Huck Finn Post 16-22

These few chapters were not very forthcoming with the theme, coming-of-age, and you definitely had to dig deeper into the reading.  But eventually you find it.  One instance of coming-of-age in chapters 16-22, is the notion of death.  Here you meet the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons, who are two families still at war with each other, but neither one knows why.  Their main objective, however, seems to be to kill each other.  There is even a sense of irony as you realize that the two families go to the same church, but while sitting there listening to the word of brotherly love, they have rifles between their knees.

This feud between the two families leads to the death of Buck Grangerford and the nineteen year old Shepherdsons, and this is a very serious moment in the novel.  While they have brought up the situation of death earlier in the book with Huck’s father,  this is now one of his friends that he had been staying with.  This is a coming-of-age example because when you are facing the death of someone who is close to you, you don’t really have a choice but to confront it.  You also may have to ask yourself questions such as ‘what happens when we die?’  And even though Huck was more concerned about fleeing, you saw how this death affected him when he pulled Buck’s body from the river and cried when he covered his face.  Death is something that shouldn’t affect people as young as Huck, but this incident shows just how quickly family feuds can escalate, and how confusing Huck’s world really is.

There is also the Duke and the Dauphin, who really seem to bring out Huck’s innocence in a way.  He knows that these men are criminals and that they are lying to him and Jim, but they are powerless in this situation.  While on the other hand, on this raft with these men, Huck has come up with his own opinion that one is “mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft,” despite the evil in the world that surrounds him.  Huck seems to be growing up and making his own decisions.  This could be either really good, or really bad.

In the next few chapters, there is fraud, fakery, and religion.  You can really see just how messed up Huck’s world is, and this means that he is going to have to learn to grow up fast.  He is going to have to recognize evil, and the crimes on human may commit against another.  He is also going to have to learn to make quick decisions since he and Jim are now fugitives.  This world he lives in has already made an impact on him.  While attending something as innocent as a circus, which is supposed to be entertaining and amusing, Huck finds himself genuinely concerned for the safety of the drunken clown on a horse.  He should have seen this situation as funny, not as dangerous.  Huck’s world is getting more complicated, and with him and Jim on the run, I think things are going to get a lot worse before they get better.

Huck Finn Chapters 1-5

The theme “Coming-of-age” means to mature, find oneself, or to have a better understanding of life.  Most people would not expect to see this theme in a story such as Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, simply because the main character is a young about, and you don’t expect him to be mature or have a deeper understanding of the world around him.  But Huck Finn does, and it was very interesting to read about his coming of age during the first five chapters.

One example of the theme coming-of-age was when Huck talked about learning how to read, write, and do math.  Now in today’s culture, this wouldn’t be seen as a big deal, because most children go to school to read and write, and they are expected to learn and receive a good education.  For Huck Finn, education was a luxury.  He came from a poor family, in which no one knew how to read or write.  So even early on in the story he was doing things that some adults couldn’t even do, which showed maturity and the ability to understand aspects of life.

Another example would be when Huck formed his own opinion on religion in chapter three.  “I went out in the woods and turned it over in my mind a long time, but I couldn’t see no advantage about it-except for the other people-so at last I reckoned I wouldn’t worry about it anymore, but just let it go.” (Twain, 12).  This is part of coming-of-age because he was able to understand both the widow and Miss Watson’s point of views, and then decide for himself what he thought about it.  Most kids just believe whatever it is that their parents believe at this age, but no Huck.  He choose what he wanted to believe in and that was it.

On page 15, you can see how Huck’s character starts to mature by the way he reacts to one of Tom Saywer’s stories about Arabs and elephants.  In this last paragraph before chapter 4, Huck says “So then I judged that all that stuff was only just one of Tom Sawyer’s lies.  I reckoned he believed in the A-rabs and the elephants, but as for me I think different.  It had all the marks of a Sunday school.” (Twain, 15).  He is starting to drift away from all of Tom’s stories and theories about pirates and genies, and thinking about the situation logically.  He sees the faults in Tom’s stories and makes the decision that they are lies based on the evidence around him, which in this case was a Sunday school having a picnic on a hill.  We are barely halfway through the novel and you can see how much Huck has matured, and how he is starting to get a better understanding of things.

Chapters 7 and 8

So right away I didn't like chapter seven.  I understand that during this time period, most if not all decisions were made from a religious point of view, but what evidence did they have that made Pearl a demon child?  Was it that since they didn't know who her father was they automatically made him a demon making the child some sort of half demon? Or was it simply the fact that because she came to be in what was considered a 'sinful' warheads demon child?  I really don't understand.

And I didn't really see a difference between the people and the government deciding what would be done with the child because they all have the same judgment mindset when it came to making to decisions about sinners in their town.  I also didn't like the way they connected Pearl wearing the color red to Hester' s guilt and shame.  What if she just a lot of red fabric and that's why Pearl wears a lot red.  Why does she have to be r of Hester' s mistake?  And just a side note, I'm assuming that the children they see are Pearl' s age, and I have never heard toddlers speak in such an advanced manner.  "No, my little Pearl!  Thou must gather thine own sunshine.  I have none to give their!"  (pg 100)  I thought that this was really sad because Hester was saying that wouldn't be able to give Pearl anything that made her happy, so she would have to find happiness on her own.

In chapter eight, again they talk about Pearl wearing red.  Was it just not a normal color for young children to wear, or was it the intricate style of the clothing that seemed to make them stare?  I like the way that the minister describes Pearl, and the fact that he actually stands up for Hester, which shows that he might be on her side later on in the story.  He basically says that even though Pearl is a constant reminder to her mother about what she did, she is a blessing in disguise.  She will most likely teach Hester an important life lesson later on in the story.

