his perspective on events.When examining a narrative point of view, it is important to distinguish the narrator from the author.Huck is an uneducated fourteen-year-old boy living in a village in the 1840s. He has the knowledge,beliefs, and experiences of such a boy. Twain, on the other hand, was a well-traveled writer and experiencedlecturer. He was well aware of how to use narrative techniques, adopt different points of view, andspeak in the role of different characters, and he used that knowledge to create a narrator who is very differentfrom himself.
Unreliable Narrator
Huckleberry Finn is also an example of an unreliable narrator—one who does not understand the full significanceof the events he describes and comments on. Huck is not intentionally unreliable; his lack of
education and experience makes him so. Much of the humor in the first chapters comes from Huck’s
incomplete understanding of the adults around him and their “sivilized” ways.
VOCABULARY PREVIEW
dismal adj. gloomy; depressing
notion n. theory; belief
raspy adj. harsh; grating
seedy adj. shabby; run-down
skiff n. small boat; flat-bottomed rowboat
thrash v. to strike; to beat
victuals n. food
Active Reading - Complete during readingThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Chapters 1–15
The first chapters of a novel introduce readers to the conflicts, or struggles, that the characters will facethroughout the course of the story. External conflicts are struggles between characters who have differentgoals or between a character and forces of nature. Internal conflicts are psychological struggles that charactersexperience when they are unhappy or face difficult decisions. External conflicts often trigger internal conflicts.
As you read the first fifteen chapters of Huckleberry Finn, use the chart below to keep track of the conflictsthat the characters experience. Add boxes on a separate sheet of paper if you need to. Recognizing majorconflicts will help you understand the major themes, or ideas about life, that are developed in the novel.
Sample:
1.Huck vs. Miss Watson and the Widow
Explanation of conflict: the sisters want to “sivilize” Huck; he wants to be free
2. ______vs.______
Explanation of conflict:______
______
3. ______VS. ______
Explanation of conflict:______
______
4. ______VS. ______
Explanation of conflict:______
______
Responding (to be completed after reading)
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Chapters 1–15
Recall and Interpret
1. At the beginning of the novel, with whom is Huck living? In what ways do they try tochange Huck? Do you think they succeed? Explain.
2. Briefly describe Pap. What is his ultimate goal in harassing Huck?
3. How does Huck escape from the cabin in Illinois? What does his ability to escape suggestabout him?
4. Where is Huck reunited with Jim? In what significant ways are Jim and Huck alike? Inwhat significant ways are they different?
5. Why does Huck put a dead snake on Jim’s blanket? What harm comes to Jim as a resultof the incident? In your opinion, is Huck sorry for the harm he caused? Explain.
Evaluate and Connect
6. How successful do you feel Mark Twain is in creating the character of Jim? Does Jim seemlike a real person to you? Explain why or why not.
Analyzing Relationships
1. Review Chapters 2 through 15, paying special attention to Huck’s relationship with Jim. Notehow Huck treats Jim as well as how Huck feels about him. Then,write a brief analysis of their relationship. What changes does it undergo? What do you thinkcauses these changes? Support your opinions with quotations and other evidence from the novel.
2. Nature plays an important part in Huck’s life. Find a passage in Chapters 1 through 15in which Huck describes nature and natural elements. Then discuss what meanings these elementsseem to have for Huck. Pay particular attention to what Huck finds in nature that is lacking in hisrelationships with people.
Before You Read - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Chapters 16–31
Satire and Irony
Satire is a kind of literature that tries to open people’s eyes to the need for change by exposing the flawsof a person or society. Satirists’ main weapon is humor, which is created through techniques such as irony.
Irony is the contrast between what appears to be true and is actually true, or between what we expectto happen and what actually happens. Twain created an ironic character in Pap. We expect a father to beproud of his son and provide for him, but Pap is angry that Huck is learning to read and “getting religion,”and Pap wants to spend Huck’s money on himself. Though we may laugh at Pap, we should also be awareof the messages behind the humor: Judge Thatcher is too easily tricked by Pap’s “reformation,” and thereis something wrong with a system that would let Pap take Huck.
Through the use of irony, Twain develops some of the most important themes of Huckleberry Finn. Asyou read Chapters 16 through 31, look for examples of irony, and think about the flaws that Twain isattempting to expose.
