[H] Lizzie: Chapters 07-10

There are a lot of interesting plot points and trends which come up reoccuringly in chapters 7-10, many of which will be applicable (or, at least, likely applicable) to the entire book. The relationship between Huck and Jim, for example---is there any difference between the way in which they relate to one another when in civilized society and the way they relate to one another once alone in the wild? When there is no pressure put on them by old generations of white southerners; when Huck and Jim no longer have roles in society to fufill as slave and master, what sort of relationship crops up? Already they seem to be much more friendly with one another..."I bet I were glad to see him... I was ever so glad to see Jim." (page 31). The conversation flows between the two of them almost as if, back home, they would have been considered equals. And does Huck consider both himself and Jim to be of the same status, now? The distinct contrast between Huck and Jim's vernacular is accentuated by Twain---he makes most of their conversations continuous, with very little narration separating a visual manifestation of each character's grammar. Jim's mispronounciations and the spelling in which his dialect is shown look very lowly and common when put next to Huck's more refined speech (although Huck is not too grammatically correct to begin with). This is yet another way Twain manipulates the reader into thinking that Huck is the person in control, here...but we shouldn't be fooled. Though this isn't a direct insinuation that Jim is in control of the younger boy, it is still a wise idea to note the way that Jim, though having acted shocked when he had realized that Huck has meat and can catch fish, is the one who profits from Huck's fishing hooks and line. Though Jim allows Huck to "discover" that all he has been eating are strawberries for the past couple of days, one must remain aware of the fact that it is now possible that Jim is profiting off of Huck in manners that are all to subtle for the younger boy to pick up on.

Another theme to follow throughout the book is the concept of materialism. Huck is constantly referring to objects in terms of their monetary value; even when he prays it's only for fishing lines. Does this tendency, perhaps, arise from past experiences with his father, who values only the immediate, the tangible, what he can get as soon as he can get it? Or are these his own morals cropping up—the essential question being, is Huck himself a materialistic person? After all, greed is one of the seven deadly sins, and Huck doesn't seem to be particularly interested in the idea of religion. This leads into the question: from whence DO Huck's morals come from, if not a belief in some higher power? The boy has been living out in the wild for much of his youth and has now been taken out of society for a second time. When left out to fend on his own what morals might he develop, if any at all? He doesn't see it as wrong to cheat, or steal, or lie...so what does he consider to constitute "wrong"? Does he, perhaps, consider slavery wrong? We haven't spent a long enough time in the presence of both characters to know Huck's opinions for certain. Does Huck believe in his father? Does he believe in Jim's superstitions? Huck appears, in Chapter Eight, to be leaning more towards the latter, as superstition tends to have a more immediate effect on the tangible world than does religion. It simply appears to make more sense to him than does praying or hoping for some sort of heavenly strength, or reward. Then again, looking at the play as one large satire, the idea that shaking a tablecloth out after sundown causing you bad luck seems sort of ridiculous. Yet Huck believes it. And are Huck's morals at all influenced by his father, even though he says he'll do anything to spite him?

Something else to consider in the context of the storyline is Huck's sense of self-esteem. Though he's been beaten for most of his life his narration has a sort of spirit, hinting at an inner strength which he knows nothing about as of yet. He's not depressed, or sullen, but has instead learned simply to state the facts, as objectively as he knows how to do. He (obviously) doesn't count himself as one of the "quality". As was mentioned once during a class discussion, abused children usually think that it is through some fault of theirs that they have been beaten, etc. Huck consistantly calls himself an idiot, a dunce, somebody not worthy of a prayer working for...sometimes because he's repeating what others have told him, and sometimes of his own reasoning and volition. It's simply something which is interesting to note. My final concept to note/follow throughout the remainder of the book is Huck's fufillment of the "destiny" predicted for him by the hairball; remember Jim told him to stay away from water. Yet the entirety of the book takes place on a raft.... It's simply something interesting to keep in the back of your mind while reading this novel.