HUCKLEBERRY FINN TIMELINE PROJECT

By: Lucy Hong

Huck and others joined Tom Sawyer’s gang in these three chapter expecting for it to be real action and adventure. But as the quote proves, Tom’s gang was just supposed to be based on pretense and the imagination of the boys. The symbol SpongeBob exemplifies the quote because the character by itself was created and popularized by imagination of kids and some adults just like the main focus of these chapters.

“We played robber now and then about a month, and then I resigned…We hadn’t robbed nobody, we hadn’t killed any people, but only just pretended.”

Ch 1-3

Huck’s life was settling down as the widow and her sister took good care of him and put him in school to get educated. But when Huck’ father showed up, he disturbed all the peace that has been restored in Huck’s life forcing him to quite school and deal with a drunk and abusive dad. The ripple in the water represents the introduction of Huck’s father because he destroyed the previous calm and relaxing environment the widow and others have created for Huck.

“Then I turned around, and there he was. I used to be scared of him all the time, he tanned me so much. I reckoned I was scared now, too…”

Ch 4-5

Huck’s possessive father abducted him from the widow’s house and forced Huck to live with him. The bird represent Huck being locked in the cabin by his father during the day. Birds are destined for freedom and the sky just like Huck is destined for the real world. Therefore trapping Huck in a cabin is not right especially by his own father. These two chapters set the stage for when Huck finally escapes and goes on his adventures.

“I was all over welts. He got to going away so much, too, and locking me in. Once, he locked me in and was gone three days. It was dreadful lonesome.”

Ch 6-7

Huck has escaped to an island away from Pap’s control by faking his own death but he was beginning to feel the loneliness that comes with running away. Just then, he finds Jim who was also alone and on the run. The quote show that Huck was very glad to have found Jim since now he won’t have to be alone anymore. The symbol of the two wolves traveling together outside of the pack is very similar to Huck and Jim in that Huck and Jim will be traveling together from now seeing as they are both outcasts of society.

“Pretty soon he gapped, and stretched himself, and hove off the blanket, and it was Miss Watson’s Jim! I bet I was glad to see him.”

Ch 8

Huck and Jim pack their bags from the floating house they find on the river and marks the start of Huck’s adventure with Jim. The hobo sack on a stick is normally depicted in cartoons and such when characters run away from home. Here it represents Jim and Huck packing for their trip and them running away from what they previously called home to freedom in the north.

“We got an old lantern, and a butcher knife without any handle, and a bran-new Barlow knife, and a lot of tallow candles, and a tin candelsack, and a guard, and a tin cup…”

Ch 9

Mrs. Loftus is one of the nicest ladies Huck will meet during his trip who tries all she can to help him. Yet Huck continues to deceive and trick her into telling him information. The wolf dressed like the grandma to trick little red riding hood represents Huck and Mrs. Loftus since little red riding hood is seen as a very sincere character just like Mrs. Loftus. Though Huck did not have such bad intentions as the wolf, he still used the same method to achieve his goals.

“Now trout along to your uncle , Sarah Williams George Elexander Peters, and if you get into trouble you send word to Mrs. Judith Loftus, which is me, and I’ll do what I can to get you out of it.”

Ch 10 -11

Huck’s decision to go on the sinking steamboat led him and Jim into trouble when they realize the ship belongs to robbers and their own raft has floated away. The quote shows the reason why Huck decided to board the boat which is simply curiosity. The symbol of the curiosity killed the cat represents this chapter because that is the exact lesson which Huck needs to learn since he really could have gotten not only himself but also Jim killed

“I was just a-biling with curiosity; and I says to myself, Tom Sawyer wouldn’t back out now, and so I’m agoing to see what’s going on here.”

Ch 12

When Huck learned that the robbers were going to become murderers and kill another man on the boat, Huck tries to stop them by taking their boat and then getting help later. Though with good intentions, Huck ended up causing the death of all three people on board proven by the quote. Buddy from the Incredibles was like an exaggeration of Huck as he tries to do good in the society but ends up with disastrous results.

“She was very deep, and I see in a minute there warn't much chance for anybody being alive in her. I pulled all around her and hollered a little, but there wasn't any answer; all dead still.”

Ch 13

This chapter was mainly about the talk between Huck and Jim. The two continuously argued about different languages people speaks. Jim didn’t think that there were different languages in the world mainly because he never met anyone from outside the country that spoke one. Just like the symbol of the frog in the bottom of the well that thought the sky was only as big as the opening because that all the frog saw.

“’Is a cat a man, Huck?’ ‘No’‘Well, den, dey ain't no sense in a cat talkin' like a man. Is a cow a man? -- er is a cow a cat?’ ‘No, she ain't either of them.’ ‘Well, den, she ain't got no business to talk like either one er the yuther of 'em. Is a Frenchman a man?"

Ch 14

“We said there weren’t no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don’t. you fell mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft.”

