Huck Finn #1: p.9-27

"I didn't want him to try. I said Jim might wake up and come. But Tom wanted to resk [sic] it; so we slid in there and got three candles, and Tom laid five cents on the table for pay" (14).

This quotation shows Tom Sawyer's dominance and the immaturity of being a kid. We often see Huck questioning Tom's ideas and restraining from following his actions, but since Tom seems knowledgeable from reading many imaginative books, Huck falls under Tom's control. This goes along with the other boys. The name of their group is Tom Sawyer's Gang, another example of his dominance. They believe Tom is so educated, but Huck begins to realize that all his stories are lies. As for their immaturity, Tom and Huck are just being kids. One may think they are stealing, but they left five cents for the candles to not get into trouble. They are only having fun.

"I judged the old man would turn up again by-and-by, though I wished he wouldn't" (20).

Huck has led a hard life with his drunk father. Huck says how his father often beat him and how he would run to the woods for safety. When rumors of Huck's father being dead are brought to attention,  Huck really does not care and hopes he is dead: "I didn't want to see him no more" (20). Unfortunately, the body found was not his father's body. I believe Huck's rough childhood has a great influence to his daily mannerisms and his thought process. Huck and his friends pretend to rob and kill people. They steal and cause disruption for the Sunday school. Beyond all this, he even decides that he does not want to find God or heaven. Huck does not seem to find a father figure anywhere. This may have led to his actions and ones that are to come. This is also probably why he loves Tom because he is someone Huck can look up to: "I wanted him and me to be together" (11).

 

Vocabulary:

"So we unhitched a skiff and pulled down the river two mile and a half" (15).

skiff- n. a shallow, flat-bottomed open boat with sharp bow and square stern.

"we would lay in ambuscade" (21).

ambuscade- n. an ambush.