AP LIT HUCK FINN STUDY GUIDE

Huckleberry Finn

12 y.o. The main protagonist and narrator of story. Refuses to be civilized by society and befriends and helps Jim.

Tom Sawyer

Best friend of Huck Finn. Reads adventure novels and mischievously devises elaborate(unnecessary) plans. Nephew of Aunt Sally and Aunt Polly.

Jim

Miss Watson's slave. Very superstitious. Runs away to escape being sold off and fears being separated from his family. Befriends Huck and embark on a trek on the Mississippi River to freedom.

Miss Watson

Nagging shrew. Attempts to civilize and educate Huck via strict supervision. Believes in a malevolent God. Planned to sell off Jim but dies. Her will proclaims him a freed slave.

Widow Douglas

Nice lady.Temporary caretaker of Huck. Wants to civilize him out of good will. Believes in a benevolent God.

Pap Finn

Huck Finn's "town drunk" of a father. Extremely aggressive and abusive towards Huck. Only cares about spending money and drowning himself in alcohol. Kidnaps Huck away from Miss Watson and Judge Thatcher to a remote cabin. Found dead in the floating house.

Judge Thatcher

Sincerely cares about Huck's safety and well being. Fights for custody of Huck. Holds onto Huck's $6000.

New Judge

Represents "do-gooders". In charge of Huck's custody case. Believes he can reform Pap but fails. Believes that the law should not break up a family.

Mrs. Judith Loftus

The woman Huck(disguised as a girl) meets to gather news about what is happening since his "death". Realizes Huck is a boy. Tells him that people suspect Jim to be in Jackson's Island.

Jim Turner, Bill, & Jake Packard

Three robbers on an abandoned steamboat. Huck discovers them and plans to let them drown but due to his conscience he sends a watchman to save them.

Colonel Grangerford

Father and head of the Grangerford's, a family who meaninglessly feuds with the Shepherdson's. A gentleman owning a large estate with personal slaves.

Buck Grangerford

Boy with the same age as Huck. Befriends Huck right away. Carries a gun and is violent and adventurous. Dies in a feud with the Sheperdson's.

Emmeline Grangerford

Deceased daughter of the Grangerford family. Draws pictures of women mourning and wrote elegies about dead neighbors.

Sophia Grangerford

Beautiful daughter of Grangerford family. Huck retrieves a Bible with the note "Half past two" for her. She elopes with Harney Sheperdson (Romeo and Juliet reference), causing an uproar and a skirmish between the two households.

Harney Shepherdson

Love interest of Sophia Grangerford and enemy to all the other Grangerford's. Buck tries to shoot him but misses.

Duke

30 y.o. carpetbagger(conman) who hitches a ride with Huck and Jim. Claims to be a royal from Bildgewater (Bridgewater). Specializes in printing and theater. He is tarred and feathered along with the other sleazebag for their crimes.

King

70 y.o. carpetbagger(conman) who hitches a ride with Huck and Jim. Claims to be a "dolphin" (Dauphin) the son of King Louis XVI. Specializes in "ministry work for the church". Tarred and feathered with his fellow swindling cohort for their crimes.

Elizabeth

Jim's deaf daughter.

Boggs

Drunk fool who likes to pick fights with people. Upsets a certain person and gets killed. Witnesses form a lynching mob to avenge him.

Colonel Sherburn

Shoots Boggs. Confronts the lynching mob with a speech undermining their bravery and behavior. Points out the ignorant mob mentality.

Peter Wilks

Deceased Wilks brother. Uncle and caretaker of Mary Jane, Susan, and Joanna. Awaited the return of his brothers from England, Harvey and Willliam after sending a letter to the two.

George Wilks

Deceased Wilks brother(eldest). Was married and had three daughters, Mary Jane, Susan, and Joanna. Left the care of his daughters to his younger brothers. Owned an estate and large sum of money.

Harvey Wilks

Minister from Sheffield England and brother of George and Peter Wilks. The King impersonates this character.

William Wilks

Deaf with a broken arm brother of George and Peter. Lived in England with Harvey Wilks. The Duke impersonates this character.

Mary Jane Wilks

The eldest daughter of the deceased George Wilks, a red-headed girl whom Huck starts to fall in love with. She becomes convinced that the King is her real uncle and not a fraud until Huck tells her the truth.

Susan Wilks

The second eldest daughter of the deceased George Wilks. (Minimal role)

Joanna Wilks

More commonly known by Huck as "harelip". Youngest daughter of the deceased George Wilks. Huck doesn't like her because she asks too many questions. She is suspicious of Huck and sees through his lies.

