Last Blog on Freedom and Enslavement Huck and Fin

These last few chapters had an immense amount of freedom and enslavement.  In  chapter 31 the reader can see that Huck is going through an internal emotional pain because though he is finally free from the two con men, Jim isn't.  Jim has been captured and taken back to his "roots" and is yet again denied his "freedom" which him and Huck were working so hard to gain.  We can see how he feels in the beginning of the next chapter when he realizes that he rather be dead than alone an no one to share it with (Jim).  I like how Tom and Huck reunite again for a good cause (freeing Jim).  In the later chapters while they tried to rescue Jim, I was beginning to become irritated with Tom.  I felt that he taught that the entire mission was one of his "adventures" and that Jim immediate rescue was not that important.  I was disgusted that he (Tom) even contemplated on leaving the mission of Jim's rescue to their kids.  "He said it was the best fun he ever had in his life, and the most intellectural; and said if he only could see his way to it we keep it up all the rest of our lives and leave Jim to our children to get out" (Twain 278).  To me I felt as if he was just toying around with Jim just for pleasure; and that is "sick" because you should not play with someone's  freedom just because they are a slave.  Maybe if they followed Huck, less risky plan they wouldn't have gotten into such a huge mess of figuring how to help Jim escape, which backfires when Tom gets shot, hindering Jim's escape.  Though Tom was stupid and endangered his well being, it was kind of Jim to stay back and help, this shows how humane he is (which is what society didn't think too much of at that time).  I found it kind of weird how Huck sees what Jim has done and considers him "white" on the inside, meaning good.  I found it ironic how "black on the inside" meant that you were bad.  I did not necessarily look at Huck's thinking as if it were racist, maybe "white-means pure" and "black means dark and evil" which is commonly associated in our culture now.  My heart was filled with joy when I found out that Jim was set free due to Ms. Watson's will (I love how you wait this long to tell us this Tom-this boy plays too much).  "Old Miss Watson died two months ago, and she was ashamed she ever was going to sell him down the river, and so; and she set him free in her will" (Twain 319).  It was about time that Jim was free, and I loved how the novel ended on that note, no more struggling for freedom, he was given it (though I don't like the sound of someone being granted free- it was nice in this situation).  Jim's truly get the praise that he receives in the end because I felt as if it all truly was in his characteristics.  This was what we should take from this novel, no matter who you are you race does not defy only your characteristics, and I feel that Jim portrayed this very well til the end, even in hard situations.  HOPE YA"LL ENJOYED MY LAST POST!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Enslavement and Freedom #3 Huck Finn Chapters 23-30

 In the end of Chapter 23 I feel proud for Huck,  because I felt that he was finally learning a lesson.  He learns that that it does not matter if you are white or black, you are still capable of human emotions such as love, which  is the situation he finds Jim in (who is sobbing over his family).  Huck is starting to see that whites and blacks posses the same characteristics in this character.  In the next few chapters  there really isn't much talk of slavery and freedom until we get to Chapter 26.  This Chapter really angered me because it showed man's ugly side (being that of greed and false accusations).  The King and Duke's greed has bonded them to so much money that they can't even go off with.  To me they are "enslaved" to money and anything they do tightens that grip, making them less "free".  At first one might not think that the King and Duke are racist due to the fact that they previously helped Jim when he wanted to walk around the town freely (they dress him up in a costume so he can be comfortable instead of tied up like a slave in Chapter 24).  Fast-forward, In Chapter 26 the King and Duke feel like they need to hide "their" money someplace else before a slave finds it and "steals" some of it (like they weren't the ones stealing).  "and first you know the nigger that does up in the rooms will get an order to box these duds up and put 'em away; and do you reckon a nigger can run cross money and not borrow some of it" (Twain 204).   It was racist for them to think that a black person will be the one stealing money that didn't belong them, but in fact that is what they are doing. Their conceived judgment on black people is just wrong.  Huck who is hearing all of this probably doesn't think this way because the only two stealing con artist that have approached him so far in this novel have been the Duke and the King, who are white.
 Like I stated earlier Huck has learned that humans no matter what race you are (white or black) we are all capable of emotions.  His knowledge of this was shown again in chapter 27.  Black people have feelings too, and Huck saw the cruel act which the King and Duke did by separating a family when selling them apart.  Though Huck lies to get back at the cons artists for what they did I felt as if it was appropriate.  Though one may look at it as being a racist lie, I think that he was only thinking of the reaction of the two men, when they knew that they couldn't do anything, while helping the slaves too.  All the King and Dukes assumption in a sense happens to be "true".  It was brilliant of Huck to tell the King and Duke that he was not in their room, but that he did see a few slaves pass that way a couple of times (the slaves were sold).  By telling this fib, Huck is not only protecting himself, but the other slaves which he knows will return back but will not be harmed by the King or Duke, who will probably be long gone by then.  The way I see it, Huck is a protectorate of not only himself, but of innocent humans that society has wronged (in this case- the slaves).  "and I felt dreadful glad I'd worked it all off onto the niggers and yet hadn't done the niggers no harm by it" (Twain 212).

