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Huck Finn Study Guide

Patterns of Communication Name__________________________________

Answer the following questions after reading each chapter.

Chapter 1: “I Discover Moses and the Bulrushers”

1. As Huck explains, how much money did he receive at the end of The Adventures

of Tom Sawyer?

2. Who is keeping the money for him? Why?

3. Who is Huck staying with now?

4. What does the title of the chapter refer to?

5. Why does Huck decide he does not want to go to heaven?

6. What superstition is mentioned at the end of the chapter?

Chapter 2: “Our Gang‟s Dark Oath”

1. Who is Jim? Who owns him?

2. What trick do Tom and Huck play on Jim in this chapter?

3. What story does Jim make up concerning the hat?

4. Who is the leader of the gang Huck speaks of?

5. What kind of plans does the gang make in this chapter?

Chapter 3: “We Ambuscade the Arabs”

1. How do the religious teachings of Widow Douglas differ from those of Miss Watson?

2. Why doesn’t Huck believe that Pap is dead?

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3. When the gang “ambuscades the Arabs,” who is it that they are really attacking?

4. Judging from this chapter, what would a reader say is the difference between Huck’s and Tom’s

personalities?

Chapter 4: “The Hair-Ball Oracle”

1. What does Huck find that warns him that his father is in town?

2. Why does Huck go to Jim for advice about his father?

3. What is special about the hair-ball that Jim owns?

4. What does Jim tell Huck about his father?

Chapter 5: “Pap Starts In On a New Life”

1. What does Pap look like the first time Huck sees him?

2. Why is Pap angry over the fact that Huck is wearing nice clothes and is able to read?

3. Why does Pap go to Judge Thatcher?

4. What does the new judge do in connection with Pap?

5. What is the outcome of this attempt?

Chapter 6: “Pap Struggles With the Death Angel”

1. What does Pap do when the widow tells him he’d better quit hanging around her home?

2. Where does Pap take Huck?

3. After Huck has lived with Pap for about two months, how does his attitude about this different lifestyle begin

to change?

4. When Pap locks Huck in the log hut, how does Huck try to escape? What is the outcome of this attempt?

5. When Pap returns, what news does he bring concerning his guardianship of Huck?

6. When Pap starts drinking and talking about the government, why does he say he will never vote again?

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7. What does Pap imagine is crawling all over him the first time he wakes up?

8. When Pap wakes up the second time, why does he chase Huck around with a knife?

Chapter 7: “I Fool Pap and Get Away”

1. Where does Huck get his escape canoe?

2. Why does Huck want both Pap and the widow to think he’s dead?

3. What steps does Huck take to make it look like he has been murdered?

4. To what location does Huck decide to escape?

Chapter 8: “I Spare Miss Watson‟s Jim”

1. Why are the townspeople firing cannons over the water at the beginning of this chapter?

2. Where does Huck get the bread he eats for breakfast on this morning?

3. What does the bread incident lead Huck to believe about prayer?

4. Whom does Huck find on Jackson Island?

5. Why has Jim run away?

6. Name three superstitions Jim believes in (as revealed in this chapter).

7. In the final section of this chapter, what reason does Jim give for believing he is rich?

Chapter 9: “The House of Death Floats By”

1. In what do Huck and Jim live while on the island?

2. Why is there a “Frame-house” floating down the river in this chapter?

3. Why doesn’t Huck see the face of the dead man in this floating frame house?

4. Why does finding this house turn out to be good luck for Huck and Jim?

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Chapter 10: “What Comes of Handlin‟ Snake Skin”

1. Why doesn’t Jim want to talk about the dead man in the house the next morning?

2. What superstition does Jim believe concerning snake skins?

3. What trick does Huck play on Jim in this chapter? What is the unfortunate result of this prank?

4. Why does Huck decide to cross the river?

5. What disguise does Huck use for this trip?

Chapter 11: “They‟re After Us”

1. Dressed as a girl, what is the first false name Huck gives Mrs. Loftus?

2. What is the first story Huck tells Mrs. Loftus to explain his presence in town?

3. What news does Huck hear from Mrs. Loftus concerning himself and Jim?

4. What is the second false name Huck gives Mrs. Loftus? Why does he change names?

5. When Mrs. Loftus discovers that Huck is a boy, what story does he tell her to cover up this fact?

6. What is the third false name he uses?

7. Name the three bits of advice Mrs. Loftus gives Huck concerning how to act like a girl (three things he did

wrong).

