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Huck Finn
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March
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Is it just me or is Twain referring to Romeo and Juliet extremely often?
ReplyDeleteI thought it was clever for Huck to pretend he doesn't know they're lying just to prevent quarries. Will the quarries be avoided after all? Or are they not? :O
Tereasa:
ReplyDeleteI don't think that Huck telling the con artists that he really knows who they are will necessarily cause a quarry. But bottom line it was smart for Huck Finn not to tell them yet that he actually knows that they are con artists. If Huck wasn't street smart, he would have fell for the two men's tricks right away. But he learned from experience and because he himself as been lying about his identity numerous times, he was able to detect when someone else was lying about their identity.
On page 136, where the duke performs Hamlet’s soliloquy, his first line starts off as “To be, or not to be; that is the bare bodkin
ReplyDeleteThat makes calamity of so long life;
For who would fardels bear, till Birnam Wood do come to Dunsinane.”
Needless to say, the duke’s version is completely wrong, starting from the first line, which should be
“To be, or not to be--that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune ”
It isn’t until the something-tenth line where the line “That makes calamity of so long life;” comes in. I think that Mark Twain is trying to make fun of the acclaimed Shakespeare plays with this chapter. He deliberately has the duke say the soliloquy wrongly to poke fun of Shakespearean plays; maybe he’s also poking fun at Romeo and Juliet when he has the duke and the king perform it.
My question is, why is he poking fun at them?
I find it interesting that even though Huck knew the two people were con-artists, he didn’t go and tell them to stop pretending. He’s learned that sometimes the best way to solve a problem is to let the others get what they want, causing less quarrels between each other. Huck also did what the two frauds told him to do, in order to keep the peace between the four people. It’s also ironic that Huck didn’t care about telling Jim that these two people were frauds since he might argue again about the logic or Jim might quarrel with them asking why they are trying to be someone else other then themselves.
ReplyDeletelike frank, i find it interesting it took huck very little time to figure out that the two people were lying, but he neglected to tell jim, who doesnt really know till later on when the dauphin claims that he forgot all the french he knew.
ReplyDeleteand now in the book, the dauphin and the duke are practicing shakespeare plays when he happened to put an allusion to romeo and juliet in the chapters before. i find it interesting how twain seems to have a satirical tone towards shakespeares works.
I agree with the fact that Huck knew the two people were lying, but he didn't tell Jim that they were. As the story continues, i think it becomes more and more like Shakespeare's writings, especially Romeo and Juliet. Racism shows itself in these chapters as Jim uses Huck's whiteness to threaten other African Americans.
ReplyDeleteThe line "blue jeans and misery" on page 134-135 reminds me of the song House of the Rising Sun by The Animals.
ReplyDeleteIt's hilarious, the lowlifes being the Dauphin and all. It's actually pretty surprising that they know anything about this.
And the soliloquy was just random lines from Shakespeare all rolled together.
The appearance of Duke and the King is at first confusing and after a little annoying. Huck and Jim both knew that the two are con artists, so why do they put up with them? And Huck is afraid of the consequences of crossing either man.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting when Huck compared the men to Pap, “I learnt that the best way to get along with his kind of people is to let them have their own way.” I think Huck and Jim realize that rather than directly fight with eiether of the men, it is best to get along with them, pretending you like them.
Question: Why is Jim unhappy with the situation? Commenting at the end of Chapter 20 that he would prefer it if no more kings arrived during the trip.
I think that Huck’s decision to not talk about the duke and the king lying is rather smart. I think he has witnessed too much fighting that he just wanted peace on his little raft, but I think that his idea of being free on the raft was ruined. He was no longer free to do whatever he wants and he has to listen to the king and the duke. However, by keeping the king and the duke, they could now travel in daytime. Although Huck was smart to not tell about the truth, I think he should get rid of them as soon as he can and get a hold of the handbill that offers reward for Jim’s capture. From the scam of the religious camp meeting, we can see that they have evil plans up their mind and the handbill can be a real threat to Huck and Jim.
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ReplyDeleteAs others mentioned before me, it was smart for Huck to just act stupid and go along with what the "Duke" and "King" want him to do in order to keep the peace. Also, I thought it was hilarious how the Duke spent such a long time and went through all that frustration just to come up with the wrong lines. :P
ReplyDeleteTwain seems to bring up Shakespeare quite often lately. What do you think his opinion of Shakespeare's work is based on what we have read so far?