Post #2 On Freedom and Enslavement Huck Finn Chapters 16-22

In Chapter 16 as both characters (Huck and Jim) are approaching to Cairo, a free establishment they both tremble with excitement and fear.  Jim who is finally going to be free tells Huck all about his future plans to liberate his family, and Huck who hears this is a nervous train too.  For he feels that he did wrong by participating in the liberation of Jim, and has wronged the good christian women that Jim belonged to.  Though Huck is actions on freeing Jim are of physical actions, he is not free mentally from his conscience.  The type of way that Huck was feeling was understandable looking at where he was coming from, it was not common for white people to help free blacks. "Jim said it made him all over trembly and feverish to be so close to freedom.  Well, i can tell you it made me all over trembly and feverish, too, to hear him, because I begun to get it through my head that he was most free" (Twain 109).  But, I feel that in a sense that Huck internally feels that by freeing Jim, he to will be freeing himself.  Through this chapter you can see a great deal of heroism when Huck lies to help Jim, a colored man who he was going to liberate.
For me the chapter 18 showed the foundation of slaves and  also how they help during any circumstances that comes there way no matter the situation that they are dealing with.  While at the Grangerford estate, Huck observes that all the family members depend on slaves.  Even Huck is given a slave to take care of his needs.  The root of the Grangerford family all lies in the slavery business, which helps to keep them wealthy.  It is a shame that though the family is rich and educated with "culture" their involvement of this practice (slavery) in my opinion overshadows that.  How can "good" people enact in inhumane business?  Unlike the other people in the household Huck does not treat his slave poorly (Buck), and this was probably observed by Jack, a slave that was living in the household.  One can guess that Jack sees this because he is the one to reunite Huck and Jim back together.  Jack was the one who helped with the raft and where to hide.  At that time that was all he could do, and he probably knew that he needed some reinforcement to help Jim.  So, when he sees Huck around that area he makes up a quick lie to lure him into the place of where Jim was hiding.  Jack did this all on his own "free" will and like Jim, yearned for freedom, but was not ready to act on it yet (like Huck freeing Jim also freed him, this is probably how Jack feels- if he can help Jim, an African American "free", then he is in some way helping himself and enslaved African America).  In the end of the chapter Huck and Jim depart, and in a sense Huck feels free when he is with Jim.  I can tell that he never felt this way with the other adults in his life.  "I never felt easy til the raft was two miles below there and out in the middle of Mississippi.  Then we hung up our signal lantern, and judged that we was free and safe one more" (Twain 139).  He felt "might free" on the raft alongside Jim.

First Post on Freedom and Enslavement

Chapter six (6) of the novel to me was a vital example of how freedom and slavery came to play in the novel,  After Huck is taken by his father to and deprived from his life he had with the widow, he's not happy.  His father took away the schooling and everything that he did at the widow's place which he didn't mind.  In fact living with his father made him to realize how much he did not want to go back to the widow or stay with him.  In simplest terms, he just wanted to be free of both party's rule, he yearned for "freedom".  The cabin in which he lived in acted a prison which he wanted to escape from.  Later on in the chapter we are also let onto how Huck's dad opinion on the government.  Pap resented a black man doing better than him in life and did not believe it was fair.  Though he resented anyone's accomplishments (Huck's especially), that of a black male who he felt should be enslaved but was not was what he really resented the most.  "There was a free nigger there, Ohio; a mulatter, most as a white man....There was a state in this country where they'd let a nigger vote.....I says to people why ain't that nigger put up at auction and sold"(Twain 28).  This quote right here clearly show the views of Pap on the standings on black male, especially those who were free, he felt as if they should have been "enslaved".  In chapter seven all Huck wants to do is escape, he just wants to be free from his dad.

Both Huck and Jim in chapters eight (8) through nine (9) deal with freedom and slavery.  When they both find each other in chapter eight (8) they are both shocked, but swear to keep it a secret.  Jim tells Huck about how he was treated badly when he was enslaved under Ms.Watson, a supposed good christian. Huck found it weird and bad in this chapter to be called an abolitionist.  " People would call me a low down Abolitionist and despise me for keeping mum-but that don't make no difference. I ain't agoing to tell" (twain 45).  They were people who fought for people's being "enslaved" own "freedom".  In a sense though Jim is the "escaped slave" both characters to me were enslaved by people who they did not like Huck (pap) and Jim (Miss. Watson) and all they wanted was freedom. This sets out the theme of the novel as they both departure. 

Social Responsiblity-The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Social Responsibility is one of the earliest themes introduced to us in the beginning of the novel.  After we are giving a little flashback of Huck's life in Mark Twain "The Adventures Tom Sawyer," when he is taken in by widow Douglass.  While he is her the widow and her "annoying" sister try to install some manners into him by teaching him christian values as part of his social responsibility. During the time period which Huck lived, people were religious (more than now) and tried to follow good Christian values so they could hopefully get into heaven. This was no the case for Huck who really didn't fit into that society, he was more anti it.  He did not see a point in doing good for others or praying to go to heaven, he's rather go to hell where all the bad (Tom) would be.  "Then she told me about the bad place, and I said I wished I was there" (Twain 3).  Huck does not care about religion and doesn't take the responsibility to follow it especially if its about dead people (Moses).

During the end of the five chapters read his father, who people said was dead came back, but not to his surprise.  His dad arrives in an unpleasant manner after finding that his son is doing better than anyone in his family has ever did (reading). " Your mother could't read, and she couldn't write, nuther, before she died.  None of the family couldn't, before they died" (Twain 20).   Getting an educations and learning to read was a responsibility that in society,Huck had to take regardless of his family's uneducated past. But, that was not the only reason why his father came, he wanted money and since he knew that Huck had him he needed to get Huck back out of widow Douglass.  He wanted custody of Huck again and he went to court to achieve this goal.  The new judge only granted him back custody because he truly believe that Huck's dad would change his ways and most importantly it was his "Social Responsibility" too.  The Judge felt that it was right of a father to take care of his son and his responsibility as man of society.