Sunday, January 9, 2011

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: non-censored version

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel written by Mark Twain which is centered around a young man by the name of Huckleberry Finn. The novel starts out with Huck explaining how he and his friend Tom Sawyer found 6,000 dollars in a cave which was then ordered to be put in a trust by Judge Thatcher. After that, he explains how he is now living with Widow Douglas and Miss Watson who are constantly trying to "sivilize" him by teaching him religion and making him go to school to get an education.
Huck and a group of his friends then start a "gang" under the leadership of Tom Sawyer. They plan to ransom people even though they have no idea what ransoming is. One of the boys suggests that it is tying some one up until they die. After a short period of inactivity from the gang, it falls apart when the boys raid a
The books main conflict begins when Huck notices a boot print in the mud with a cross in it, a sure sign that his abusive alcoholic pap, or father, is back after being presumed dead. In an attempt to stop his pap from harassing him for the fortune he found in the cave mentioned earlier, Huck sells his 6,000 dollars to the judge for just one dollar. Pap is insulted that Huckleberry dresses better than him and has become the first literate person in the family so he tells Huck that he will "take him down a notch." Soon after his Pap has confined him to stay in their small house at all hours of the day, Huck fakes his death by using pigs blood to make it look like robbers robbed the house and killed Huck. He then plans to use a canoe he found to go hide out on Jackson's Island where he meets up with a runaway slave named Jim.
Eventually Jim and Huck are forced to leave the island after hearing that a reward has been posted for Jim's return and that a man has been searching the island looking for him. They plan to head North to the states where slavery is prohibited.
After missing the mouth of the Ohio River where the two planned to take a steamboat up North, Huck and Jim encounter a band of men who are looking for runaway slaves to take back to the South. Huck then struggles wondering if he should turn the "property" in to the men or keep moving with Jim. Huck decides to protect Jim by telling the men that his sick father is in the raft causing the men to let them go. Soon after a steamboat hits the raft separating Jim and Huck.
Huck ends up with a rich southern family named the Grangerfords who are feuding with another family named the Sheperdsons. This is an allusion to Romeo and Juliet because the son and daughter of the two families elope which eventually leads to a shotgun fight where many family members are lost. Luckily, Jim shows up to take Huck back to the repaired raft.
Huck and Jim later meet up with a pair of con men who call themselves the duke and the dauphin. Since the two cannot really force the white men to leave, they continue down the river with them. When the duke and the dauphin try to claim a dead mans inheritance by impersonating his two brothers, they are eventually found out and run out of town when the real brothers arrive. As soon as Jim and Huck are trying to leave on their raft, duke and the dauphin show up forcing them to bring the two along.
The duke and the dauphin soon after sell Jim to a local farmer telling him that there is a large reward for the return of him. Huck pledges to save Jim from the farmer. He soon realizes that the farmer and his wife are none other than Tom Sawyer's . Huck then impersonates Tom and catches Tom who is on his way to his aunt and uncle's and convinces him to pretend to be Sid, his younger brother.
Tom then formulates an overcomplicated plan to free Jim even though he is only chained up. Huck agrees to the plan unwillingly. After an extended period of preparation which involves causing chaos, Jim is briefley freed until Tom is shot in the leg by some one who is chasing them. Huck is forced to get a doctor while Jim stops to aid Tom. after the failed plan, all three of them return back to the house.
After they are all back, Tom reveals that Jim has been a free man for 2 months, bringing their journey to an end. Jim then reveals that when searching a house he found Huck's Pap dead prompting Tom's aunt to offer to adopt him. He declines saying that he does not want to be "sivilized" and plans to head west.

1.This book takes place during the time of slavery. Even though Huck is from the South, he still befriends a slave. Do you think this is realistic, why or why not?
2.Both Jim and Huck runaway for their own reasons. Jim because he fears Miss Watson will trade him to a plantation, and Huck because he wants to escape his abusive Pap. If you were them, would you too run away keeping in mind the consequences?

3 comments:

Adam B. 7-8 said...

1.) I think that this could happen because kids his age may not have been as aware of the situation as adults were in this time period.

Kaitlyn K 7-8 said...

1) I think that could happen but it all depends on your ubringing and your parents feelings towards slaves. If your parents are against slavery than you are likely to have that mentality b

Anna W. 1-2 said...

1. I think it is realistic if a person is open minded and not judgemental about people just becuase of thier place in society but focus on what really matters in friendhsip is their heart condition.

2. It is hard to say If I personally would run away knowing the consequences. If you get caught running way it probably is the same as to staying and taking the abuse. I think it be worth a try to runaway. I mean you are already in a bad situation, I don't know if realistically it could get worse , and it sure won't get better sas we know in history until many years later about treating slaves.