The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Claudia Silva: Reading Log

By Mark Twain 7/27/12

PG/Line Chapter What the Book Says (quote) What I Say

24 6 “The widow she found out

where I was by and by, and she

sent a man over to try to get hold

of me; but pap drove him off

with the gun, and it warn’t long

after that till I was used to being

where I was, and liked it – all

but the cowhide part.”

Although the situation with pap is

not perfect, Huck has gotten used to

his new home and even likes it. This

shows how people have the ability to

adapt to a new situation, even if it is

not the best. I can relate to that.

When I went to Georgetown for a

summer camp, I really missed my

house and became sad, but soon I

became fond of my new “home.”

After a while I even liked it there so

much that I didn’t want to come

back to Inglewood. Although the

time at Georgetown was not perfect

because I didn’t see my family, I got

to like it.

39 8 “When it was dark I set by my

camp-fire smoking, and feeling

pretty well satisfied; but by and

by it got sort of lonesome, and so

I went and set on the bank and

listened to the current swashing

along, and counted the stars and

drift-logs and raft that come

down, and then went to bed;

there ain’t no better way to put

in time when you are lonesome;

you can’t say so, you soon get

over it.

Huck is finally away from both Miss

Watson and pap, but he is not happy

at all because now he is lonesome.

When I was getting ready to go to

Georgetown I was very excited to be

away from home and my family; I

was ready to live an adventure all by

myself. However, my first three days

at college were terrible. I felt lonely

and deeply sad because I missed my

family. I realized that wishing to be

away from them was an error.

45 8 “And Jim said you mustn’t count

the things you are going to cook

for dinner, because that would

bring bad luck.”

I find sad how some people live their

life based on superstition. I have a

hard time understanding why

superstitious people do or don’t do

things to avoid bad luck. I don’t

even read the horoscope because I

think that I determine my own

future, not destiny or luck.

84 15 Well, this is too many for me,

Jim. I hain’t seen no fog, nor no

islands, nor no troubles, nor

nothing. I been setting here

talking with you all night till you

went to sleep about ten minutes

ago, and reckon I done the same.

You couldn’t ‘a’ got drunk in

that time, so of course you’ve

been dreaming.”

I think Huck acted like a total jerk in

this part of the book. I couldn’t

believe Huck would try to fool Jim

into thinking that he had dream all

the problems they had in the fog. I

was mad at Huck because Jim was

genuinely concerned for him, and

Huck responded to his kindness by

treating him like he was an idiot.

Huck can act very mean sometimes

with good Jim.

91 16

What's the use you learning to do

right, when it's troublesome to

do right and ain't no trouble to

do wrong, and the wages is just

the same?

It must have been real hard for Huck

to make decisions along the journey.

The quote here describes his internal

conflict about turning Jim into his

owner. I felt very bad for Huck

because his heart his split into two.

He had to choose between the

loyalty of the person who opened her

house for him and for the man who

gave him his friendship. I can’t

imagine being in his position.

116 18 “We said there warn’t no home

like a raft, after all. Other places

do seem so cramped up and

smothery, but a raft don’t. You

feel mighty free and easy and

comfortable on a raft.”

The raft is the only place where

Huck feels safe and free. Huck was

able to live in the Grangerfords’s

fancy house, but found that their

wealth didn’t give them peace. They

were uneasy all the time because of

the feud. Yet, Huck in his raft found

that peace and freedom they lacked.

I think that wealth and prestige don’t

bring happiness. Although I am

poor, I have lived a good life

because I have a good family that

loves me. The love of my family is

what brings me comfort.

144 21 “The streets was full, and

everybody was excited.

Everybody that seen the shooting

was telling how it happened, and

there was a big crowd packed

around each one of these

fellows, stretching their necks

and listening.”

This passage reveals how people by

nature tend to be bystanders. A

drunken man was killed by Sherburn

and the people from the town just get

near the scene to take a look. The

quote states that “everybody was

excited.” This shows how people are

just so desensitized to the point that

they want to see a dead man for the

fun of it. They take entertainment in

a tragedy.