I seriously do not get the point of Huck lying. He’s been lying not to just the people he knows, but also the people he doesn’t know. Why would the strangers care if he’s lying or not? It seems like Huck is playing his own little game of lying and thinking that it’s fun, but nobody else is in the game. And once again, Twain relates his story to Romeo and Juliet/Shakespeare. Even the duke and the dauphin use Romeo and Juliet as one of their plays. Does the Romeo and Juliet story have anything to do with what is going to happen later on in the novel? Or else why would Twain keep on mentioning the story?
ReplyDeleteIn these chapters, I believe Twain focuses upon his satire on literatures of the Victorian era, (which mainly depicts romanticism). Especially as Huck mentoins Romeo and Juliet, it seems the author emphasizes his opinion of the two families' feud (similar to the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons)
ReplyDeleteI thaught it was right for Huck not to reveal the lie of the duke and the dauphin. He understands that it will cause less quarrels between them. Also, as we mentioned in the last chapters, the story of Huckleberry Finn is similar to Romeo and Juliet, which is also talked in this chapters.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the symbol of Romeo and Juliet?
In chapters 19- 21, Huck and Jim meets two people who claimed to be the Duke of Bridgewater and the late Dauphin. I thought when the first person said who he was; Huck would think he was lying. But he didn’t. As the others had said Twain does bring out the way Shakespeare writes, like Romeo and Juliet. Almost to the end of Chapter 21, the four of them set up a play.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: is there a reason why Twain put the so called “Duke of Bridgewater” and “late Dauphin” in the story at this point?
I think this chapter is very messed up. Huck is pretty smart in trying to keep everyone from quarreling. I think that Mark Twain uses the word “kill” too much. I find the part when the Sherburn guy shot the drunken guy and killed him very disturbing. The people in this book absolutely don’t mind killing. I guess Mark Twain is making fun of how the real world pretty much also kills a lot of innocent or just people in general.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Frank, i also think its interesting that Huck pretty much doesnt do anything about it. He lets the two con artists have there way. Huck wants to avoid a quarrel even if it causes him to do anything those two con artists ask him to do. I think its very weird that Huck didnt even think about mentioning it to Jim.
ReplyDeleteJackie: In, my opinion, I think the author's opinion is that he thinks Romeo and Juliet is a good story, yet tragic. On pae 135 in the old version, the Duke corrected the old man's ways of saying the lines. The Duke says, "You musn't bellow Romeo!--like a bull--you must say it soft." Readers can infer that Mark Twain, or the Duke, respects the book and takes the story seriously. Later, the Duke describes Juliet as a "dear sweet mere child of a girl." In my opinion, the author thinks that the story is tragic, because Juliet is just this sweet innocent girl.
ReplyDeleteJenny: I think before Jim had met any “real” kings, he thought they were high in rank. So he admired kings a lot. But now seeing these two, the duke and the dauphin, he thinks that kings aren’t all that good. So he doesn’t have any interest in them. Also, in the last part of chapter 20 Jim says “I doan’ mine one er two kings. But sat’s enough. Dis one’s powerful drunk, en de duke ain’ much better.” Maybe that explains why Jim doesn’t want anymore kings.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of chapter 19, it talks about how Huck and Jim don't wear any clothes. Do they still not wear any clothes when the "Duke" and the "King" are around? I find it kind of weird, even though they're all guys, but still...
ReplyDeleteIn one of the earlier chapters, Jim and Huck argued about French. I think the fact that Jim tried to make the "King" speak French shows the fact that Jim really does care about Huck, and things Huck say. If Jim did not care about Huck's words, or Huck, he would have forgotten everything Huck has said.
I think the fact that Huck does not bring up the fact that the "King" and the "Duke" are lying is a very smart decision.
The situation where the King and the Duke lie about their identity to get their way greatly reminds me of Huck lying about his own identity to get his way.
Why is Twain bringing up Shakespeare so much?
I think the dauphin and the duke show both the comical side but also the darker side of human nature. They do many things for the entertainment of various people, but they also use their ingenuity in a bad way and con others' money. I also don't like the way they are using the threat of turning Jim and Huck in to make them like servants. However, this time Twain relates his story to Shakespeare on his own, not leaving it there for implication. I think this is a nice touch.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteJenny: I suppose he doesn't like being lied to, and that he has to wait on them both, and listen to their incessant chatter.
ReplyDeleteKimberly: If Huck just went out and told the truth - saying that he was a runaway taking around a runaway Negro - people would actually care. They'd take the Negro and try to get a reward for him and Huck would probably have to go back to the widow or his pap.
