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.