146 22 “The pitifulest thing out is a

mob; that's what an army is – a

mob; they don't fight with

courage that's born in them, but

with courage that's borrowed

from their mass, and from their

officers. But a mob without any

man at the head of it beneath

pitifulness.”

I agree with this quote. Mobs are just

bunch cowards that join a mass to

feel courageous. The real courageous

people are those who are not afraid

to stand alone when they feel they

are doing the right thing.

151 23 “We are sold – mighty badly

sold. But we don’t want to be the

laughing-stock of this whole

town, I reckon, and never hear

the last of this thing as long as

The people at this town are

malicious. They have been deceived

by the king and the duke, but do not

plan to notify others in town about

the scam because they want

we live. No. What we want is to

go out of here quiet, and talk this

show up, and sell the rest of the

town! Then we’ll all be in the

same boat.”

everyone to fall in the trap. The fact

that they rather make others fall in

the riff-off in order to not be the only

fool ones shows how people can be

wicked. These are people who wish

others misfortune just because they

have had it too. I would not like to

live in a town where my neighbors

would allow bad to happen to me.

214 31 “I took it up, and held it in my

hand. I was a-trembling, because

I’d got to decide, forever,

betwixt two things, and I

knowed it. I studied a minute,

sort of holding my breath, and

then says to myself: ‘All right,

then, I’ll go to hell’ – and tore it

up.”

Huckleberry faces once again moral

indecision. He knows that he should

turn Jim into Miss Watson, but he

also doesn’t want to do any harm to

Jim. This is a turning point in the

story because it is when Huck

decides that his friendship with Jim

is stronger than the erroneous ideas

white society has taught him. I

admire how Huck decided to help

Jim because I know that it was hard

for him to put aside the “morals”

society had made him believe were

right; going against society is never

easy.

220-221 32 “It wan’t the grounding – that

didn’t keep us back but a little.

We blowed out a cylinder-head.”

“Good gracious! anybody hurt?”

“No’m. Killed a nigger.”

“Wel, it’s lucky; because

sometimes people do get hurt.”

I was very surprised when I read this

passage. I couldn’t believe that a

good hearted person like Aunt Polly

would think that the life of a Black

person was worthless. This passage

made me consider how even good

people can be racist. Aunt Polly

reminded me of my own aunt. My

aunt is a good person, but she does

show prejudice. I remember that

when I had just moved to the US,

she told me to keep distance with

Blacks because they were not

trustworthy. The moral behind this

passage is that racism can affect

even those who we consider good

people.

281 41 “She said she’d forgive us, and

maybe it was all right enough

anyway, and about what a body

might expect of boys, for all

boys was a pretty harum-scarum

lot as fur as she could see; and

so, as long as no harm hadn’t

come of it, she judged she better

put in her time being grateful we

was alive and well and she had

Aunt Polly genuinely loves Huck

and Tom. She is so grateful that they

are alive, that she doesn’t even get

mad because they got out of her

house to seek adventures. This

excerpt of the book reminded me of

one of my childhood anecdotes.

When I was about seven years old,

my sister and I left home to wander

around town. We left for about an

us still.” hour without letting my mother

know where we were. She was so

worried that all she cared about was

for us to come back home safe and

sound. When we got back home she

was so relieved that she didn’t

chastise us.

289 42 “Then what on earth did you

want to set him free for, seeing

he was already free?”

“Well, that is the question, I

must say; and just like a women!

Why, I wanted the adventure of

it.”

I was extremely mad at Tom when I

read that he had “helped” Jim gain

his freedom just because he wanted

adventure. I could not understand

how Tom had put Jim in danger. Jim

had innocently accepted the help

from Tom because he wanted to be

free. Taking advantage of Jim’s

desperate situation Tom made Jim

believe he would help him get

freedom, when Tom knew Jim was

already a free man. This passage led

me to hate Tom.