Chapter 15-22


Impressions
I had various impressions of the main characters when I first read the book, such as Huck Finn, a young white teen who had a perplexing life. He wasn’t a regular kid; he was what you would call a “troublemaker”. It wasn’t that he was a bad kid; he was just confused about a lot of things. He wasn’t able to watch men in danger and do nothing about it. Certain influential powers of Tom Sawyer fogged up his view of what was right and wrong, like the concept of lying. He thought it was okay to lie since that was all Tom Sawyer did.

Jim is also a very important character in this novel and played a significant role in representing the history in their time. He showed part of the barrier between “whites and blacks”. His life was is what I call appalling because he didn’t have freedom, a word only 8 letters long that could literally mean the world for humans. He was an average African American and some can say that the things he did might have been harsh towards others but it was for his survival, his freedom and his life. But he truly has an inner soft side which he showed Huck frequently.

The impression I got about their setting was the Mississippi River. A magnificent river at times but sometimes can be related to swamp like dexterities. At night it seems very mysterious but in the morning it looks majestic.

Character Analysis

Buck Grangerford – He is the youngest of the 5 beautiful Grangerford children. He is similar to Huck in many ways as they are both mischievous and like to amuse themselves from the faults of others. But there are discreet differences like Buck takes family honor to the next level with their feud against the Shepherdson’s. You can tell that he has a temper towards ignorance plus he carries around a rifle so that can’t help his cause. He has an indefinable hatred towards the Stepherdsons even though they technically didn’t do anything to him in person; He is just continuing this ignorant war. He is also a bright kid, he uses his head against others to make him superior to others instead of using his head to help others.

Duke and Dauphin – A pair of con men who fool Huck and Jim into believing that they are a duke of Bridgewater as well as a son of King Louis XVI. Huck figures out the truth quickly, but he just goes along with it because they seem somewhat helpful and he doesn’t want to start a fight or argument. These two think they are very cunning but do not understand how clueless they really are. They use people’s intelligence against them to trick them into giving them money, food and valuable possessions. They also take advantage of rituals and joyous occasions to help themselves. Basically they aren’t very good people.

Colonel Grangerford – A kind man who is thoughtful of others and helps them whenever he has a chance to. Everyone treats him with respect and look up to him. He was a very grateful man who loved others and wanted the best for them.

Most Memorable Moment

       I think the most memorable moment was when they found out that Sophia Grangerford ran off with Harney Shepherdson. It reminded me of Romeo and Juliet, proving to me that all is fair in love and war.
You can say that it was like a mystical story between two lovers from two families that despised each other trying to fight against their disadvantage and trying to make it through. Love is like an untamable thing no matter what happens or who’s in your way, you will fight. It’s like a raw feeling that these two compelled. They were brave enough to run away from their families to be with their true love.
       I thought the two families would be merged by one marriage but it turned out that they found it revolting and it lead to the gruesome deaths of two Grangerfords. This book showed that fighting will always lead to more fighting, more death and more innocent blood spilled. Even though they were trying to be happy by leaving their harsh environment, they were killed.
       The reason it reminded me of Romeo and Juliet was because it had a similar story line. It was about two lovers from two families who despised each other. I found it romantic and interesting because it shows that love without pain is not true love. In Huck Finn’s case these two kids ran away and ended up with 2 teens dying. In Romeo and Juliet those two both died to bring their families together as well as many deaths within the family. That is why I found this the most memorable moment because it had a very interesting meaning.
       I think of this as the most memorable moment because it shows how far war in a family can go. Even when it comes to love, they find it unnecessary because all that is amongst the two families is pure hatred. I feel bad for them because no matter what they do they won’t be able to escape the hole they dug themselves into unless they understand that fighting is not the answer and truce it out.


Setting
The setting of this book was placed during the 1800’s along the stretch of the Mississippi river. My section of the book takes place in Tennessee, where the family feud between the Grangerfords and Sheperdsons takes place.

Style and Structure
One of obvious themes that can be found in this novel is racism. This is portrayed through the character of Jim. He was an African American who was enslaved. He had no freedom and was treated unfairly by most people, which also ties into the human rights theme. Another theme is war. The feud between the two families were so brutal that not even something as strong as love could make then sides realize that hatred was taking over their lives. Mark Twain showed the difference of speech between the blacks and the white though his writing. The way that he made the slaves talked proved that they were in a time when only rich white people got a proper education.

Questions & Critical Thinking
1. Was Buck’s hatred against the Shepherdson’s a personal hate or a general hate because of his family issues?
2. Are the con men truly bad people or are they people with a good heart but shrouded mind?
3. Do you think Huck has grown more of a family bond with Jim rather than just a friendship?