What's a temperance revival meeting?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI find it quite amazing how Huck is able to keep his secrets down without anyone noticing, like in the case of the duke and the king. But for me, I think that the duke and the king represent the greed of humanity, and how people would do anything to get money, even making a fool of themselves. But then, the duke and the king were quite smart about the slave catching poster. Question: Do you think that the king and duke are good in person or no?
ReplyDeleteThe duke claimed that he had high esteem in oneself; he was high in rank. He started feel gloomy and kept complaining. To lighten his spirits, he told people to call him "My Lord" and other titles. What can you conclude from the duke's personality?
ReplyDeleteWhat i think it is interesting is that Huck and Jim both accept the two con artists into their raft and along their journey despite the fact that they saw through their lies. I think maybe they decided not to reject the two con artists because Huck knew that they were a threat, especially because they were both two adult white men who could turn both Huck and Jim in any time they wanted.
ReplyDeleteI think the idea of scamming and doing anything to get money is something that is still common in modern day society. It becomes apparent that the con artists are immoral people. When the king pretends to be a pirate during a RELIGIOUS meeting shows us that they only care about money.
It is also interesting to note that Mark Twain poked fun at Shakespeare. The fact that Huck could not understand that the Soliloquy was fake shows his ignorance and lack of education. So besides being a funny scene, was there a significance to bringing up Shakespeare?
Twain refers to the play Romeo and Juliet a lot. The Shepherdsons and the Grangerfords story was just like Romeo and Juliet. The Duke and the Dauphin are rehearsing the balcony part in Romeo and Juliet.
ReplyDeleteWhy does Twain keep referring to the play Romeo and Juliet?
When Jim, Huck, Duke and the Dauphin go to the city they experienced the way the people of that city act. Why did Twain put this part in? Was it just to show how people acted?
These new chapters were very amusing, with the king and the duke trying to outdo each other. I also liked the mixed-up Hamlet speech, even though it became hard to understand. But I guess it was supposed to be that way, more or less. However, I can also tell that they're frauds, such as the way they get money through "charity collections" and the handbill they've printed.
ReplyDeleteRobert: Yes, I guess they might have ulterior motives, but I don't think either Jim or Huck senses them. I think they will probably go by the stated plan once before attempting a betrayal.
In chapter 17 i thought it was really unfair for the two men to take advantage of Jim and Huck of their ignorance. Fortunately, Huck found out that they were liars. I think Huck acted more mature than his age from the decisions he made. When Huck decided against telling the men that he knew they were deceiving Jim and him, I thought that wasn't something a kid his age would do. Huck didn't want to let on that he knew the truth because he wanted to avoid a fight, which means he had thought about consequences of his actions.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all that was said about the Duke the King. However, I think that it is actually really sad that Huck and Jim are so lonely and craving for friendship and companionship that they would put up with a couple of frauds. I also thought it surprising how Sherburn just killed Boggs like he killed a man every other day.
ReplyDelete-Why do you think Sherburn killed Boggs so casually?
-Why do you think Jim doesn't want to put up with the king and the duke?
I think these two men are some kind of robbers or liars. In the beggining they said that they are artists, and i was really expecting what will the story going to begin with these two men? after i realize that they are just lying. I really agree for those of the people saying that this story is really reffering to Romeo and Juliet.
ReplyDeleteEven though on the surface, the duke and the dauphin act as con artists, both of them present a very large threat to Huck and Jim. The two men uses Jim's fact that he's a runaway slave to benifit themselves, where print the fake leaflet for Jim's capture. Even more, the scam they put off at the religious meeting shows their threatening evil.
ReplyDeleteQ: When Huck realize that the people that tries to get on the raft is not Louis XVI, why don't he just force them out of their raft?
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 20, Mark Twain seems to poke fun at christian gatherings. The way he has Huck talk about it from a non-christian view makes it sound like these people are madmen. He seems to find it really strange how everyone seems to groan, say amen, break up into tears, and scream out words. The way he puts it, it sounds like a group of mental patients but in reality it is just through his unknowing eyes. Also he had the Dauphin take advantage of this religious gathering and it seemed to insult this gathering even more talkin about how committed yet gullible they are.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting how in a few chapters ago, there's a connection between this story and Romeo and Juliet. And once again, there is another.
ReplyDeleteHuck lies again, this time about him being orphaned. He already lied several times throughout the book, and is getting quite good at it. But not only does Huck lie, so does the duke and the king. Huck is smart to pretend not to know that they are lying. The criminals can turn them in if they want, and that leaves Huck and Jim more vulnerable. The duke and king are adults who are free and are able to do what they want.
