Huckleberry Finn: Mid Pt

Well I was right and wrong about the book. I was right about how the story gives the reader a lot of insight into the culture of the time period. The story was published in 1885, however I’m assuming that the plot takes place before this, because as I mentioned in the intro post that there is still slavery. I was wrong about the compelling nature of the story. It is easy for me to get lost while reading. The story is told from the perspective of Huck Finn, a 13 year old boy from Missouri. His accent is difficult to decipher at times. Twain writes, “After supper she got out her book and learned me about Moses and the Bulrushers, and I was in a sweat to find out all about him; but by and by she let it out that Moses had been dead a considerable long time; so then I didn’t care no more about him, because I don’t take no stock in dead people” (2). This passage is about Huck’s guardian trying to teach him about Moses and the Bible, but Huck can’t get interested in it.

The main premise is Huck and his guardian’s slave, Jim, are traveling on a raft along the Mississippi. They stop at many different points along the way, marking their “adventures.” It took some research for me to figure why this book was so popular. I didn’t understand at first that Huck was only a kid, and I quickly realized why a kid figuring out that slavery is wrong and attempting to free Jim was so controversial at the time.

Another thing that makes the story confusing is when Jim speaks. As a slave, his English is very broken and also infused with a southern accent, making it exponentially confusing. Jim says, “Well you wouldn’t a ben here ‘f it hadn’t a ben for Jim. You’d a ben down dah in de woods widout any dinner, en gittin mos’ drownded too; dat you would honey. Chickens knows when it’s swine to rain, en so do de birds, chile” (49).

While I’m reading, most of the “adventures” I don’t understand the significance of. After more research, some of them are apparently Mark Twain’s commentary on social matters of the time, such as people’s obsession with stories about feuding families. In chapters 17 and 18, Huck is taken in by the Grangerford family, who Huck learns has a feud with the Shepherdsons. Matters become serious when Buck, the youngest Grangerford who Huck has befriended, is shot and killed by a Shepherson. The whole situation is Mark Twain commenting on the ridiculous ways that people in power use systems of belief to deny others basic humanity. Specifically in the time period, how some anti-Abolitionists would use the Bible as a means for justifying slavery. Abraham, the Patriarch, was a slave owner. They also point to the Ten Commandments, noting that, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, ... nor his manservant, nor his maidservant.”

While the reading can be confusing, after I take a step back and think about the greater meaning of the events in the story, I certainly see how this book is so popular even to this day. I look forward to continued reading despite the end of the project fast approaching!

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Intro

I have been following a blog where the author has been reading Huckleberry Finn. From the posts that I have read, the plot sounds compelling. It seems to focus around the development of 2 characters, the protagonist Huck Finn and a slave Jim. The story was written prior to 1865, so in addition to an interesting storyline, the book could give me more insight into life of the times, a bit of a history lesson perhaps. Although I’ve never read any of Mark Twain’s works, I’m sure it’s fantastic. I know I will enjoy a story that has been popular long past its publishing. I have a feeling I’ll be able to draw some connections in between Holden, from Catcher and Huck Finn. I look forward to getting lost in an all-time classic story!

Nation of Wimps: End

I feel like I’ve been reading this book for months. It seems so long ago when I was living in the fantastical setting of my fiction read. In my mind I’ve done so much but in reality I’m behind on the project, which is quite disheartening.

As far as the book, the author wrote an excellent concluding chapter. If you hadn’t read anything else, I think you could still pull almost all of the major ideas out of that last chapter. The core of the book was mostly concrete examples and opinions given by other experts. As I have already said, Marano connected the dots very well for the reader to follow, but it made the bulk of the story boring. I wouldn’t recommend this book unless you are very interested in the subject. If you’re somewhat interested, I’d read the introduction, conclusion, and whatever chapter titles sound compelling to you.

Going in to reading, I didn’t think that any of the topics would apply to me. I feel like my parents have raised me very well. I was right for the most part, except when the author wrote about why successful students in high school break down from stress in college. She writes, “Students are able to tolerate an enormous amount of stress in high school because… (c) there is some sort of cognitive setup that believes that they just need to “get out of the house” or “be on their own” or “out of high school” and then they will be free of their problems” (160). This was terrifying to read because I feel this way about high school often. I was excited to read this chapter because I was hoping I would get some sort of insight into college like this.

Beyond just talking about spoiled kids and bad parents, there is an interesting section about obtaining true happiness through struggle and getting past it. The author quotes another psychologist, “Satisfaction comes less from the attainment of a goal and more from what you must do to get there” (204-5). At first I thought this section was off-topic, but then I realized I would never be happy if my parents hand-fed me all the answer growing up. When I do things for myself, I feel the happiest. The section gave me something to think about.

Well, on to the next… as they say. I’ll read a “classic” next, and I’m thinking about Huckleberry Finn.