Choose one of the following passages from Adventures of Huckleberry Finn for a close-reading analysis, focussed on the literary and cultural aspects that you find more relevant.
Suggested topics: theme(s) and structure; importance of the text within the context of the author’s work and time; subject of the enunciation; point of view and effect upon the reader/addressee; rhetoric and linguistic devices and language tropes (descriptive, lyric or dramatic text type, figures of speech, symbolism, innovation / surprising markers, collocations, or pattern traces within the author’s work); intertextuality with texts studied in this class or others.
chapter V, p. 32:
"And looky here – you drop that school, you hear? I’ll learn people to bring up a boy to put on airs over his own father and let on to be better’n what HE is. You lemme catch you fooling around that school again, you hear? Your mother couldn’t read, and she couldn’t write, nuther, before she died. None of the family couldn’t before THEY died. I can’t; and here you’re a-swelling yourself up like this. I ain’t the man to stand it – you hear? Say, lemme hear you read.”
I took up a book and begun something about General Washington and the wars. When I’d read about a half a minute, he fetched the book a whack with his hand and knocked it across the house."
chapter VII, p. 46-47:
"They won’t ever hunt the river for anything but my dead carcass. They’ll soon get tired of that, and won’t bother no more about me. All right; I can stop anywhere I want to. Jackson’s Island is good enough for me; I know that island pretty well, and nobody ever comes there. And then I can paddle over to town nights, and slink around and pick up things I want. Jackson’s Island’s the place.
I was pretty tired, and the first thing I knowed I was asleep. When I woke up I didn’t know where I was for a minute. I set up and looked around, a little scared. Then I remembered. The river looked miles and miles across. The moon was so bright I could a counted the drift logs that went a-slipping along, black and still, hundreds of yards out from shore. Everything was dead quiet, and it looked late, and SMELT late. You know what I mean–I don’t know the words to put it in."
11 comments:
I chose this passage from Chapter V, where Huck's father, Pap, confronts him about his schooling, because it connects with my experience as a college student. Not everyone in my family is fully supportive; there are feelings of "betrayal" and the idea that I think I'm better than them because of my education. While that's not true, I get where those feelings come from—probably from the fear that we might grow apart. This makes this passage especially meaningful for me, as I can see some people as similar to Pap.
In this passage, Pap shows his anger towards Huck for getting an education, seeing it as a challenge to his authority and family legacy. The tension in their relationship is clear, reflecting larger themes of social class and the struggle between education and ignorance in 19th-century America.
Themes and Structure:
The main theme here is the conflict between education and ignorance. Pap represents the uneducated generation that views Huck’s schooling as a betrayal. His anger at Huck for "putting on airs" shows a deep resentment towards those who try to rise above their circumstances, which seems to contradict the whole spirit of the American Dream. This passage is structured around direct speech, which emphasizes Pap’s emotional intensity. The repeated phrase "you hear?" highlights his aggressive nature and attempts to control Huck.
Cultural Context:
In the context of the author’s time, this passage reflects societal attitudes towards education and social mobility. In the late 19th century, education was seen as a pathway to success (like Tom Sawyer, who is well-read and viewed as smart by his peers), but it was often not available to poorer families. Pap's disdain for Huck's education shows a resistance to change and a fear of losing traditional roles in the family.
Point of View:
The passage is told from Huck’s perspective, allowing readers to connect with him. Huck's inner struggle between his father's authority and his desire for education (even if he only wants to annoy his father) creates a complex situation. The contrast between Huck’s aspirations and Pap’s limitations highlights the generational divide and the tension between progress and stagnation.
Rhetorical and Linguistic Devices:
Twain uses everyday language to bring Pap’s character to life. Phrases like "you lemme catch you fooling around that school again" reflect the regional dialect and make Pap feel more real. This dialect also illustrates the theme of social class—Pap’s ignorance and resentment come through in his speech. The act of knocking the book across the house symbolizes Pap's rejection of education and his desire to control Huck's life.
Intertextuality:
While I’m not certain which texts we've studied in class might relate to this one, I have seen Heidi, which explores similar themes of education, family dynamics, and the clash between societal expectations and personal goals. Both stories highlight the struggles of young protagonists dealing with the complexities of their surroundings and the pressures from those around them.
Conclusion:
This passage from Adventures of Huckleberry Finn captures the struggle between education and ignorance, emphasizing the personal and societal conflicts that arise from this dynamic. Through Pap’s aggressive language and actions, Twain critiques the barriers to education faced by people in lower socioeconomic classes while exploring the complicated relationships between parents and children in a society that is changing way too fast.
Commenting on Chapter V, when Pap lectures Huck about not going to school, I felt it was more about keeping this relationship of power and property over the boy (connecting to the comment he makes about the government), but I also interpreted it as a way of oposing nature and civilisation. As Pap says, the people that came before Huck were not educated, knew not how to write nor how to read, and so the same is expected of Huck. This leads me to see Pap as the exact opposite of the Widow and Miss Watson. Where The Widow and Miss want Huck to go to school; to be educated and therefore civilised, his father (a biological, natural figure of authority) expects him to keep to his nature.
