The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Review

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the sequel to what novel?

Tom Sawyer

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is commonly known as what? (It's a nickname for the novel)

It is commonly known as one of the "Great American Novel."

Where is the setting of the novel?

It is set in St. Petersburg, Missouri near the Mississippi River.

Who is the narrator of the story?

The story is told in the first person as Huck as the narrator.

Define unrealiable narrator.

An unrealiable narrator is one who does not understand the full significance of the events he describes and comments on.

Who is Huck living with at the beginning of the novel?

Huck as been adopted by the Widow Douglas and her sister Miss Watson (the mean one)

When does the novel take place?

The novel takes place in the South prior to the Civil War.

In Chapter 4, why does Huck sell his money to Judge Thatcher for $1?

He is afraid Pap might come and take his money.

Why is Pap waiting for Huck in Huck's bedroom?

Pap wants Huck back. He knows that Huck has money; Pap will use the money get drunk.

Why does the judge give Huck back to Pap?

The judge does not know the history of Pap Finn and wants to keep families together. He tries to reform Pap but it does not work.

How does Huck fake his own death?

He kills a pig and makes the cabin look like a murder. He finds a canoe and heads down the river.

Who goes on a ferryboat to look for Huck's body?

Pap, Judge Thatcher, Bessie Thatcher, Tom, Aunt Polly are all looking for Huck's body.

What two things does searchers for Huck's body do to help find locate the body?

They shoot cannonballs into the water and loaves of bread with mercury inside, which Huck calls quicksilver

Why does Huck feel guilty about faking his own death?

Huck feels guilty that his disappearance has upset Widow Douglas.

After Huck is on Jackson's Island for three days, who does he find on the fourth day?

Huck finds Jim resting on Jackson's Island.

What is Jim's reason for being on Jackson's Island?

Jim has runaway from the Widow Douglas because she was going to sell him to a farm in New Orleans for $800; didn't want to be separated from his family.

Define situational irony.

Situational irony is the difference between what is expected or intended and what actually occurs in a specific situation in a work of literature.

In Chapter 10, explain the trick Huck plays on Jim with the rattlesnake.

Huck finds a dead rattlesnake and put the skin in Jim's bed. The mate of the snake gets in Jim's bed and bites him.

In Chapter 10, explain what happens when Huck goes ashore disguised as a girl.

Huck says his name is Sarah Williams from Hookerviller. He learns that his murder nearly got Pap lynched but now suspiciion has turned to Jim.

When Huck and Jim leave Jackson's Island, where do they head?

They head to St. Louis, Missouri.

Explain Huck's battle with his conscience when he leaves the raft to go ashore.

He feels guilty about helping a runaway slave. He feels that he has let Widow Douglas/Miss Watson down. But he feels bad about not helping Jim because he now considers Jim his friend.

What are the names of the two feuding families in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?

The Grangerfords and Shepherdsons.

Who are the first two members of the Grangerford family that Huck meets?

Colonel Grangerford and Buck Grangerford.

Who was Emmeline Grangerford?

She is the deceased daughter of the Grangerford family. She wrote a lot of depressing poems. Her family left her room exactly as it was before she passed away.

What is Buck's reason for the feud between the Sheperdsons and the Grangerfords?

Buck can't remember the reason. The feud has been going on for 30+ years.

Explain the irony during the scene when the Sheperdsons and Grangerfords take their guns with them to church.

It is ironic because they are listening to a sermon about good faith and reasoning.

What does Sophia ask Huck to do?

She asks him to go to the chuch and get her Bible.

What happens to Miss Sophia?

She runs off with Harney Shepherdson.

Why do Huck feel responsible for Sophia running off with Harney?

He was the one to get her Bible with the note in it regarding the secret meeting.

Explain the difference between the Duke and Dauphin.

The Duke is about 30 years old; the Dauphin is 70 years old. The Duke says he is the son of the Duke of Bridgewater. The Dauphin says he is the son of Louis XVI.

