1 / 13

Friendship and Self-Discovery in Huck Finn

Explore the evolving theme of friendship in chapters 14-16 of Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Witness Huck's internal conflict as he grapples with personal responsibility and loyalty to Jim amidst societal norms of slavery.

jolenei
Download Presentation

Friendship and Self-Discovery in Huck Finn

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Huck Finn – Chapters 14-16

  2. Theme • How do we decide what the theme of a piece of literature is? • O video

  3. Theme • Using the clues, what theme do you think is developing in these chapters?

  4. The importance of friendship • What happens to Huck and Jim in chapter 15?

  5. The importance of friendship • What happens to Huck and Jim in chapter 15? • Fog comes up and Huck can’t find his way back to the canoe • Huck gets scared and worried that he can’t find Jim • Panics • Huck is beginning to realize how important Jim’s friendship is to him

  6. The importance of friendship • How does Jim feel about Huck? • Huck finds Jim asleep in the morning • He plays a joke on Jim and tries to convince him it was just a dream • Jim is hurt by it • How does Huck respond?

  7. It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger; but I done it, and I warn't ever sorry for it afterwards, neither. I didn't do him no more mean tricks, and I wouldn't done that one if I'd a knowed it would make him feel that way. (p.86)

  8. What happens in chapter 16? • An event in chapter 16 shows Huck just how far his personal sense of morality has developed • In order to understand the events in chapter 16, there are some words and phrases you may need defined. • O slides

  9. Theme: Personal Responsibility • Huck struggles to define his own sense of self and, in doing so, begins to redefine the nature of his friendship with Jim. • Two important pieces of a theme are conflict and its resolution. • Huck’s struggle with his inner conflict reaches a breaking point when he starts to question his right to help Jim, a slave, reach freedom • Why is this an inner conflict?

  10. Twain knows how powerful social norms can have on a person’s individual beliefs • Squawkbox • Is it hard for you to understand how Huck could believe that another person owned Jim’s family? • Think about context • But in the 1800s this was common practice, particularly in the South. By using Huck as his narrator, Twain is able to illustrate how deeply ingrained the practice of slavery was.

  11. Finding his own voice • What does Huck do when forced to choose between slavery or friendship?

  12. Finding his own voice • What does Huck do when forced to choose between slavery or friendship? • Huck chooses loyalty, again showing Twain's priorities, and giving the reader insight into how the themes of the novel are developing.

  13. As he makes the choice to stand by Jim, Huck thinks to himself: • They went off and I got aboard the raft, feeling bad and low, because I knowed very well I had done wrong, and I see it warn't no use for me to try to learn to do right; a body that don't get STARTED right when he's little ain't got no show--when the pinch comes there ain't nothing to back him up and keep him to his work, and so he gets beat. Then I thought a minute, and says to myself, hold on; s'pose you'd a done right and give Jim up, would you felt better than what you do now? No, says I, I'd feel bad--I'd feel just the same way I do now. Well, then, says I, what's the use you learning to do right when it's troublesome to do right and ain't no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same? (p.91)

More Related