I forgot to sign, this comment was made by me, Tiago Coxo Silva
In regards to the excerpt from Chapter V, the thing that immediately stands out to me is the repetition of “you hear?” - more than a tag question, it seems to convey effectively a threatening tone. There is, too, the seemingly disjointed syntax that communicates not only the dialectal context from which Pap appears, but also betrays some anger and lack of control. And the double negatives, of course.
Language wise, I find interesting the metaphor “bring up a boy”, not just in the sense of raising him education wise, but also in status. In contrast, Pap orders him to “drop” the school - and suffer a fall as a consequence. “Lemme catch you” - in Portuguese, maybe, “eu que te apanhe”, is the explicit moment of threat. “Put on airs” is also interesting: despite being a fairly common colloquialism for us, it still tells us something more, here. It tells us that this attitude of superiority that Pap fears is something to put on and take off, like Huck’s good clothes, associating education with arrogance.
I did some research and found out that this expression is used in a racially derogatory manner in a minstrel song from the Civil War, so it might have been familiar to a reader contemporary to Twain.
As I’m sure has been said before, the issue of class prevails here. Pap is resentful over his son’s possible education and, therefore, social mobility. Being “white trash”, neither he nor Huck’s mom learnt how to read, and there is an image of being left behind (which reminds me of King George in relation to America, being a negligent and aggressive colonial parent himself). This parallel comes to a head when Huck reads a book about Washington. The access to these writings threatens his submission.
As such, there seems to be an opposition, constructed by opposing education (oppressive civilisation but also a means to escape an abusive parent) and biology/nature (freedom, yes, but also submitting to the laws of the wild, namely his father’s violence).
Beatriz Simões
The excerpt chosen from Chapter V is a great example of how Mark Twain uses language to give life to the text. The use of a dialect, the violent lexicon, the rhetoric questions as well as the repetition of “you hear?” characterize Huck’s Father, but also introduce a dramatic dimension to the text.
This passage, also, highlights the theme of child abuse in education. While living with his father, Huck becomes a victim of domestic violence. In this excerpt, Huck is the target of his father’s threats, if he doesn’t give up school - something that hurts the dad’s ego. While in prior chapters Huck is abused because he isn’t good at learning. Throughout the text, Twain criticizes child abuse in education (both in school and at home). This type of abuse was prevalent not only in Twain's time but also in Benjamin Franklin’s era, as seen in his autobiography. Franklin points out how he was in the receiving end of his brother’s “blows of passion” (p. 536).
Carolina Santos
In the excerpt from Chapter V, the phrase “you hear?” stands out a lot. This repetition shows a threatening tone and reflects Pap's anger and frustration. His way of speaking is rough and shows that he is not in control.
The metaphor “bring up a boy” means more than just education, it also refers to social status. When Pap tells Huck to “drop” the school, it suggests that Huck will lose not just his education but also his place in society. Pap fears Huck may think he is better than him.
The theme of class is important here. Pap is bitter because he knows Huck could get an education, something he and Huck’s mother never had. The mention of Washington represents a kind of knowledge that threatens Pap’s authority. This creates a conflict between education, which can both help Huck escape from his father and oppress him, and the wild, which offers freedom but also lets Huck face his father’s abuse.
Vânia Chandulal
Themes: I believe there at two main themes in this passage from Chapter V. The theme of education (and lack thereof) and the theme of (unhealthy) family dynamics (most specifically fatherhood). There is clearly a conflict between Huck Finn (who is attending school and represents knowledge) and his father (who represents the illiterate man). The relationship between Huckleberry Finn and his father is a complex and turbulent one. Pap is a controlling, authoritarian and violent men towards Huck Finn, forbidding him to get an education (something that would benefit his son), only because he sees it at as a confrontation to his authority and as an act of disrespect.
Structure: Most of the passage is in direct speech, being based around the words that Pap told to Huckleberry Finn.
Social and Historical Context: The novel takes place before the Civil War in the American South. Education was still not accessible to everyone at the time, especially to people from a lower class, and to African-Americans and women, as we can see by the speech made by Huck Finn’s father. Pap claims that Huck Finn’s mother and family could not read or write, and that he is also illiterate, using this as an excuse to forbid Huckleberry Finn from going to school (as Huck Finn had no right to be better than his father).
Point of view and effect upon the reader/addressee: The whole passage is based around Huck Finn’s perspective. He is the one quoting his father and narrating the events. The direct speech gives vivacity to this passage, allowing us to imagine the scene as it happened. The description of Huck Finn’s father throwing the book “across the house” allows us to see Pap’s temperament and the extension of his violence towards his son. The direct speech and Huckleberry Finn's narration makes us aware of his relationship with his father and gives life to the passage.