8. Why does Huck rush back to Jackson’s Island?

Chapter 12: “Better Let Blame Well Alone”

1. Since Huck and Jim know that men are on their way to Jackson’s Island to search for Jim, what do they

decide to do?

2. In order to eat, Jim and Huck steal food. Explain the difference between what Huck learned about stealing

from his Pap and what he learned from the Widow Douglas.

3. How does Huck compromise between these two attitudes about stealing?

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4. The fifth night below St. Louis, what do Huck and Jim come across on the river?

5. Why does Huck want to land on the steamboat?

6. When Jim and Huck overhear the argument on the steamboat, why doesn’t Huck want to sneak away

quietly like Jim does?

7. List the names of the three men on the steamboat.

8. What has Jim Turner done to make the other two robbers so angry with him?

9. By what means do Jake and Bill decide to kill Jim Turner?

10. What does Huck want to do to save Jim Turner’s life and get all three scoundrels caught by the sheriff?

11. What do Jim and Huck discover has happened to their raft?

Chapter 13: “Honest Loot From the Walter Scott”

1. Since their raft is gone, how do Jim and Huck decide to get away?

2. After their escape, what starts to bother Huck’s conscience?

3. What story does Huck make up to tell the captain of the ferryboat?

4. What does Huck convince the captain of the ferryboat to do?

5. Were the three men on the ferryboat saved?

Chapter 14: “Was Solomon Wise?”

1. Why are Jim and Huck now, in a sense, rich?

2. When Jim and Huck discuss Solomon of the Bible, why doesn’t Jim think that Solomon was as wise as people

say he was?

3. In the argument about French-speaking people, what is Jim’s viewpoint?

Literary Elements

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1. Setting: the combination of place, historical time, and social situation that provides the general

background. Explain the setting of Huck Finn, and explain the significance o it to Huck’s life.

2. Characterization: writers use two major literary techniques to create a character: direct description and

indirect description (portraying characters’ behaviors, words, thoughts, emotions, etc.) How does Twain

establish Huck Finn as a “mischievous rascal”? Give at least two examples of direct and indirect

characterization.

3. Motif: a recurring object, concept, or structure in a work of literature. Superstition is an important motif

throughout Huck Finn. Give at least 3 examples of superstitions in which Huck or Jim believe. How do

these superstitious beliefs help or hinder the two?

4. Imagery: a term used to refer to (1) the actual language that a writer uses to convey a visual picture

using an appeal to the senses and (2) the use of figures of speech, often to express abstract ideas in a

vivid and innovative way. Describe the examples of imagery used at the end of Ch. 7.

5. Satire: humorous writing or speech intended to point out errors, falsehood, or failings with the intent to

reform human behavior or institutions. What satire about religion does Huck offer in Ch. 8?

Chapter 15: “Fooling Poor Old Jim”

1. Why is important that Jim reaches Cairo?

2. How do Jim and Huck get separated in this chapter?

3. What trick does Huck play on Jim in this chapter?

4. How does Jim make Huck feel ashamed for playing this trick?

5. Why does it take Huck fifteen minutes to apologize to Jim?

Chapter 16: “The Rattlesnake-Skin Does Its work”

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1. At the beginning of the chapter, what begins to bother Huck’s conscience? What does he decide to do to

ease his conscience?

2. Why doesn’t Huck tell the two men on the skiff about Jim? How does he keep them from approaching the

raft?

3. Why does Huck decide it is no use for him to try to learn to do right?

4. What bad luck does the rattlesnake-skin bring to Jim and Huck?

5. How are Jim and Huck separated at the end of this chapter?

Chapter 17: “The Grangerfords Take Me In”

1. What false name does Huck use when he meets the Grangerford family?

2. How old is Buck Grangerford?

3. The next morning, how does Huck get around the fact that he cannot remember what name he had given

himself?

