the Grangerfords

In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck comes across a family called the Grangerfords. This family has elements of humor, sadness, and allusions to the play Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare. It is like Romeo and Juliet because of the tale of the two young people in love, Sophia Grangerford and Harney Sheparsdson. They are likened to Romeo and Juliet because they are caught in the middle of the two warring families, their argument originating from an ordeal no one can quite remember. “[Sophia] ran off to get married to dat  young Harney Sheperdson…. De fambly found’ it out ‘bout half an hour ago… and I tell you dey warn’t no time los’. Sich another hurryin’ up guns and hosses you never see” (Twain 114)! This illustrates the clear connection between the two storylines. Romeo and Juliet were battling against their families to be together, and so were Sophia and Harney. The following bloodbath that ensues is also similar to Romeo and Juliet, where Tybalt was killed in the crossfire. While all of these allusions are being made, though, traces of humor can be found.

The Grangerford family also had plenty of humor in it. A prime example of their humor was the irony with which they’re portrayed. While Huck sees them as these really nice, gentle people, they actually go around killing their neighbors. “Col. Grangerford was a gentleman, you see. He was a gentleman all over; and so was his family” (106).Clearly, they’re not nice people as they condone the killing of their neighbors, yet Huck only really sees them in a positive light. He doesn’t even really bat an eye when he finds out about the feud. The irony, while being a bit sadistic, is funny. Along with humor and allusions to Romeo and Juliet, plenty of sadness can also be found in the Gangerford household.

The Grangerfords certainly have had their share of sorrow. One of the daughters, Emmeline died at fifteen. She was a brilliant artist and poet, although named her paintings rather similarly. “These was all nice pictures…. Everybody was sorry she died, because she has laid out a lot more of these pictures to do…” (104). The family was never the same after Emmeline had died. Also, there was no one to write poems for those who had died.  Her family mourned for her all the time. The Grangerford family is a fine example of comedy, sorrow, and allusions.

Huck Finn post 2 - Jim and Huck's relationship

                Jim and Huck have almost paternalistic feelings towards each other. Jim’s interest in Huck is clearly displayed by his concern over him after he thought he had disappeared in the fog, “when I got all wore out wid work, en wid de callin’ for you, en went to sleep, my heart wuz mos’ broke bekase you wuz los’… en when I wake up en find you back ag’in, all safe end soun’, de tears come, en I coul ‘a’ got down on my knees en kiss yo’ foot” (Twain 89). This shows how strongly Jim feels about Huck’s safety. He was extremely upset when he thought something had happened to Huck. Huck also reacts in a similar way to a child in response to Jim’s outburst about how his prank was mean spirited. He acted enormously sorry, and even thought, “It made me feel so mean I could almost kissed his foot to get him to take it back” (89). Both of them act like one would in a father-son relationship, Jim in the paternal and Huck in the child’s point of view.  The opposite could also be said, though, in the thought that Huck sometimes acts fatherly to Jim.

                Huck has some parental tendencies around Jim. He tries to teach him things and protect him. An example of this is when the men on the boat want to go and make sure Jim isn’t a runaway slave, and Huck invents a story about his family being sick with small pox. Huck does everything in his power to make sure Jim remains safe. He tries to teach him about stories and such, for example when he’s telling him about kings, “So I went talking about other kings… I told him about Louis the sixteenth that got his head cut off in France long time ago; and about his little boy the dolphin, that would ‘a’ been king , but they took and shut him up in a jail, and some say he died there” (82). This is a bonding moment for Jim and Huck, further illustrating the familial relationship they share. Huck cares deeply about Jim and Jim in turn cares about Huck, both in a way almost like a father loves a son. Jim is worried about Huck and Huck tries to protect Jim and maybe teach him a bit while they’re at it.  

Huck Finn - what I think of Huck so far

            While reading the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck comes across as a very static character. What some readers may not be able to see, though, is that while being rather simple and uneducated, Huck is actually a smart person.

            Huck could be considered simple because of the way he has previously lived his life and his uneducated state. For instance, when Tom tells him about genies, he automatically believes him and sets out to find a lamp of his own to get a genie from. “I got an old tin lamp and an iron ring, and went out in the woods and rubbed and rubbed till I sweat like an Injun, calculating to build a palace and sell it…”(Twain, 23). This illustrates his uncomplicated perspective on life, and how gullible he truly is. While living with the widow, he also takes a straightforward approach, and allows her to instruct him to do whatever he wants, which suggests a simple constitution. He’s also shown as a content second in command to Tom, which is another indicator of someone not so bright. Huck is portrayed as a rather dumb character in the first couple of chapters, as is shown by his ignorance of education and religion. He can’t read, and he doesn’t really know anything about Christian ways of life. After he’s taught, though, he is shown to be quite smart. My impression of him is that while he definitely isn’t book smart, he has a kind of resourcefulness that can’t be taught.

            Huck learns quickly, as is illustrated by his picking up and quickly adapting to the ways of the widow. While being originally illustrated as a dull character, he quickly shows himself to be quite sharp. A good example of his intelligence is in the cabin with his father, when he hatches a plan for escape. “I got under the table and raised the blanket, and went to work to saw a section of the big bottom log out – big enough to let me through” (Twain, 33). Under normal circumstances, no eleven year old would have been able to come up with a solution like that. Not to mention, the way he managed to come into possession of a canoe and hide it from his father with no suspicion being aroused. Again, a child would never be expected to be that resourceful, and yet Huck, who everyone has passed off as an idiot, has. On multiple occasions. He may not be book smart, but Huck Finn is one of the most intelligent characters in the novel, at least so far.