Rhetoric and linguistic devices and language tropes: Rhetorical questions are prevalent in Huck Finn father’s speech. They serve as a form of threat, having a violent tone ("you hear?"). Pap’s speech is very informal and showcases elements of the regional dialect (“looky here”; “lemme”; ain’t)
Intertextuality: The topic of education and literacy is also (directly and indirectly) present in the literary works of Mary Rowlandson and Anne Bradstreet, as they were both educated (and Puritan) women at a time (17th century) where education was not accessible to most women. Anne Bradstreet, for instance, reflects in her poem “The Author to Her Book” about her struggles with the writing/ artistic process. Moreover, I can also find connections between the “Declaration of Independence” and this passage from Chapter V. The Founding Fathers were writing the Declaration with the aim of being independent from Great Britain. The Founding Fathers wanted to set free from the dictatorial rule of King George III (a type of father figure), just as Huck Finn wishes to be free from his violent and authoritarian father. Furthermore, Pap goes against the three unalienable rights “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”, as he does not allow his son to decide for himself and have a better life than he did, forbidding him to get an education. I found particularly interesting the fact that Huck Finn is asked to read a passage about “General Washington”. George Washington, one of the Founding Fathers and the first President of the United States, is a symbol of progress and democracy. The fact that Huck Finn is able to read a passage about him, not only showcases the positive results of his education, but also makes him closer to the ideals of the “Declaration of Independence”. However, his father, in contrast, throws the book across the room, which shows his rejection of progress. We have then a conflict between two father figures: George Washington (Father of the US) VS Pap (Huck Finn’s father).
- Beatriz Bicudo Cunha
Before being able to properly analyze Chapter VII’s passage, it’s important to locate it within the context of the story, which then allows us to establish its defining theme. At this point in the story, Huck has finished hatching his plan to escape his abusive father and is now putting it into action. He plans on faking his own death and running off down the river in a canoe until he gets to Jackson’s Island, where he plans on staying. Though it might seem like perhaps Huck’s goal here is to find safety from his father, in reality, he could go back to Widow Douglas if all he wanted was to escape the physical abuse - and though he does consider this thought initially, he immediately dismisses it (“I didn’t want to go back to the widow’s any more and be so cramped up and sivilized, as they called it.”).
From here, we arrive at what seems to be the central theme of this passage: freedom. Huck’s rejection of both the violent control of his father as well as the civilizing education of the widow shows that, for him, true freedom ultimately means an escape from the expectations of a civilized society. In my view, the reference to Jackson’s Island as his destination and choice of home serves as a symbol for Huck’s primary desire, while also allowing us to point out one piece of intertextual influence. Jackson’s Island, a location which also appears in “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” when Tom Sawyer forms his pirate gang, seems to represent a space where Huck can reclaim a sense of self and of agency, which has since been stifled by different authority figures. To the young boy, a sense of freedom is not only drawn from being an outcast to society (in “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”, living as a pirate), but also from a profound connection to nature, which we can observe is emphasized in the passage. As an example, the river is described as stretching “miles and miles across”, giving us the idea that traversing it is both a herculean and isolating task, while also simultaneously enabling his ultimate wish.
On the other hand, Twain’s use of imagery as a literary device solidifies this connection between Huck, freedom, and nature. Huck, despite being a relatively young boy, only recently literate, is still able to essentially paint us a picture of what he can not just observe, but hear and smell. The language used is simple and unrefined (in particular, the phrase “SMELT late”), and though he can’t quite put it into the exact words he wants, his attempt tells us that nature is more than just a transitory space between him and his destination - it is in itself his destination. This pursuit of freedom as an ultimate goal is a core American principle, harkening back to the Declaration of Independence which, as we saw, puts “the pursuit of Happiness” right alongside in importance with liberty and life itself.
Essentially, this passage is crucial for not just conveying Huck’s yearning for freedom, but also allowing him to define it in his own terms: away from the rest of civilized society and ultimately connected with nature.
- Pedro Barros
I enjoyed how the author, on purpose, built a very special language that, not only adds to the characterization of Pap, but stands out from any other character and enriches the Style of his work. For instance, one can find oral marks of expression, as the repeated “you hear”, “And looky here”and the use of double negative, “None of the family couldn’t before THEY died”. Regarding this passage in other texts, so far studied, It is known how Benjamin Franklin’s brother, James, used to beat him up, however, I would like to highlight that fact, as Pap isn’t very satisfied with his son going to school, Franklin’s father isn’t much happier about letting his son wonder about the sea“I disliked the trade, and had a strong inclination for the sea, but my father declared against it;, however, living near the water, I was much in and about it (…)”
(Continuation) As both works belong in the “coming of age” shelf, it’s interesting to note their struggles with their father figures. Lastly, I was very intrigued by this expression “to put on airs over his father”, so I went to search it up and found out that it was part of a minstrel (apparently, a “show” where blackface was a common thing) song of 1864. I believe, taking in consideration the time and setting (Huckleberry Finn being published 20 years later), this expression, that at a first glance, seems inoffensive, however, Isa clear exemple of “ racism is in disguise”
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