Dr. Robinson

The only man who recognizes that the King and Duke are frauds when they try to pretend to be British. He warns the town but they ignore him.

Levi Bell

A lawyer who tries to determine the true heirs of the Wilk's family fortune.

Aunt Sally Phelps

Married to Silas Phelps. Sister of Aunt Polly and Aunt of Tom Sawyer. Initially believes Huck to be Tom Sawyer and is then convinced the real Tom Sawyer is Sid Sawyer. She is fooled by their lies and antics.

Uncle Silas Phelps

Owns a farm and slaves. Huck deems him as a good natured man and respects him. The King sells Jim to him. He treats Jim kindly and wants to return him to his original owner.

Nat

Slave on Phelps's farm. Caretaker of Jim. Believes he is being haunted by witches.

Aunt Polly Sawyer

Guardian of Tom Sawyer. Mother of Sid Sawyer. Appears towards the end of the book and reveals Huck's and Tom's true identities.

Sarah Mary Williams

Huck's alias when he poses as a girl when he converses with Mrs. Judith Loftus.

George Elexander Peters

After Huck's girl disguise is exposed, he tells Mrs. Judith Loftus his "real" name.

George Jaxson (Jackson)

Huck tells the Grangerford's his name is this.

Adolphus

Huck's alias as a British servant for the King's scheme of the Wilks's brothers.

Tom Sawyer (Phelps)

Aunt Sally mistakens Huck for her nephew.

Angel of Death

Pap in a fit of delirium, accuses Huck to be trying to take his life away.

William Thompson

Tom Sawyer initially introduces himself as a boy from Ohio, visiting a relative. Kisses Aunt Sally.

Sid Sawyer

Tom Sawyer's cousin. Does not actually appear in the story.

The Sick Arab

Jim painted in blue paint to fool people from recognizing him as a slave. The King's idea.

Reformed Pirate

The King delivers a speech about how he is a changed man, trying to be a minister to reform other pirates. Earns $80 from this gimmick.

Edmund Kean

The King's actor name

Rev. Elexander Blodgett

The false name the King uses when addressing Tim Collins, the young man bound for Orleans who tells the King everything about the Wilks family.

David Garrick

The Duke's actor name

Indian Territory

Huck heads West at the end of the story to continue on more of his adventures. but ultimately avoids society and protect himself from being civilized.

St. Petersburg

Missouri. Story begins. Huck and Tom find a robber's hidden stash of gold. $6000. Huck is adopted by Widow Douglas. Tom Sawyer's Gang. Pap's return.

Illinois Shoreline

Pap kidnaps Huck and holds him captive in an isolated cabin. Huck escapes by faking his own death, and heads out to Jackson's Island.

Jackson's Island

The womb of rebirth for Huck and Jim. Huck meets Jim. Discovers that everyone believes he is dead and Jim ran away from Miss Watson. Hide on the remote island until hunters arrive.

Walter Scott

Abandoned steamboat of Sir Walter Scott. Three thieves are looting the place. Huck initially steals their raft with the intent of leaving them to die. But sends a watchman to save them.

Cairo

Where the Mississippi River and Ohio River meet. Passageway for Jim to the North, hence freedom. A fog misleads them further down the Mississippi.

Grangerford farm

The raft is hit by a steamboat. Huck and Jim back on land and separated. Huck finds refuge in the aristocratic household of the Grangerfords while Jim is in the swamp being cared by the Grangerford's slaves. Huck learns the bond of a family and also observes the absurdity of Southern family feuds. Fight breaks out between the Grangerford's and Shepherdson's.

Pikesville

The King and Duke recover from the Wilks family fortune incident. The King sells off Jim for $40 to the Phelps Family. Huck is conflicted with his friendship with Jim and helping a runaway slave. Huck attempts to write a letter to Miss Watson but accepts the consequences.

Phelps's Sawmill

Uncle Silas Phelps and Aunt Sally Phelps abode. Huck tries to find Jim at the farm and is immediately mistaken for Tom Sawyer. Huck keeps up this charade for the time being. Until the real Tom Sawyer shows up and madness ensues. Tom and Huck spend three weeks on the ultimate bail out plan...Jim has been free since two months ago when Miss Watson died. Aunt Polly shows up after receiving letters about Sid arriving with Tom and he exposes the two rascals true identities.

The old doctor

Helps treat Toms shot wound. Speaks well of Jim