At the end of chapter eight I was scared and confused.  Why was Hester being asked by the sister of the governor, who was an executed witch, to meet with her and this 'Black Man' in the woods later? Obviously she realizes this woman is a witch.  Is she friends with her?  Are they part of a secret society?  Or are they simply just a group of people who have been deemed the sinners and damned of the town?

Chapter 4-6

So, in chapter four, Hester is acting really weird and she requires constant attention when she is back in the prison.  They even said that she is acting as though she is possessed, which I highly doubt.  Seeing as though she is neither mentally ill nor possessed, what causes her to act out like this?  Does she want attention from someone, or is something truly bothering her.

                They then called in a physician by the name of Roger Chillingworth, who I think is the mysterious man that Hester had a connection with in the crowd before.  My question is, after reading the part of their conversation, did they love each other? Were they in a relationship? Does he feel betrayed? Is he father?  And we find out that he is not the father, and Hester again refuses to name the father of her child.

                We also find out that Chillingworth was in fact Hester’s husband?  This only confused me and made we ask more questions.  Did she leave him before she became pregnant?  Did she leave him because she was pregnant and the child was not his?  Was he the one to leave her?  I don’t think that he was the one to leave her because the townspeople don’t even know who he is! Did they not know that she was married?  And it’s a little bit stalkerish of him to come out of nowhere and basically threaten her with the fact that he is going to find the father of her baby.  Seriously, this guy is really creepy.

                In chapter five, I was very upset with Hester for feeling upset and confused.  In the beginning of the book when she first came out of the prison, she seemed so shameless, and didn’t seem to care what other people thought about her situation.  But it looks like she just gave up on life because she moved with her baby to the part of the forest by the shore.  And the worst part is that she is almost contradicting herself.  She knows that she can leave Massachusetts and start a new life, but she chooses to stay here.  Is she waiting for something happen? 

                There is also the irony of her scarlet letter.  It was supposed to be a punishment for the crime she committed, but it was so beautiful that everyone wants her to design their clothing.  These people need to make up their minds, they need to hate her or love her.  Pick something, and stick with it please.  This reminded me of “Easy A,” and she figured that if people thought she was the school whore, she might as well the dress for the part.  She tore up all of her clothing, and played the role that everybody had given her.

                In chapter six they finally talk about her baby Pearl.  I think that Pearl is sign that what Hester did, really isn’t as bad as everybody is making it out to be.  For someone who committed such a major sin, shouldn’t karma have rewarded her with some horrible circumstance besides everybody hating her?  She has a beautiful baby girl, and she doesn’t even have any physical defects.  Surely this baby isn’t the representation of her sin and guiltiness.  Unless of course the baby grows up to hate her because she doesn’t even know who her father is and everybody makes fun of her.  Then yea, I guess Pearl would be her punishment.   

The Scarlet Letter Chapters 1-3

The beginning of the Scarlet Letter gives the impression that is truly literature written during the time of the Puritans.  The author talks about the town, the people, what they wear, and most of all the prison.  The prison can be viewed as possibly one of the most important places to the townspeople in this story.

On page 46 the quote “But on one side of the portal, and rooted almost at the threshold, was a wild rosebush, covered, in this month of June, with its delicate gems, which might be imagined to offer their fragrance and fragile beauty to the prisoner as he went in, and to the condemned as he came forth to his doom, in token that the deep heart of Nature could pity and be kind to him,” gave the story a little bit more light.  Roses are known for their fragrance and beauty, and in this passage, symbolize hope to a prisoner.  Hope that even though you are going into the prison, you might be coming out as a free man soon.  It also wouldn’t be a bad thing if the last thing a criminal saw or smelt was a rose, which could make walking to your deem not as bad.

The connection could also be seen as a rose being the connection between humanity and nature.  Rosebushes have to be cared too in order to survive. So if nature can make something that seemed to show pity and kindness, then maybe the people tending to this rosebush could do the same thing.  This passage could also be looked at through a gender lens.  When speaking of the prisoners in this hypothetical case, they were referred to as ‘he’, or ‘him’, stating that the prisoner was a male.  This can be understood that prisoners in this time were not very often, if not ever, women.

The prison house is also important in the way that this is the place where all decisions concerning the law are made, from criminals to unruly children and witches.  All disciplinary actions were open to the public, just like the prison.  Everyone knew about everything and who everybody was.  There were no secrets in this town.  If there were any questions as to what was happening, it could be answered by who was walking into or out of prison.

In chapter two the town gossipers are introduced.  They are a group of women who think that, in the case of Hester Pyrnne, they should have a say in how she is punished and treated.  Is this early feminism? Or is it merely that these women think that they know exactly how this situation should be handled.  They mock the magistrates when Hester comes out of prison looking stunning.  The red letter ‘A’ the men made her embroider into her clothing made her look more beautiful, and the gossips don’t see that as a punishment.

Chapter three drew a lot of questions.  Who was this stranger, the white man and his companion the Indian?  Why did it seem as though him and Hester had a connection, and a bad one at that.  She felt that she should be hiding from him, and the multitude of people in the crowd protected her from him.  The biggest question of all was why would she not say who the father was?  Did she truly love this man, or was he someone of importance.  Maybe she didn’t want to ruin his reputation.  Maybe it is the Reverend Mr. Dimmsdale, and he feels guilty, and this is why he pressuring her to come out and say who the father is, so that he himself doesn’t have to.

testing one...two...three...