The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Unit Preparation

Synopsis

Huckleberry Finn, son of the town's drunk, lives with the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson, the widow's sister. He likes the widow, but doesn't enjoy her attempts to "civilize" him. When pap, Huck's father, returns to town, he wants Huck to live with him, mostly because he wants to get his hands on money that Huck is entitled to. (Huck shares $12,000 with Tom Sawyer. In Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, which was written earlier, Huck and Tom found the money in a robber's cave. The money was then put in trust for them.)

Since Huck doesn't want to go with pap, his father catches him and takes him to a cabin where nobody can find him. Huck escapes, though, and hides out at Jackson's Island. A few days later Huck finds Jim, Miss Watson's slave. Jim tells Huck that he ran away because he was afraid that Miss Watson was going to sell him to a slave trader in New Orleans. Huck promises not to turn Jim in.

They begin traveling down the river on a raft, hoping to get Jim to the free states. Along the way they have several adventures. They take up with two con men, one of whom betrays Jim by telling a man that Jim is a runaway slave. When Huck learns that Jim has been captured, he and Tom Sawyer, who has joined him, plan an elaborate scheme to save Jim, finally freeing him.

The story is episodic with many adventures, rich in the dialects of the times, and provides vivid details of life along the Mississippi before the Civil War.

Ideas and Concepts to Highlight

1. Note that the story is told in the first person, with Huck as the narrator. Emphasize that Twain used the dialects of the times and that he wrote the story as if Huck were actually speaking. (Some students may have trouble with the dialects.)
2. Discuss the setting. The story takes place in the South prior to the Civil War. The country was divided into slave and free states.
3. Explain that the novel is episodic. The plot consists of numerous events, each of which is a very short story by itself. (Critics often complain that Twain wandered with the plot and occasionally needed to rely on coincidence to make things work out. Although this may be valid in some cases, it doesn't diminish the story's appeal and many strengths.)
4. Emphasize the powerful contrasts that are found throughout the book, the most striking being the differences between Huck and Tom, and slavery and freedom.
5. Note Huck's basic goodness. Although he has faults, he is willing to go against his society to help Jim.
6. Point out Twain's use of irony, which he frequently employs to give his opinions on the behavior of people. A good example is Huck's belief in the values of his society. He has been taught that slavery is right, and feels that it is wrong for him to help Jim. Yet he helps Jim anyway and accepts Jim as an individual.

Writing Connection: "The Continuing Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"

Huck is truly an interesting character. Uneducated, he is intelligent; a product of his times, he nevertheless is willing to break social customs (and laws) that he feels are wrong. Although he has a keen understanding of people, he doesn't always make the right decisions. One of his most unwavering traits, however, is his desire to avoid being "civilized." That's why at the end of the novel he intends to go to "Injun" territory.

For this assignment, instruct your students to imagine that Huck did indeed go to Injun territory. Keeping in mind his personality, students are to write of his continuing adventures. Have students answer the questions below to generate ideas.

1. Where does Huck go after Jim is freed?
2. Why does he go there?
3. How does he get there?
4. What happens when Huck arrives?
5. How does this new adventure affect or change Huck?

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