Huck Finn 1: 9-27

1.)“Ransomed? What’s that?” “I don’t know. But that’s what they do. I’ve seen it in books; and so of course that’s what we’ve got to do.” “But how can we do it if we don’t know what it is?" (17).

Having friends who are different from you allows you to try new things and go on new adventures. Huckleberry Finn is a little skeptical and cynical about the plan to ransom someone because he doesn’t know what it is. Tom Sawyer is optimistic because it’s what the books say they have to do. Huck and Tom’s differences bring out the best in each other. They have similarities including strong imaginations and a desire to have fun. They are also both easily influenced by other sources. Huck gets his knowledge from Tom and Tom get’s his knowledge from books. The person taking care of Huck will have a big impact on his life, so it is important for them to be responsible and dependable.

2.) “She said the thing a body could get by praying for it was “spiritual gifts.” This was too many for me, but she told me what she meant-I must help other people, and do everything I could for other people, and look out for them all the time, and never think about myself" (19).

Miss Watson is the complete opposite of Huckleberry Finn’s father. She is nurturing, caring, and wants the best for Huck. She is teaching him to be a better person by giving him strong values to live by. Huck’s father is irresponsible, immature, and disgusting. Although Huck has been raised with no standards, Miss Watson and the Widow Douglas have changed that. The model of behavior they demonstrate is slowly reaching Huck. When he meets with Judge Thatcher, he offers to give him all his money, “I want to give it to you- the six thousand and all” (25). This shows he is doing more for others and no longer thinking about himself. Hopefully, Huck will keep these values and avoid being influenced by his father.

Vocab. Words:

1.)Injun: An American Indian
"I got an old tin lamp and an iron ring and went out in the woods and rubbed and rubbed till I sweat like an Injun" (23).

2.)Betwixt: neither the one nor the other; in a middle or unresolved position
“So he set down on the ground betwixt me and Tom” (13).