In chapters twenty-six to thirty, the reader can see
Huckleberry Finn grow as a person and mature. The first and most obvious
instance of his coming of age is when Huck decides that does not want to steal
the money with the Duke and King. After he listened to the King’s speech to the
townspeople, he grasps how smart and dangerous he is. The only person that
picked up on his scam was the doctor, who tried to convince the daughters not
to trust the two frauds. Despite his pleas, they gave the King and the Duke
money to show their trust in their “uncles”.
The next day, Huck is caught lying
to Joanna about the life that he supposedly lived. In his confusion, the
kindness of the daughters shines through and spurs him to take action against
the King. He takes the money that they stole and hides it so he can give it
back to its rightful owners. This act of valor severely jeopardizes Jim’s
chance of freedom, but Huck determines that it must be done. This decision
shows his maturity because Huck is basically helping a stranger. No child will
go out of their way and assist a stranger over a close friend, so for Huck to
do this, it is a big deal.
In chapter 28, Huckleberry reveals
the entire plot and location of the gold to Mary Jane to preserve the slave
family that the King has just separated.
The choice to help the daughters is monumental because Huck had
previously sided with the con men in the other town, Bricksville. He felt no
regret scamming those people because they were void of morals and the town was
sordid. When the duke and the king con the Wilks daughters, however, Huck is
furious and recognizes he must intervene, regardless of the costs, thus showing
that he has grown more mature and less self-centered.
2 comments:
Gabe I think you make some good points here. I agree with your view on how Huck deals with the Duke and the King. I think Huck shows growth by telling Mary Jane and refusing to help steal the money. However, I disagree with your view on Huck hiding the money. As you pointed out this hurts the chance of Jim getting freedom which I think shows Huck still has an immature side at this point. By choosing someone he does not even know over someone who has become a very close friend shows Huck is still immature and doesn’t have his priorities in order. Overall, with the exception of that one point I agree with most everything you said here. You said Huck is becoming more mature and self centered which is very true. You make very valid arguments regarding the growth and maturity of Huck so far in the novel.
Gabe! You believe Huck's monumental decision to aid the Wilks family is one of the main factors that contributes in Huck's growth and most of us will probably agree with you, but like Mat I believe he shows more maturity when he tells Mary Jane of the Duke and the Dolphin's scheme. When he decides to trust someone else beside himself and Jim, he takes a huge risk despite the fact that he could possibly be hung. In a way he realizes that he can not ruin the frauds’ plans by himself and that he needs help, trusting someone like Mary Jane made it easier to steal back the money from the conmen. She might not have helped at all but seeing her and having her away from the scene made it much easier and motivated him to do the right thing because he knew deep inside that the Wilks did not deserve this.
Post a Comment