This week - Huckleberry Finn

1/28 - Chapters 33 and 34
1/29 - Chapters 35 and 36
1/30 - Chapters 37 and 38
1/31 - Chapters 39 and 40
2/1 - Chapters 41- End


Huck Discussion Questions XXXI - XXXV

1. Would you say that Chapter 31 represents the climax of the novel? Why or why not?

2. Huck says, "All right, then, I'll go to hell." Explain the irony in that statement.

3. Discuss the symbolism of the imagery at the beginning of Chapter 32.

4. Discuss Huck's understanding of Providence (215)? Would Miss Watson agree?

5. How does Twain use irony in the discussion between Huck and Mrs. Phelps about the "steamboat accident."

6. One of the recurring themes becomes apparent when Huck discovers that the Phelps are expecting Tom Sawyer. Which theme comes to mind and why?

7. Huck and Tom both agree to help Jim escape; however, their motives are different. Explain.

8. "...and as they went by I see they had the king and duke astraddle of a rail - that is, I knowed it WAS the king and the duke, though they was all over tar and feathers. ...Well it made me sick to see it; and I was sorry for them poor pitiful rascals. ...Human beings CAN be cruel to one another" (225). Comment. What does this reveal about Huck's character?

9. Discuss the irony in Tom's reaction to the stealing of the watermelon.

10. Why does Huck let Tom take control?


Huck Discussion XXXVI-XXXIX - Written Assignment

Directions: Please write a minimum of three paragraphs on the following topic. Supply evidence from Chapters 35 - 39 to support your answer. It is due next class period. Think carefully about your answer.
Twain criticizes the Romantics. The Romantics based their literature on the conviction that imagination and emotion were superior to reason. You will recall that in Chapters 12 & 13, Twain names the wrecked steamboat The Walter Scott after a Romantic author, metaphorically relating it to the demise of Romanticism. Obviously, Twain was not a fan of Romantic fiction.

The Question: How was Twain's disdain for Romantic fiction evident in Chapters 36-39?
Hint - Think about:
1. Tom's character as symbolic of the Romantic;
2. how Huck has changed since Tom arrived;
3. the practicality of the plans for Jim's escape;
4. the consideration for Jim's welfare in these plans.

Huck Discussion Questions XL-Chapter the Last

1. What do we learn about Jim in these chapters?

2. What effect does the Doctor's speech in support of Jim have? How do you feel about that?

3. What is the significance of the bullet?

4. Where is Huck going at the end of the novel? What does this imply about his view of the world in which he lives?

5. Comment on the style of the novel. Do you feel it represents the Realist tradition as we have discussed it? What aspects of Huck's character make him a good narrator? What problems did you encounter (if any) due to Huck's narration? Speculate on how a different narrator or a third person omniscient narrator would impact the story.