4. Who was Emmeline and what sort of person was she? What happened to her?

5. What sort of home do the Grangerfords live in?

Chapter 18: “Why Harney Rode Away For His Hat”

1. Describe Colonel Grangerford’s appearance.

2. Who are the Shepherdsons? According to Huck, what started the feud between the two families?

3. At church, what do the men hold between their knees during the church service? What is the topic of the

sermon?

4. What does the note in Miss Sophia’s Bible say? Who is it from?

5. Where has Jim been all this time? What has he been doing?

6. Why does Miss Sophia run off?

7. Which member of the Grangerford family is killed in the fight with the

Shepherdsons in this chapter?

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8. Why does Huck feel he is “to blame” for the battle and its outcome?

9. What do Huck and Jim do at the end of this chapter?

Chapter 19: “The Duke and Dauphin Come Aboard”

1. As he and Huck travel down the river, what explanation does Jim give for how there came to be so many

stars in the sky?

2. How do the two strange men come to be on board with Huck and Jim at the beginning of this chapter?

3. What claim does the duke make about his ancestry?

4. What claim does the dauphin (king) make about his ancestry?

5. At the end of the chapter, what conclusion does Huck reach concerning the moral character of the king

and the duke?

Chapter 20: “What Royalty Did to Parkville”

1. What story does Huck tell the king and the duke about himself and Jim?

2. After discussing several schemes to make money, the king and the duke decide to hire a hall and do what?

3. In Parkville (Pokeville) how does the king manage to earn $87.75?

4. Meanwhile, what does the duke do to earn some money?

5. Why does the duke print up a bill with Jim’s description and the message reading

“$200 reward”?

Chapter 21: “An Arkansaw Difficulty”

1. What are the king and duke practicing at the beginning of this chapter?

2. What two false names do the king and duke use on the bills they hand out around town?

3. Who is Boggs? What sort of condition is he in when he enters town?

4. At whom is Boggs angry? Why?

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5. How does Colonel Sherburn handle the situation with Boggs?

6. What do the townspeople decide to do to Colonel Sherburn at the end of this chapter?

Chapter 22: “Why the Lynching Bee Failed”

1. Colonel Sherburn makes a long speech and says that the average man is a what?

2. Why isn’t Colonel afraid of the lynching mob? How does he know they won’t lynch him?

3. Where does Huck go after the lynching bee fails?

4. How many people show up at the show given by the king and duke that evening? What do these two

decide to do to attract a bigger crowd the next night?

Literary Elements

1.Symbol: a thing that stands for or represents both itself and something else. What does the river symbolize to

Huck and Jim? What might the fog symbolize?

2. Conflict: a struggle between two forces. External conflict is a struggle between a character and some

outside force; an internal conflict is a struggle that takes place within a character. What internal conflict does

Huck face, especially in Ch. 16? How does Huck resolve this moral conflict, at least temporarily, in this chapter?

3.Foil: a character, who by his contrast with another character, serves to accentuate that character’s

distinctive qualities. Describe how Buch Grangerford could be a foil to Huck.

4.Theme: a central idea of a literary work; the lesson or moral statement that the text seems to be making

about a subject. What epiphany (an illuminating discovery or realization) does Huck experience in Ch. 23? How

does it advance his inner conflict? What theme is Twain addressing?

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Chapter 23: “The Orneriness of Kings”

1. At the show the next night, what does the king do to entertain the people?

2. When the audience is displeased with the show, why do they decide to “talk this show up” around town?

3. Explain what happens the third night of the show.

4. How much money did the king and duke make the three nights they gave the show?

5. On the raft again, while the king and duke sleep, Huck hears Jim moaning. What does Huck think that Jim

must be thinking about? Why is Huck surprised about this?

6. As Jim explains, what happened between him and his daughter Elizabeth that he feels so ashamed of?

Chapter 24: “The King Turns Parson”

1. What plan does the duke come up with so they won’t have to tie Jim up when the

rest of them leave the raft?

2. Who is Peter Wilks?

3. Who are Harvey and William Wilks? Why aren’t they present at Peter’s death?

4. Who are Mary Jane, Susan, and Joanna?

5. After hearing the entire story about the Wilks’, what plan does the king think of to make some more money?

Chapter 25: “All Full of Tears and Flapdoodle”

1. When the king and duke, acting as the Wilks brothers, see dead Peter in his coffin, how do they react?

2. When Mary Jane brings the letter for the king to read, we find that the king and duke stand to gain how

much money from this scheme?

