Theme of Huck Finn

In Huckleberry Finn, there seems to be a recurring theme throughout the novel, and that theme is shown mainly through Huck's character, but also Tom's. That theme is, do what you think is right. There are many instances throughout when Huck is with Jim on the raft. Many times they come across a "problem" that can be solved. One example is the Walter Scott. Two "murderers" have a prisioner on board and have him tied up and are going to kill him. This is all going on during a thunderstorm and they see the wrecked ship and go aboard to see if they can use anything. That's when they come across them. Quickly, Jim and Huck think of a plan to strand the murderers on board so they get killed also. If Huck and Jim wouldn't have kept the murderers on the boat, they would have escaped. But due to their actions, they kept justice in play. They did the right thing by giving them what they had coming.
Another example comes later in the book when Huck decides he wants to become a better person and start following the faith. He writes a letter to Miss Watson and tells her that he has Jim is with Mr. Phelps and will send him if she sends a reward. Huck felt like he had done something good and he felt relieved. Then he started to remember all the time he had spent with Jim and how good of friends they had become. He ripped up the note and said, "Alright then, I'll go to hell." Huck has become such a close friend to Jim that he isn't willing to do the right thing and try to keep him out of slavery. In the end, Widow Douglas dies, and she set him free in her will.
Overall, the theme that I have found throughout this book is what we have learned from Henry David Thoreau: Do what your conscience tells you is right and follow it.

May 1st

In chapter 39, Huck and Jim come up with an ingenious plan to free Jim from the Phelps. They are going to find spiders, snakes, and rats to put in the "cell" where Jim is being help prisoner. I was having problems figuring out why they would put snakes in his holding place, but I figured it out, I just had to read a little more. Huck and Tom are going to make a dummy of Jim and lay it on the bed where Jim sleeps. When Sally would open the door, all of the snakes and rats would hopefully scare her and she wouldn't even notice that Jim was gone. But really, if you say "ouch" every time you see something fall or get scared by an noise, I don't think it would take very much to get scared. Jim, however, didn't like the idea of bringing any of those things into the barn, because he was scared of them also, but in order for the plan to be effective, they had to do it. Later on, Huck and Tom need to make the Phelps somewhat aware of what the "slave robbers" are going to do. They think that they will just sit in the house and not really do much about it, but they have full intentions to catch them in the act. They called fifteen farmers and all with guns, planning to catch them in the act. I thought Huck was going to get caught for trying to get out of the house, but Sally thought he was leaking brains instead. But, it was only butter. Huck and Tom successfully got Jim out of the barn and are taking him to the river. The farmers are out and hear Tom get caught on the fence and start shooting in that direction. Tom gets shot in the calf, but all three of them made it safely to the raft and are off to freedom.

HF April 30th

Huck and Tom are still trying to get Jim out of his cell, but it seems that all they are doing is making him more comfortable. They are bringing in candles and blankets and they get accused by Huck's so called "aunt" of stealing candles and blankets. Of course they deny it, but she remains skeptical. They haven't had enough time to actually get Jim out, but they continue to work at it. I would imagine that they will free him in the very near future.

Deformed Consciences

There are potentially many influences that could have possibly deformed Huck's conscience, but the one that sticks out the most is Tom Sawyer. Constantly getting into trouble, Tom has a somewhat negative affect on Huck. For example, Huck wants to free Jim, but he wants to do it as fast as possible without the chance of getting caught. Tom on the other hand, wants to use case-knives instead of shovels. My point is, he is always trying to get "style points" for everything he does. He wants to be noticed and recognized for his accomplishments or achievements. Why do we feel the need to be recognized or reimbursed for the things we do?
I feel that there are still negative influences out in the world today. A few negative influences of today, in my opinion, are women like Paris Hilton and Brittany Spears. Girls at the age of 10 look up to them and see how they party and get pregnant, so they think it is OK to do the same. Not only that, but girls are viciously beating each other just to get some recognition on MySpace.
On the same breath, there are positive influences out there too. Professional athletes, for example, CAN be positive influences. Most of them have worked extremely hard to get where they are today. They aren't necessarily concerned about what they do as an individual, but how they do as a team. However, some athletes seem to be more concerned about themselves than their teams.
Don't only work hard to get what you want, also do what's right. Huck and Tom trying to free Jim is a good example of doing what is right. They know that slavary is wrong, so they are trying to make a difference by letting Jim go. It's people that do the right thing that we need to look up to.

Flat or Round

In the beginning of the novel, Huck seemed to be a flat character. He seemed to only have one way of thinking: Adventures with Tom. He didn't seem to have much respect for black people either. However, that could have been an affect from Tom, because he didn't have much respect for them either. Once Huck left home and started his adventure with Jim, we started to see changes in his way of thinking and acting, turing him into a round character. Huck wasn't necessarily forced to help him or like Jim, but what else could he do? He was with Jim all the time, it would seem odd to not see a change in character with a constant influence like Jim. Now, Huck is desparate to help his friend get out of slavary, and with the help of Tom Sawyer, I think it can be done.

Jim on the other hand, always seemed to be a round character. Even from the get go, he was quickly adapting to the different situations he was thrown into. I think Jim always liked Huck, but after seeing the changes, he likes him even more, one of his only friends.

Huck Finn Questions

-How is Huck changing as a person?

Huck has been changing in many ways since the beginning of the novel, such as the way he views black people. I don't think that he ever disliked them, but he has a new found respect for them. Also, he doesn't have to worry about his father anymore. He is at peace with himself without having to have the fear of his dad bearing down on him. Huck is at peace on the river.

-What has Huck been able to learn from his experiences?

Like I said previously, he has found a new respect for Jim. Before, he would refer to black people as a "nigger", and may not understand how disrespectful that word can really be. Huck has also been able to accept the differences of other people and allows himself to be helpful towards them. Such as the Duke and the King. He may not agree with the way they are literally stealing money from the townspeople, but he took them in and cares for them, until he recently plotted to steal their money and leave.

-How has Huck's and Jim's relationship changed since the beginning of the book/

Well, in the beginning, Huck looked down on Jim as a person that him and Tom could play tricks on, but after being with him for so long and trying to get him his freedom, he looks upon Jim as a real person who has feelings. Huck realizes how important freedom is to Jim and he will do anything to help Jim get it. Huck truly is one of Jim's only friends.

Chapter 23

Over the last three nights, the duke and the king have wiped out their money! They only got away with four hundred dollars. We all know that they are cons, but they were pretty good at convincing the whole audience of men that the surprise is coming on the third night. On top of all of that, they skipped out of the performance! I really didn't think that they were that smart! Also in this chapter, we see another side of Jim. When Huck awakes, he hears Jim muttering about his family and how he loves and misses them. I think Huck is getting a deeper appreciation for the feelings of Jim.