VOCABULARY PREVIEW
blackguardv. to insult
crockeryn. china
draft n. check or money order
flapdoodle n. nonsense
mesmerismn. hypnotism
Active Reading- Complete during reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Chs. 16–31
In Huckleberry Finn, people and things are not always what they appear to be. As you read Chapters 16through 31, make note of times when people or things appear to be one way but are actually very differentunderneath. In the left-hand column of the chart below, note what the character or thing seems to be. Inthe right-hand column, note what the character or thing actually is. Add rows to the chart if necessary.
Appearance Reality
Huck pretends he is a boy whose family has small pox. / Huck is actually lying to protect Jim.Responding- Complete After ReadingThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Chapters 16–31
Recall and Interpret
1. What does Jim plan to do when he becomes a free man? What is Huck’s reaction to theplan?
2. Briefly describe the duke and the king. What might Twain be satirizing through the useof these characters?
3. What does Buck say when Huck asks him how the feud between the Shepherdsons andthe Grangerfords got started? What is ironic about Buck’s response?
4. Who is Colonel Sherburn? Briefly sum up the speech he makes to the mob. What aspectof human nature does Sherburn criticize?
Evaluate and Connect
5. Mark Twain makes heavy use of dialect in Huckleberry Finn. How successful do you feelhe is? What are some advantages for an author in deciding to render speech in dialect, asTwain does? What are some possible disadvantages?
Responding - Complete after reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Chapters 16–31
Isn’t It Ironic?
Throughout the novel, Huck is taught that “sivilized society” is right and he is wrong. As aresult, he believes he will “go to hell” for rescuing Jim. Write abrief analysis of the irony in Huck’s situation. What evil does the irony expose?
Extending Your Response
In this section of the novel, Mark Twain contrasts life on the raft with life on shore. Discuss the differences between what the raft represents to Huck and what life on shore is like. Cite lines from the text that describe raft life and shore life to support your argument.
Before You ReadThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Chapters 32–43
Focusing Idea
In many popular adventure stories, the hero is held captive by evil enemies or forces yet manages to escape.
These heroes usually overcome seemingly impossible odds to find freedom.
BACKGROUND
The Antihero
Traditional heroes are often superhuman. We look up to them because they are braver, stronger, more clever,or more unwilling to sacrifice their principles than we. Antiheroes, on the other hand, are very human. Likeus, they have faults, make mistakes, and puzzle over difficult decisions. In the end, however, antiheroes usuallydo the “right thing”—what we, ourselves, hope we would do in similar circumstances. As you read thefinal chapters of Huckleberry Finn, think about the heroes of the novel. Are they traditional heroes or anti-heroes?What makes them so?
The Controversial Conclusion
As Mark Twain wrote Huckleberry Finn, he pondered over the plot. He thought especially long and hardabout how to end the novel and effectively resolve the conflicts that he had presented. Though some criticsfeel that the conclusion of Huckleberry Finn is logical and effective, other critics have severely criticized it.As you read the last chapters of Huckleberry Finn, think about the events that came before and the way thatthe characters in the novel usually behave. Then judge the conclusion for yourself. Is it consistent with thecharacters we have come to know? Does it resolve the major conflicts in the novel in a satisfactory way? Reade the chapter first, and then tackle these questions.
VOCABULARY PREVIEW
eaves n. lower part of a roof
flighty adj. easily excited
garret n. attic
hewv. to cut
impudent adj. sassy; impolite
row n. fuss; argument
singular adj. unusual; curious
sultry adj. exceedingly hot
Responding - Complete after readingThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Chapters 32–43
Recall and Interpret
1. How are the duke and the king punished? What is Huck’s reaction to their punishment?
2. How does Huck expect Tom to react when he explains the plan to free Jim? Why doesTom’s response surprise Huck?
3. What does Tom’s elaborate plan to free Jim tell you about Tom? What does it tell youabout his attitude toward Jim?
4. What does Huck decide to do at the end of the novel? Why doesn’t he stay with AuntSally?
Evaluate and Connect
5. Many critics of Huckleberry Finn have pointed out that the Phelps’ farm episode differs intone and seriousness from the first two-thirds of the novel. Do you agree? Explain youranswer, supporting it with evidence from the text.
6. Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn “a book of mine where a sound heart and adeformed conscience come into collision and conscience suffers defeat.” What influenceshave “deformed” Huck’s conscience? Are such influences still at work in the worldtoday? What forces are available to try to change “deformed consciences”?