Blogpost 3

The Grangerfords has elements of humor, sadness and an allusion to a famous British play you might have read Freshmen year. Identify all 3 of these from the book and provide detail

            The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, introduce the Grangerfords at the beginning of the seventeenth chapter. Huck, after being saved from a pack of dogs is interrogated by a member of the Grangerford family, to see if he is a Shepardson. After settling that Huck is not a Shepardson, he is invited into the Grangerford home and is immediately immersed in their family’s bizarre culture. The family owns a large estate and many slaves, and although Huck finds the furnishings to be tacky he still admires the house and the family’s lifestyle. The Grangerford’s are introduced to Huck with a fantastic lifestyle. Although the Grangerfords are idolized in Huck’s eyes, he finds point of sadness in their life. Huck finds many sad works of art about the house, and especially in her room, which seemed to be untouched. Each work portrays a theme of death and sadness. “They was different from any pictures I ever see before --blacker, mostly, than is common. One was a woman in a slim black dress… and she was leaning pensive on a tombstone on her right elbow, under a weeping willow” (Twain 184). Each work was created by the late daughter Emmeline Grangerford, who died at the age of fifteen. Although their lifestyle is highly admired by Huck, he cannot help but be saddened by the remnants of Emmeline and her room in the house.

Although the remnants of art left by Emmaline were sad to Huck, he finds humor behind her work, because although sad, her theme of death is ironic in the sense that she is dead also. Twain uses humor when introducing the Grangerfords. Besides the work of Emmeline, Twain uses the introduction of Buck to show humor. Huck asks Buck to spell his name after they first meet, and twain uses Buck’s answer to be humorous to the reader.  “"G-e-o-r-g-e J-a-x-o-n--there now," he says.” (Twain 156 ). Buck’s answer is obvious to the reader to be wrong. Twains uses Bucks introduction to Huck to spark humor during Huck’s time with the Grangerfords. Huck’s initial impression of the Grangerford’s is one of humor and sadness. Huck finds the house’s tacky décor to be humorous as well as Emmeline’s ironic work. Huck’s initial impression of the Grangerfords is one of humor, sadness, and adoration for their lifestyle and what they have.

            Besides the themes of sadness and humor that are apparent in the introduction of the Grangerfords in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the bizarre story behind this family also alludes to the famous Romeo and Juliet written by William Shakespeare. Immediately after meeting the Grangerfords Huck hears of the Shepardsons. After staying with the Grangerfords for a while Huck hears of the feud between the two families. Although the reason for the feud is unknown the hate between the two families is almost tangible.  When both families attend church together, the hate is still rampant, even though the minister preaches about brotherly love. “we all went to church… The men took their guns along, so did Buck, and kept them between their knees” (Twain 289) The feud alludes to the feud between the Montague’s and the Capulet’s in Romeo and Juliet, which was similarly violent. The similarities between the two stories become even greater when Sophia Grangerford runs off with Harney Shepardson. Although the feud between the Montague and Capulet’s ends in a family union and the feud between the Grangerfords and Shepardsons ends in battle the two stories have considerable similarities. Besides the themes of humor and sadness introduced with the Grangerfords, the chapter of the bizarre family compares greatly to the story of Romeo and Juliet.

Page numbers may be different because I was reading off of my Kindle edition.

Blogpost 2

Describe the relationship between Huck and Jim. Use direct evidence to support your thoughts.

Huck never had much family, and until Jim, Tom Sawyer was Huck’s main role model. Having been forced to leave the widow, and moving into a cabin in the woods with his father, Huck was driven to be independent and leave him. After faking his own death, Huck finds his way to Jackson Island, and soon enough, he finds some company. Huck is wildly independent and smart, but even though Huck has never had a real family, he still craves companionship and is often lonely. When Jim shows up on Jackson Island after escaping from the widow, he and Huck immediately find that, besides knowing each other previously, they have things in common. Huck and Jim share a “home”, during their time on the island. Their acting house is a cave, which Jim and Huck make provisions to in order to be safe. Besides companionship, Jim takes the role of an adult when a house washes onto the island. Inside the house is the body of a dead man, and taking morals into account, Jim prevents Huck from looking at the body because of his youth. “Huck, but doan’ look at his face- it’s too ghashly”(Twain 57). Huck later pranks Jim with a rattlesnake, and consequently in bites him. Huck caused harm to Jim because of his immaturity, luckily Jim remedies himself. Jim takes the adult role again at this point, because, the potentially fatal wound became curable because of Jim’s intelligence. “Jim told me to chop off the snake’s head, and throw it away, and the skin the body and roast a piece of it… he eat it and said it would help cure him” (Twain 59). Jim and Huck’s relationship is that of one of a father and son. Jim consistently takes the role of an adult during serious situations, where Huck acts immaturely. Huck finds comfort in being with Jim, for companionship, and for safety.