Ch 15- 25

Ch 15 – Ch 25 Continued

Huck in chapter 15-25 begin to see the bad side of human nature and society. The Grangerfords represented by the bomb showed Huck how stupid pride can result in a lot of violence. Bombs are just like family pride displayed by the two families as they both cause death and destruction. The Duke and King represented by the mask illustrates the deceptive side of humans. The mask here represent the fact that humans are able to hide who they really are and what they are thinking along with the fact that the Duke and King managed to trick many people by putting on a play hence the theatre mask. Greed in the book was seen when the two con artists tried to rip off the Wilks represented by the picture of money. Just after the first experience with the Grangerfords made Huck realize that life on the raft was much better that in the real society as said in the quote because life with Jim was simpler and more care free.

This chapter describes an important change in Huck as he decides to listen to his conscience and try to stop the Duke and King for the first time. The symbol of devil and angel represents the conscience of Huck as he decides whether to help the con artists rip off nice people or help the Wilks get their money. In the end, Huck decides to be true to himself and help the Wilks showing that the good (angel) side of him won.

“I says to myself, this is another one that I'm letting him rob her of her money. And when she got through they all jest laid theirselves out to make me feel at home and know I was amongst friends. I felt so ornery and low down and mean …”

Ch 26

Huck stole back the money the Duke and King ripped off from the Wilks and ended up putting it back to where it came from; Peter Wilks. All the work Duke and King did along with their money that they used to fill the hole in the inheritance was for nothing. The symbol of karma or getting what is deserved and everything that comes around goes around was really proven by the fact that the Duke and King’s plans were foiled and the money went back in the Wilks’ hands.

“The lid was shoved along about a foot, showing the dead man’s face…I tucked the money-bag in under the lid, just beyond where his hands were crossed…”

Ch 27

Huck tells the truth for the first time to Mary Jane so she doesn’t feel as bad about the slave family being separated. The quote shows how Huck has lied all through the journey and even his life but is just now learning that telling the truth is good sometimes too. Pinocchio learned the same lesson through the fact that every time he tells a lie, his nose grows bigger. He and Huck both had to learn to tell the truth which was the main point of the chapter.

“though I ain’t had no experience…look to me like the truth is better, and actually safer than a lie.”

Ch 28

The Duke and King were exposed as being frauds and con artist and was chased out of the town by its people. Justice was finally brought for all the people they have ripped off previously. The symbol of a judge hammer enforces the quote that the Duck and King are getting what they deserved since the hammer is normally seen as a representation for justice

“’The whole bilin’ of’ m ‘s frauds! Le’s duck’em! Le’s drown’em! Le’s ride’em on a rail!’ and everybody was whooping at once, and there was a rattling pow-wow.”

Ch 29

Chapter 30-35 set the stage for when Tom comes back into the story and brings back all his ideas of an adventure. Helping Jim escape should have been a simple plan because there weren’t even any guards to go through. But Tom insist on making a elaborate plan to break him out because of his need for excitement. The more complicated than usual escape plan for a house in the symbol emphasize the silly point of the quote and the chapter.

“Anyhow, there’s one thing – there’s more honor in getting him out through a lot of difficulties and dangers, where there weren’t one of them furnished to you by the people who it was their duty to furnish them, and you have to contrive them all out of your own head.”

Ch 30 - 35

Tom and Huck were wasting time as they try to make their plan as complicated and spectacular as possible by digging with knifes and baking a rope ladder pie. All of the things planned had not actual use and failed. The quote really proves how the two were wasting time by trying to make the escape more daring. The clock in the trash supports the point of the quote which is basically to show the wasted effort and wasted time represented by the clock and the crumbled up paper

“If we were prisoners it would, because then we’d have as many years as we wanted, and no hurry…and we could keep it up right along, year in and year out, and do it right…”

Ch 36-37

One of the more obvious satires used in the book was on Tom and how much he followed the steps of a book. During ch 38-39, he tries to repeat all the scenarios he read in adventure books on Jim. The quote proves that he even uses books as an excuse when convincing Jim to go along with the ridiculous plan. The symbol bring out the point that most people will listen and follow the instructions of a book and emphasis is put on the word “dummies”

“Any book will tell you that. You try-that’s all I ask; just try for two or three days. “

Ch 38 - 39

The most important event of these two chapters was that Jim was now a free man. The quote show that Jim has been set free by Miss Watson in her will and he doesn’t have to escape to the north. The symbol of a eagle flying in the sky highlights the freedom aspect in that eagles and the sky both represent the freedom to do anything.

“And his Aunt Polly she said Tom was right about old Miss Watson setting Jim free in her will; and so, sure enough, Tom Sawyer had gone and took all that trouble and bother to set a free nigger free!”

Ch 40 - 42

“…because Aunt Sally she’s going to adopt me and sivilize me and I can’t stand it. I been there before. The End. Yours truly, Huck Finn.”

The last chapter was basically just explaining the aftermath of all the events that has happened and giving a conclusion of what will happen to all the characters. Huck explains the endings of all the people and tells his plans to end the book in the quote above. The closing curtain represent the closing of the book drawing an end to the story.

The Last Chapter