3. The duke and king go down to the cellar to count the money. Why does the

duke suggest that they go upstairs and give all the money to the girls?

4. Why doesn’t Dr. Robinson believe that the king and duke are who they say

they are?

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5. What does Mary Jane then do to prove her faith in the duke and king?

Chapter 26: “I Steal the King‟s Plunder”

1. About what does the “hare-lip” question Huck, forcing him to make up stories?

2. About what does Huck’s conscience begin to bother him in this chapter?

3. What does Huck decide to do in order to ease his conscience?

4. When Huck eavesdrops on the duke and the king, he discovers that they hid the money in what place?

5. When the duke and the king leave the room, what does Huck do with the money?

Chapter 27: “Dead Peter Has His Gold”

1. Where does Huck hide the money in this chapter?

2. What do the king and duke tell the girls to do with their property?

3. What do the king and duke do concerning the girls’ slaves?

4. Who do the king and duke blame for stealing the gold?

Chapter 28: “Overreaching Don‟t Pay”

1. What important information does Huck tell Mary Jane in this chapter?

2. Where does Huck send Mary Jane for the day? Why?

3. What does Huck give Mary to insure that the duke and king will be found guilty should a court case be

brought against them?

4. Who arrives on a steamboat at the end of this chapter?

Chapter 29: “I Light Out In the Storm”

1. Why do the two real Wilks brother say they must wait two days before they will

have proof of who they are?

2. What test does the lawyer, Levi Bell, devise to find out which two men are the

frauds?

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3. How do the king and duke get around the handwriting test?

4. What is the second test given to determine who the frauds are?

5. What does the king claim is “tattooed” on Peter’s chest?

6. What do the real brothers claim is “tattooed” on Peter’s chest?

7. What do the people decide to do to find out the truth?

8. How does Huck manage to get away?

9. Who joins Huck and Jim on the raft at the end of this chapter?

Chapter 30: “The Gold Saves the Thieves”

1. Why is the gold responsible for saving the duke and the king?

2. What do the king and duke argue about in this chapter?

Chapter 31: “You Can‟t Pray a Lie”

1. Name three different schemes that the duke and the king think of to earn money in the villages along the

river.

2. In this chapter, how are Jim and Huck separated and how does Jim come to be captured by Silas Phelps?

3. Why does Huck consider writing a letter to Miss Watson?

4. Explain what the title of this chapter refers to.

5. Why does Huck tear up the letter and say, “All right, then, I’ll go to hell”?

6. How does Huck manage to free himself from the king and duke in this

chapter?

Chapter 32: “The Pitiful Ending of Royalty”

1. When Tom arrives and sees Huck, what does he think Huck is?

2. What does Tom say he will help Huck do?

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3. When Tom first comes to the Phelps’s farm, who does he say he is looking for and what is the first false name

he gives himself?

4. What does Tom do that upsets Sally during their initial meeting?

5. After teasing Aunt Sally, what false identity does Tom then take on?

6. As is revealed in this chapter, what happens to the king and the duke?

7. At the very end of this chapter, what are Huck’s thoughts about a “person’s conscience” in connection

with determining the difference between right and wrong?

Chapter 34: “We Cheer Jim Up”

1. Why doesn’t Tom like Huck’s plan for helping Jim escape?

2. Why is Huck so surprised that Tom is willing to help steal Jim from slavery?

3. Why does Tom insist that they dig Jim out rather than following a simpler and quicker plan of escape?

4. Why does Nat, the slave who feeds Jim, tie his hair in “little bunches with thread”?

5. What does Nat blame on witches in this chapter?

Chapter 35: “Dark, Deep-Laid Plans”

1. How does Tom make the task of getting Jim unchained from his bed more difficult than it needs to be?

2. Why does Tom insist that Jim needs a rope ladder? What do they steal in order to have material for making

the ladder?

3. For what purpose do Tom and Huck steal a shirt?

4. Why does Tom think it is not wrong for them to steal these items in this situation?

5. For what purpose do Tom and Huck steal a couple of “case-knives”?

Chapter 36: “Trying to Help Jim”

1. Why do Huck and Tom end up using picks and just pretending they are using case-

knives?

