The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Group at eNotes

Would you consider Tom a bad person for knowing Jim was free along and...

Thu, 8 Jan 2009 15:19:11 PST

Would you consider Tom a bad person for knowing Jim was free along and not telling him?

In the novel, Huckleberry Finn, at first glance there seems to be fewer...

Tue, 6 Jan 2009 16:56:49 PST

In the novel, Huckleberry Finn, at first glance there seems to be fewer similarities between Pap and Jim, but if we closer closer, there are actually some striking similarities. The similarities go far beyond the fact that both are male. One of the most striking similarities is that both Jim and Pap are outcasts. Pap is an outcast because of his lack of education, his poverty, and his alcoholism. Jim is an outcast because his is a...

Let's start with an obvious similarity for comparison: both are men....

Tue, 6 Jan 2009 15:49:59 PST

Let's start with an obvious similarity for comparison: both are men. Beyond that fact, the contrasts outnumber any comparisons that might be made. For instance, while Jim is kind, compassionate, and able-minded, Pap is a lousy drunk who abuses Huck when he grows intoxicated. And while both men could be considered "father figures" for Huck, Jim is actually the one who shows the boy what true, honorable manhood looks like. Pap, on the...

How would you compare and contrast Jim and Pap in The Adventures of...

Tue, 6 Jan 2009 14:22:36 PST

How would you compare and contrast Jim and Pap in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?

One scene that really struck me was the conversation between Huck and...

Mon, 5 Jan 2009 09:10:44 PST

One scene that really struck me was the conversation between Huck and Jim about King Solomon and King Louis of France. Huck tries explaining the details of both kings to Jim, and Jim just contradicts him with uniquely logical arguments the entire time. My favorite is when Huck tells Jim that King Louis speaks French. That makes no sense to Jim, and he asks Huck if a cat is a man, or if a cow is a man. Huck responds no, so Jim says of...

1. This first incident that occurs with the Widow Douglas and Moses and...

Mon, 5 Jan 2009 09:10:44 PST

1. This first incident that occurs with the Widow Douglas and Moses and the Bulrushers is hilarious. The Widow is telling Huck the story of Moses and Huck is "in a sweat" to learn about him. But then he finds out that Moses has been dead "a considerable time" and he "don't take no stock in dead people" so Huck looses interest in the story.2. When Miss Watson is telling Huck about heaven, she says that all people do is hand around and sing all...

What are three different incidents in "The Adventures of Huckleberry...

Sun, 4 Jan 2009 20:03:27 PST

What are three different incidents in "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" you would consider funny?

King Solomon, widely regarded for his incredible wisdom, doesn't hold...

Sun, 4 Jan 2009 10:00:24 PST

King Solomon, widely regarded for his incredible wisdom, doesn't hold much esteem in Jim's eyes. Huck claims that Solomon "was the wisest man" but Jim disagrees stating that the king "had some er de dad-fetchedes' ways I ever see", meaning, the strangest ways. Jim's reasoning on the story about Solmon threatening to cut the baby in two to see who its real mother was actually makes sense. His first beef with it is...

In "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", describe Jim's...

Sun, 4 Jan 2009 08:34:24 PST

In "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", describe Jim's dislike of King Solomon

While one of the most notable and obvious symbols of Huckleberry's moral...

Sat, 3 Jan 2009 12:57:02 PST

While one of the most notable and obvious symbols of Huckleberry's moral ideals is the river (which represents freedom), there are many other symbolic representations of his antisocial ideals.For example, after Widow Douglass takes him in, Huck feels confined by the clothes he has to wear and "the models of decorum to which he must adhere" (such as not smoking).Subseqently, the clothes that he is made to wear symbolize the...

Huck is a born trickster himself and the irony is that he cannot...

Sat, 3 Jan 2009 12:32:37 PST

Huck is a born trickster himself and the irony is that he cannot understand that a trick is being played on him. The man on the horse is really just pretending to be drunk, just as Huck pretends to be many things on his trip down the river. This episode is included while the king and the duke prepare to trick the town into watching their "play". So Twain doubles the irony. Huck can't tell that he is being tricked while he knows the king and...

What is ironic about Huck not understanding the stunt with the drunken...

Sat, 3 Jan 2009 12:28:00 PST

What is ironic about Huck not understanding the stunt with the drunken horseman at the circus? Why does Twain include this episode in this chapter?

In "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" the river is symbolic...

Sat, 3 Jan 2009 11:38:51 PST

In "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" the river is symbolic of freedom from the restrictions of society. For instance, Jim can be like a father to Huck on the river, but once on land, he again becomes the fugitive slave and an inferior to Huck. It is on the river or its banks that Huck does some of his best reasoning, too. For example, he decides defy the restricitions of his society and goes to rescue Jim from the treachery...

What symbols would you use to describe Huck's feelings and moral ideals...

Sat, 3 Jan 2009 11:20:45 PST

What symbols would you use to describe Huck's feelings and moral ideals in "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"?

Jim and Huck find themselves stranded on a derelict steamboat that they...

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:55:29 PST

Jim and Huck find themselves stranded on a derelict steamboat that they were hoping to rummage after their raft breaks loose and drifts away during the storm. Unfortunately, the steamboat isn't abandoned; two thieves are about to turn murderers by killing the third member of their party, all of whom had the same idea of rummaging. Twain starts chapter 13 with Huck saying "it warn't no time to sentimentering," and in searching for...

Identify and explain the hyperbole used in the first paragraph of...

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 15:02:25 PST

Identify and explain the hyperbole used in the first paragraph of Chapter 13 in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

What is the author’s purpose in the lengthy passages about Emmeline...

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:58:58 PST

What is the author’s purpose in the lengthy passages about Emmeline Grangerford in Chapter 17 of Huck Finn?

The runaway slave Jim plays a close second fiddle, especially since...

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 00:03:44 PST

The runaway slave Jim plays a close second fiddle, especially since there is more at stake for him than for his buddy Huck. Whereas Huck simply has wanderlust, Jim is on the run for freedom and to save his skin.The story line, however, evolves around Huck and his experiences. Sometimes Jim's plight is momentarily put in the background, even forgotten. (Some critics see this as a weakness of the novel.) Both Huck and Jim have something of...

Although not the average 'hero', there is no doubt that Huckleberry Finn...

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 18:17:50 PST

Although not the average 'hero', there is no doubt that Huckleberry Finn is the hero of the book. Mark Twain simply does not allow the reader to come to any other conclusion, and rightfully so. Huck's story can be any of our stories, in that he realizes through life experiences not everything is as it seems. This is a fundamental lesson that at some point humanity must come face to face with. The names and places are different, however the...

Who is the hero of the book "The Adventures of Hucklebberry...

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 17:23:41 PST

Who is the hero of the book "The Adventures of Hucklebberry Finn"?