Explain the Duke's strategy to travel with Jim during the day.

They print up fake bills for Jim as an escaped slave. They tie him up as to appear that they are returning him to his rightful owner.

Why does Huck lie to the Duke and Dauphin about his and Jim's identities?

He is afraid they will take Jim back to the Widow Douglas or kill him for reward money. He is also afraid they will steal Huck's fortune.

When Huck realizes that the Duke and Dauphin are frauds, why does Huck not reveal that information to Jim?

Jim is an uneducated slave and may not understand that the men were frauds or con-men.

In Chapters 24-25, what makes Huck "ashamed of the human race?"

The Duke and Dauphin impersonate Peter Wilks' brothers from England in order to gain the family money.

Who is Doctor Robinson? How does he try to disprove the Duke and Dauphin's identities?

Doctor Robinson is the character who speaks up against the Duke and Dauphin. He says that the Duke and Dauphin are fakes. He disproves their identities by saying their accents are fake.

Who is Mary Jane?

Mary Jane is the eldest Wilks' daughter. She gives the Dauphin $6000 because she believes that he is her uncle.

Explain the most dramatic part of the novel, climax! (Hint: Chapters 31-33)

Huck sits down and decides to write a letter to Miss Watson explaining that he has been helping Jim escape. Huck is torn between his friendship with Jim and his belief of helping a runaway slave is a sin. Huck rips up the letter and decides to help Jim.

Who is Aunt Sally?

She is Tom's aunt.

Who does Aunt Sally mistake Huck for?

Aunt Sally thinks Huck is Tom Sawyer.

Towards the end of the book, what has happened to the Duke and Dauphin?

They are tarred and feathered by the townspeople.

What is Huck's reaction to the Duke and Dauphin's punishment?

"...people can be awfully cruel to one another." He actually feels sorry for them.

Who does Tom pretend to be when he arrives to visit Aunt Sally?

He pretends to be Sid Sawyer, his older brother.

What is the name of the farm where Jim is help captive?

It is the Phelps' farm.

What does Uncle Silas do about Jim?

Uncle Silas posted a flyer as Jim as a runaway slave.

What does Tom do in response to Uncle Silas?

Tom writes a letter pretending to be a member of a gang of robbers who are planning to steal Jim. The family is frightened.

Who comes to the Phelps' farm to wait for the robbers?

15 other farmers come to wait for the robbers.

When Tom, Huck, and Jim start to run away, what happens to Tom?

Tom rips his pants while climbing over a fence and gets shot in the leg.

Who first helps Tom when he is shot?

Jim helps Tom when he is first shot.

Which character do we learn has died at the end of the novel?

Miss Watson has died at the end of the novel.

What did Miss Watson leave for Jim in her will?

Miss Watson frees Jim in her will.

What does Tom give Jim when he feels guilty about making him a prisoner?

Tom gives Jim $40.

Who wants to adopt Huck at the end of the novel?

Aunt Sally wants to adopt Huck at the end of the novel.

Does Huck agree to be adopted at the end of the novel?

No, he does not. Huck does not want to be civilized any more. He heads West on the raft.

What has happened to Pap Finn at the end of the novel?

We learn that he was the dead man in the houseboat and that he did not take all of Huck's money.

Who wears pure-white linen suits?

Colonel Grangerford

Name of the city that marks the turnaround?

Cairo

Broken steamboat stuck in the middle of the Mississippi?

The Walter Scott

Who says, "it's just a small, thin blue arrow"

The King

Who says Jim is a free man?

Tom

What is the substitute for the crystal ball?

The hair ball from an ox's stomach

Huck likes Mary Jane because she is full of what?

Sand

How much does Tom pay Jim to right the wrongs (ie. keeping him a slave when he was aleady free)

$40

What state is the Phelps' farm?

Arkansas

Huck's name for the element mercury?

Quicksilver