The Romeo and Juliet question has become pretty cliche already, but seriously - why all the Shakespeare mentionings?
ReplyDeleteAnd what's with this excessive lying?
I was very surprise that Huckleberry Finn and Jim will meet such people like these, and they also lie too, like Huckleberry Finn. Also I think Twain is connecting Adventure of Huckleberry Finn with Romeo and Juliet. In these chapters, Twain is using and saying Romeo and Juliet often.
ReplyDeleteHere is my question, why does Twain kept on saying Romeo and Juliet? What’s the significance?
Somehow, I found Jenny's quote "I found it interesting when Huck compared the men to Pap, “I learnt that the best way to get along with this kind of people is to let them have their own way.” was pretty interesting. Huck, because of his street-smart and his experience on lying, was able to identify the two men as con artist. This states the importance of Huck to Jim in this story. If Jim had never met Huck on his escape, he would have never gotten this far. He would have been easily outsmarted and therefore returned back to Miss Watson.
ReplyDeleteDoris,
ReplyDeleteI think the reason why Mark Twain mocks Romeo and Juliet and other Shakespeare plays because he is distainful of society in general. From his writing and background I have read so far, he seems to appreciate the outdoors more than the confines of civilization.
It makes full circle now, why in Chapter 18-20 the "feud" seemed so shallow and silly, and yet extremely suggestive of Romeo and Juliet. According to the author, Romeo and Juliet definitely romanticizes the feud and brings it to an end at the conclusion of the lovers' breaths. Mark Twain purposefully leaves the strings untied at the end to illustrate that this is not always so.
So the "linear" storyline is starting to arc now... Interesting.
Colonel Sherburn seemingly can't take a joke. He apparently murdered someone in cold blood, a harmless drunk at that. What is MT trying to illustrate here?
A lot of people thought that the fact that Huck and Jim let two suspicious strangers onto their raft was interesting. I agree and I think the reason might because they wanted to avoid the trouble or risk of being identified as the runaway slave, Jim, and the murdered boy, Huck. Although the raft is a getaway from the evils of the world and Huck loves living on it, Huck is still powerless to two totally random strangers who symbolize the white supremacy and the darkness of our world.
ReplyDeleteLike many other people, I found the part where the duke and the king were practicing the false lines for the play funny. Didn't the people who listened to their play notice the wrong lines? Or were everyone of that time, as ignorant as Huck? (hence the fact that he was admiring their act)
I agree with others saying that even though Huck knew the duke and the king were lying, he didn’t tell Jim the fact. And I was really surprised when the story continues to Romeo and Juliet because that’s what we were talking about yesterday…In your opinion, do you think that the duke and the king are acting on purpose? If yes, what’s their purpose?
ReplyDeleteDid the con artists really think that Huck and Jim would believe their lies about being a duke and dauphin? Did Huck and Jim appear to be that gullible and ignorant?
ReplyDeleteIf I were Huck, I wouldn't have let the two con artists on the raft the moment I realized they were liars. Was Huck trying to devise a plan to escape from the them? Or maybe he thought they were amusing, and didn't mind talking to strangers.
I think that these chapters were pretty funny, especially how the "duke" and "king" try to outdo each other. However, the duke and king are not the actual duke or king! They were fakes and only wanted praise and respect from other people. One thing that I find very annoying is their greed for money. They trick people into their shows by posting lies on the fliers. However, in chapter 20, Twain obviously mocks the duke, because he was Juliet in the play. The duke had to talk and act in a girl-like manner which I found very funny.
ReplyDeleteWhat I think was very odd is the talk of Shakespeare's works like Romeo and Juliet, or Hamlet! Why all of a sudden? Does Twain have a liking for them?
I so agree with Adam. Is Twain into violence or something? SO MUCH VIOLENCE IN THIS NOVEL. The characters he narrates about are unusually indecent and improper. Like for example, they don’t have manners and are uneducated. I seriously think some of these people are insane.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, Huck meets up with a few strangers and lives with them for a while. After the strangers get onto the raft with Huck and Jim different levels of power can be seen. The king and the duke both have greater power over huck and Jim. The levels of power can be seen this way: white adults, white children, and then blacks.
ReplyDeleteI also thought that Huck's decision to not do anything about the men lying was really smart. If Huck told Jim or did something about the lies, then the men might cause trouble.
