Huck Finn Chapters 21 - 22

As the mob is tearing through the streets toward Col As the mob is tearing through the streets toward Col. Sherburn’s house, Huck tells us that “children was heeling it ahead of the mob, screaming and trying to get out of the way.” What is Twain’s deeper message to the reader about mob mentality in this line/first paragraph of the chapter? Twain is trying to show us that a mob is callous and unfeeling; it will not hesitate to run over anything in its path, including innocent children. A mob does not do the right thing. It’s a monster, of sorts, and the children and women are right to run and weep as the monster sweeps through the town’s streets.

Twain uses the Col. Sherburn incident to make a deeper statement to his readers about the cowardice of the Ku Klux Klan. Write two of the lines wherein Twain makes subtle digs at the Klan. “Why, a man’s safe in the hands of ten thousand of your kind – as long as it’s daytime and you’re not behind him,” “If any real lynching’s going to be done it will be done in the dark, Southern fashion; and when they come they’ll bring their masks, and fetch a man along.”

Col. Sherburn scolds the crowd and says, “The average man’s a coward Col. Sherburn scolds the crowd and says, “The average man’s a coward.” Do you agree with him? Explain your answer with modern examples.

According to Sherburn, how is an army like a mob. Is he right According to Sherburn, how is an army like a mob? Is he right? Explain your answer. Sherburn says that most soldiers aren’t actually brave themselves, but they borrow their bravery, or courage, from the energy of the platoon or their leaders.

There’s a funny line in this chapter that shows Huck is just as cowardly as everyone else. Write down the line. Then, explain how this knowledge about Huck might actually be a troubling piece of foreshadowing concerning Jim. The line is at the end of the Sherburn sequence when Huck says, “I could ‘a’ stayed if I wanted to, but I didn’t want to.” This is funny/ ironic because he high-tails it out of there, just like everybody else. The line could be a potential piece of foreshadowing because, perhaps, Huck will not be brave enough to protect or help Jim when the time comes. Huck is an average kid, just like all of us. He doesn’t always do the right thing.

Describe the circus trick that fools Huck and the rest of the crowd Describe the circus trick that fools Huck and the rest of the crowd. What does this incident show us about Huck? What’s a deeper message from Twain that we could pull out of this scene? A man who seems drunk interrupts the show. To appease the crowd, the ringleader allows the “drunk” man to ride one of the circus horses. It’s all a set-up, though, as the drunk man is actually a stunt rider who was pretending to be a drunk local. He presents a dazzling show, ripping off several suits (Huck says it’s 17 suits, but Huck tends to lie/exaggerate) as he rides a galloping horse by standing in the saddle. Huck is very impressed and believes that the ringmaster didn’t know about the trick either. This incident shows that Huck is a naive kid; he’s still very young and doesn’t appreciate the full complexity of the ruse. This is similar to his interactions with the King and the Duke, as he doesn’t understand yet the full corruption of these two men. Finally, Twain uses this circus trick to emphasize his message that things are not always as they appear. This makes the reader think of Jim, who we now know is so much more than a slave.

Look at the two last sentences in the chapter. What is the Duke doing Look at the two last sentences in the chapter. What is the Duke doing? Do you think it will work? The Duke realizes that the people of Arkansas don’t want classy entertainment, so he’s appealing to their base instincts and planning a vulgar show. Do YOU think it will work? People tend to like raw, vulgar things. Which can explain the popularity of reality T.V. shows and many film comedies.

Chapters 23-27