Huck later dresses as a woman in order to stay hidden when going back to town. While there, a woman tells him all of the gossip regarding Huck’s “murder”. She later goes on to tell Huck about his deceased father, and that Jim is the number one suspect to Huck’s killing. The woman describes how she believes that Jim would be on Jackson Island, having seen smoke rising there days before. Huck is immediately worried. He fears that Jim will be found before he returns, and he swiftly makes his way back. Jim and Huck immediately leave the island, and craft a wigwam to ride down river in. The wigwam becomes the duos new acting home. Although Jim takes the role of a smart adult in serious situations, it is still apparent that Huck has power over Jim. When Huck and Jim come upon a crashed steamboat while drifting on the wigwam, Huck persuades Jim to help him look for goods and take part in the “adventure”. Jim knows that as a runaway slave, he has no power to the outside world, and especially not against a free white boy. Because Jim never restrains Huck from his immaturity, it shows the underlying power in their relationship. Although Huck has the power, he and Jim both still care for each other. When Jim and Huck get separated while drifting through the river in the fog, Jim is thrilled to see Huck again when they are reunited. “my heart was mos’ broke bekase you was los’” (Twain 89). Jim takes the role of a caring father at this point, reminding the reader that he is protective if Huck. When Huck and Jim finally get to Cairo, Huck was secretly planning to give Jim up. But Huck resolves not to because Jim is his only friend. Although Huck feels that the moral thing to do was give Jim up, he wanted to keep his promise to him. Besides Jim taking the role of a father, and Huck a son, Huck and Jim both genuinely care for each other.

Huck Finn first blogpost

            Based on the 1st 10 chapters, what are your impressions of Huck? Use direct evidence to support your thoughts.

Through the first ten chapters of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, Huck has gained a definite personality. Huck immediately expresses his dislike in the widow’s effort to try to civilize him. He tells the reader that he hates wearing the clothes that she puts him in, and finds the daily routine in the widow’s household quite tiresome. Huck would much rather be outside of the house in rags and dirt than inside trying to be civilized. The only thing stopping him from doing so was the closest person in his life to family. Huck does not count the widow as his family, and besides his actual father, Huck has none. But Huck finds comfort in listening to Tom Sawyer. “… I lit out. I got into my old rags and my sugar hogshead again, and was free and satisfied. But Tom Sawyer he hunted me up and said he was going to start a band of robbers, and I might join if I would go back to the widow and be respectable. So I went back” (Twain 11). Although he disliked his civilized life, he much less prefers living with his father, who takes him to a cabin in the woods and keeps Huck captive from the widow as his legal guardian. He likes living in the woods, besides his father, and expressed his enjoyment of having no responsibilities. “It was kind of lazy and jolly, lying off comfortable all day, smoking and fishing, and no books nor study” (Twain 32). I believe that Huck wants nothing more than to be independent. He is confident in himself enough that he believes that he can live on his own in the wild and in the dirt. Huck creates a personality that reflects the naivety of a child but the strength to be on his own like a grown man.

Although Huck believes that he is strong and hard-willed, he is afraid of some things. Although he reflects on the fear of his father and his beatings, his is more afraid of superstitions, and deep down, being alone. While still living with the widow, Huck shows the reader how terrified he is of superstitions. “I didn’t need anybody to tell me that that was an awful bad sign and would fetch me some bad luck, so I was scared and most shook the clothes off me”(Twain 13). Although Huck often shows strength in times where a modern day child of his age would be scared, his fear of bad luck and superstition shows that he has flaws in his courage. In his time of fear he also expresses his loneliness and his wish for company. “I felt so lonesome I wished I was dead…I got so downhearted and scared I did wish I had some company” (Twain13). Although Huck wants to be independent, and living a life of adventure, deep down he must also wish for camaraderie. He finds this in Tom, and also Jim, when they are living on the island together. The personality gained by Huck in the first ten chapter of Huckleberry Finn is one of an independent but lonely child who craves adventure but also friendship.