After reading these few chapters, something really stuck out to me. When the “King” and the “Duke” reveal their true identities, Huck almost immediately realizes that they are just bluffing, but doesn’t mind because he wants them to be “at peace” and he didn’t want to cause any trouble. Why does he do this? Is he trying to protect himself, and Jim? How has his journey so far influenced him?
ReplyDeleteI think the reason why Huck allows the daulphin and the duke to stay on their raft, because Huck is smart enough to protect Jim in any way. The two frauds are rapacious for money, so if Huck kicks them off the raft, sooner or later, they would report to the police and receive money for capturing runaway slaves. In this part of the novel, we can also concieve the fact that Huck is more educated and sensitive towards the deceitful tricks, while Jim is ignorant towards the darkness of society. I think that Huck is more sensitive than Jim, because of his family background and the environment that they are living in. Huck has lived with pap, a drunk cheater, therefore he can easily distinguish between truth and lies.
ReplyDeleteI think Huck should have stood up to the “king and the duke”. Even though he knew they were frauds he didn’t stand up to them because he didn’t want the arguing to go on any further. On page 127 Huck and Jim were yet again in a similar situation where the two men argued over which bed they should take. The beds weren’t even their beds, yet Huck let them be because he didn’t want anymore trouble. I guess it just goes to show that Huck is quite tolerable towards most things.
ReplyDeleteHuck is really smart, because he realizes that the "duke" and the "king" are fakes the moment they told the lies. But if Huck knew, why didn't he tell Jim? And why does Twain add in Shakespeare stuff?
ReplyDeleteIn these chapters, Jim and Huck meet the two people, and Huck quickly discover that they are liars. Jim apparently does not know about it yet as he continues to call the "duke" your Lordship. I think Huck is far too gullible in these chapters as he is convinced that if he says that the men are liars, this would cause trouble. Well, before he went out to his adventures, he always caused trouble, so I see no reason why he wouldn't want to start one here. I think that his personality definitely changes throughout the novel as in a way, he becomes less daring and thinks before he acts.
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ReplyDeleteI’m surprised how Jim and Huck are able to let the King and Duke to come along with them down to Arkansan. But there I have a second thought when the old man said he’s the son of Mary Antoinette, and the youngster is a Duke. Also, how they’ve come down from a high esteem to an extent of being chase by others. This is somewhat ironic, because it feels like as if the author is sort of mocking that even a person from a rich family or from a noble family, or even high esteem could be able to pull down into the poor. So far as the story goes, I’m still impressed of how they could get away from just simply lying about themselves. But really, Huck saw through all this, because it’s all a lie that the two men said they’re the duke and king. There’s one part of the events that Huck saw, what is the purpose for Huck to see Boggs and this Colonel Sherburn? What is the significance of this event?
ReplyDeleteTo Alice Question:
ReplyDeleteI think, that Twain is comparing the characters between Romeo&Juliet and those two of Huck Finn's.
I think Huck didnt tell Jim about the two men lying is because Huck thinks that maybe he should wait abit longer and see how thing goes to tell Jim, and decide if they should leave them behind or have them come along.
Stuck with the "King" and "Duke", things seem to "spice up" a bit. A lot more action is happening and things are getting pretty entertaining too. I'm surprised that I actually was stuck to the book and couldn't stop reading, that is, until the general area where Huck sees several Negros talking. I fail to see the point, and it's kind of boring there, even with the shooting dead of a person.
ReplyDeleteQuestion:
Since Twain apparently repeats the idea of Romeo & Juliet, I'm starting to think there might be something special about it that Twain wants to express. What do you think he's trying to say?
Response to many:
Many are asking why Huck is keeping the "King" and "Duke" even though they're fake. I'm think that is because they have established a bit of trust between each other. Also, Huck seems to be able to tell that they mean no harm.
I find it very funny how Huck realized the king and the duke were fakes but never really cared to inform Jim all about it. I also find interesting how Mark Twain bring's out Shakesphere's writings in a satirical manner. He's also using it as an allusion. Usually many authors or writers dont bring up other writers content and express it in their own way, imagine shakesphere finding out Mark Twain using his plays!
ReplyDeleteAgain we see another "adventure" of Hucks that shows his street smartness and his quickthinking. His lies have caused the duke and the king to believe them. Though i dont know why he's keeping them, im sure he has something up his sleeve that he hasnt showed yet.
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting fact is that his use of contrast with romeo and juliet. The neighbors sort of had parallels with romeo and juliet as well.