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2. What other items do Tom and Huck steal in this chapter?

3. How do Tom and Huck plan on smuggling these items in to Jim?

4. When Tom and Huck forget to fasten the “lean-to door,” what comes through the hole they have dug?

5. What does Nat think when he sees all the dogs?

6. What does Tom offer to make for Nat that will ward off the witches?

Chapter 37: “Jim Gets His Witch Pie”

1. Why is Aunt Sally so upset in this chapter?

2. What do Tom and Huck put in the witch pie that they give to Jim?

Chapter 38: “Here a Captive Heart Busted”

1. To what does the title of this chapter refer?

2. Why do Huck and Tom steal a grindstone?

3. When Huck and Tom cannot move the grindstone, whom do they get to help them? Why is this so

ridiculous?

4. Why does Tom insist that Jim needs spiders, snakes, rats, and a Jew’s harp for the escape?

5. When Tom insists that Jim must grow a flower in his hut, what does he say Jim must use for watering the

flower?

Chapter 39: “Tom Writes Nonnamous Letters”

1. Why is Aunt Sally upset even more in this chapter?

2. Why does Tom insist that a “nonnamous letter” must be written?

3. When Huck delivers the anonymous letters, why does Tom make him dress as a girl?

4. What warning is given to the Phelps family in the last letter?

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Chapter 41: “Must „A‟ Been Sperits”

1. What story does Huck tell the doctor in order to receive his help?

2. When the doctor and Huck reach the canoe, why does the doctor make Huck stay behind?

3. When Huck runs into Uncle Silas, what story does he tell him?

4. What does Uncle Silas make Huck do?

5. Why is Huck’s conscience bothering him at the end of this chapter?

Chapter 42: “Why They Didn‟t Hang Jim”

1. What three people arrive at the Phelps’ house in the morning?

2. What does the doctor say in defense of Jim?

3. When Tom is gaining consciousness, what does he admit to Aunt Sally?

4. What news does Tom tell everyone concerning Jim’s ownership? Why hadn’t he told them all this when he

first came and saved them all the trouble?

5. Why are Tom and Huck forced into revealing their real identities?

6. Why had Aunt Polly come?

Chapter the Last: “Nothing More to Write”

1. What does Tom give Jim for all the trouble he’s put Jim through?

2. What does Jim reveal to Huck concerning Pap?

Chapter 40: “A Mixed-Up Splendid Rescue”

1. Why are fifteen farmers gathered in the Phelps’ sitting room at the

beginning of this chapter?

2. What makes Aunt Sally believe, for a moment, that Huck has brain fever?

3. During the escape, who is shot in the leg?

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3. When Aunt Sally offers to adopt Huck, what does he decide to do? Why?

Literary Elements

1.Suspense: a feeling of expectation, anxiousness, or curiosity created by questions raised in the mind of the

reader. Find examples of suspense in Chapters 24-30. What events cause you to feel anxious for Huck? Do you

think he is ever in genuine danger? Do you ever feel anxiety for the duke and the king? Why or why not?

2.Bildungsroman: a novel that recounts the development (psychological and sometimes spiritual) of an

individual from childhood to maturity, the point where the protagonist recognizes his or her place and role in

the world. How do these chapters illustrate growth on Huck’s part?

3.Dramatic Irony: a situation that involves a discrepancy between a character’s perception and what the

reader or audience knows to be true. Identify and explain an example of dramatic irony in Ch. 26.

4.Character: a one-dimensional character, or flat character, is one who exhibits a single dominant quality. A 3-

dimensional character, or round character, exhibits the complexity of traits associated with actual human

beings. Would you call the king and the duke flat or round? Think about the following questions: Do they ever

feel remorse for their actions? What traits do they exhibit? How do they compare with the characters like Huck

and Jim, who are round? Explain your response.

5.Theme: How has the entire episode of attempting to free Jim contributed to

the idea of moral ambiguity? What startling revelation does Huck come to

regarding Jim after Tom has been shot in Ch. 40? To what theme does this

contribute? How does Tom’s revealed knowledge of Miss Watson’s will

complete the idea of moral ambiguity.

Pictures: http://etext.virginia.edu/railton/huckfinn/huckpix/huckpix.html