huckleberry finn, questions november 29

Chapter 5-11

5. Freedom is the major theme, and both Huck and Jim are seeking it, only in different ways. Huck is now free from his father, and Jim from Miss Watson. They are both worth a lot of money (Huck has money in the bank and Jim is a slave so he is worth a lot of money.

6. The irony in wishing Tom was there to help plan the escape is that it would be messed up. It wouldn't be successful.

7. The irony in Huck finding bread to eat is that it actually arrives to him and he is considered as dead. (Bread was supposed to arrive to dead people.) His view at prayers also changes, because it actually happened. (he got bread, just as Miss Watson prayed for.)

8. Jim is scared that Huck will hurt him, and he begs him not to. Jim also hesitates to tell his story to Huck, because if he told anyone about it he would be dead.

9. Both Huck and Jim are free now. Everyone thinks Huck is dead, which symbolizes his rebirth. Jim as a slave just ran away, and Huck is going to help him. Although he is helping Jim, he is scared of the consequences it can bring.

10. "People would call me a lowdown Abolitionist and despise me for keeping mum." Abolitionists were people who wanted to end slavery. Huck thinks its wrong because its against the society. It also shows his honesty.

11. Some young birds come along, flying a yard or two at a time and lighting. Jim said it was a sign it was going to rain. He said it was a sign when young chickens flew that way, and so he reckoned it was the same way when young birds done it. I was going to catch some of them, but Jim wouldn't let me. He said it was death. He said his father laid mighty sick once, and some of them catched a bird, and his old granny said his father would die, and he did. It shows that what Jim "believes" in is not only nonsense, it comes from his personal experience.

12. It's the second trick Huck plays on Jim, and it's the second time snake (motif) appears in the book. It's typical Huck because only wants to have fun, and he doesn't understand what he does. (He is just a kid..) To handle a snake is bad luck to Jim, and when Huck gets to know that he feel sorry and ashamed. He will never do it again and he starts to believe in superstition. Huck still sees Jim as a slave.

13. We learn that he does what he has to do to get what he wants. He wanted information about what people think happened to him, Jim and his dad, and to get it he has to dress like a girl (in this case).

14. What she does is that she exaggerate to get people more interested. This is a very common human trait.

15. Pap is worth $200 while Jim is worth $300. (the price is given to the one that can find them. They think Pap murdered Huck, and Jim is a slave that ran away.) The reason is because Jim is a slave, and at that time it was more important than murder. The satire is that murder is less important than slavery.

Chapter 12-14

1. Huck now sees borrowing and stealing as equal, although Jim and he made a "list" of what they wouldn't "borrow" anymore. The things were unnecessary anyway. They are not stealing for personal gain, but to keep them alive. The logic is that they're not going to take things they don't need anymore.

2. Huck wants to be an adventurous as Tom Sawyer.

3. The significance of the boat named The Walter Scott is that Walter Scott also is an writer who wrote romantic novels. He wrote about great adventures with fantastic escapes. Mark Twain is making fun of romantic literature. The irony is that people actually die on the boat and the escape is far from fantastic.

4. Huck tries to save the murders because he might be one himself on day. He feels sorry for them and is able to have compassion for them.

5. The satire is that Huck lure the boatman to rescue the murders. He pretends that a wealthy lady is in danger. The boatman helps him because of money, not because he really cares. This also shows us how Mark Twain criticizes the society.

6. "it was all up with HIM anyway it could be fixed". Jim is talking about being stuck on the boat. He is in a loose-loose situation because he is black and a slave. Either he will drown or someone will find him and he will be sold to the south.

7. It is not accurate at all. What Huck thinks is that they just sit around and do nothing. They have many wives and children that they don't really care about, because they are just "one in a gallery." He also thinks that the kings do exactly what they want and if someone disagrees they just cut their head of. The reason comes from lack of knowledge.

8. Comparing Huck's thoughts about kings, Jim thinks this about King Solomon. He has many wives and children. King Solomon also cut one of his children in half. To Jim this just shows him how stupid he is, why would he have so many wives and children that just were fighting and making noise? Wouldn't it be better if just had "a few" (one wife, a couple of children?) that he would really care about? It would actually matter if he loose one of them... Jim has a point!