Huck Finn Chapters 29-32 AP Language and Composition

Answer the following questions, providing specific details and page numbers.

  1. When the king goes a ashore and doesn’t return, what makes Huck think “something is a-brewing”? He also thinks maybe it is “a chance for the chance.” What chance does Huck have in mind? What is actually happening while the others wait for the king to return?
  2. Why do you think Huck has such a difficult time getting rid of the king and the duke? Have the king and the duke helped Jim and Huck at all, or was their presence on the raft completely unnecessary?
  3. After Huck finds out that Jim has been captured, he has a crisis of conscience as he tries to decide what to do. What does he think is the right thing to do? Why? Does he decided to do what he believes is the right thing?
  4. What forces are at work in Huck as he struggles to decide what to do about Jim? I s the choice he makes really the “wicked” choice, as he says?
  5. What eventually happens to the duke and king?
  6. Why do you think Huck wants to warn the king and the duke? What does Huck’s sympathy for them reveal about his character?
  7. As Huck spins a story for Aunt Sally, what does he tell her happened to the boat he was supposedly traveling on? What is her reaction? How does Huck answer her when she asks if anyone was hurt?
  8. How do you feel about Huck’s response to the question about who was hurt on the boat? Why do you think he said this? Why is Aunt Sally not shocked? Do you think Huck’s response reflects how he really feels, or is he playing a part?
  9. When Huck watches the king and duke being punished, he says “It was a dreadful thing to see. Human beings can be awful cruel to one another.” What other incidents of human cruelty in this section leave Huck baffled and confused? Why are such things beyond his understanding?
  10. Why does Huck believe that Tom should not want to help rescue Jim? Why does he believe Tom should feel differently?

Questions to think about:

  1. Character. A character is a person who figures in the action of a literary work. A one-dimensional character or flat character is one who exhibits a single dominant quality. A three-dimensional, full, or rounded character is one who exhibits the complexity of traits associated with actual human beings. Would you call the king and duke one-dimensional or three-dimensional? To formulate your response, think about the following questions: Do the king and the duke ever feel any remorse for their actions? What traits do they exhibit? How do they compare with characters like Huck and Jim, who are three-dimensional? Explain you r response.
  2. Irony. Irony is the difference between appearance and reality. A type of irony is dramatic irony, in which something is known by the reader or audience but unknown to the character. How is Huck’s crisis of conscience and the decision he makes about Jim an example of dramatic irony? Consider how he describes his decision to help Jim: “a low-down thing,” “wicked,” and “a disgrace.” What about his statement, “All right, then, I’ll go to hell”? How do you think Twain intended the reader to regard Huck’s decision? What does the reader know that Huck does not know? Does Huck’s belief that his actions and his decision to follow his heart are wrong make his decision braver? more noble? Explain.