Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Chapter 1 - 4
The novel begins with a recap of The adventures of Tom Sawyer as Huckleberry Finn informs the reader that both he and Tom Sawyer had each received a sum of six thousand dollars after their adventure. Huckleberry Finn had entrusted his money to Judge Thatcher, who had invested the sum for him, and he had been taken in by the Widow Douglas who believed that he needed to be civilized. The Widow Douglas and her sister, Miss Watson, attempted to teach him manners and enroll him in a school but Huckleberry decides that he liked his old mode of living. He escapes from the widow’s home but Tom Sawyer seeks him out and promises to include him in a new band of robbers if he agreed to return to the Widow Douglas. Huckleberry returns reluctantly and resumes his education although he doesn’t quite gain an interest in religion.
Huckleberry sneaks out of the house at night when Tom Sawyer comes to get him, but they are nearly caught by Miss Watson’s slave, Jim. They manage to remain hidden until Jim falls asleep, and Tom Sawyer decides to play a trick on him though Huckleberry is reluctant to do so. Tom hangs Jim’s hat from a nearby limb, and the slave begins to think that he had been toyed with by witches. His stories grow so fantastical that slaves from all around come over to hear the account of how Jim had been ridden around by witches in the night. Huckleberry and Tom meet with the other boys, and they all make their way to a cavern where Tom inducts them into his band of robbers by making them swear an oath with blood from little pinpricks on their fingers. Huckleberry is nearly prevented from joining the band when the others learn that he has no family against whom they can enact revenge in case he decides to betray his oath.
Huckleberry sneaks back home the following morning, but he is admonished quite severely for getting all of his clothes dirty. He and the other boys from the group soon grow tired of Tom Sawyer’s robbery attempts, as they never truly commit any thievery but rather only pretend to do so. Miss Watson and Widow Douglas both try to teach Huckleberry Finn about God, but their ideas seem so conflicted to him that he begins to think there are two gods, and he prefers that of the Widow Douglas. Huckleberry feels confined in his new home, but he soon begins to appreciate the new way of life as well. A body is found in the river and the town speculates that it might be Huckleberry’s father but he doesn’t feel quite so sure. One day while returning from school, Huckleberry finds footprints outside the widow’s house. He studies the footprints and decides that they must belong to his father. He immediately rushes to Judge Thatcher and insists that he take all of his money without explaining anything to him. Huckleberry returns much calmer and finds Jim, who has a reputation for being able to tell people’s fortune. Jim uses a ball to tell Huckleberry that he is going to have a choice to make between following a good angel and a bad one just the same as his father and that he would have both trouble and joy in his life. Huckleberry returns to his room and finds his father seated there.
Analysis
Huckleberry Finn establishes itself as an independent novel in the first chapter, as Huckleberry asserts that this is his own story and different from that of Tom Sawyer. Conversely, both books feature an adventure story with a young boy as the protagonist and function as social commentary for the American society at the time. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn focuses on themes of slavery and freedom, which are both developed in this first section through the widow's attempt to civilize Huckleberry Finn. The young boy struggles with the hypocritical rules imposed by society as he attempts to lead a life of freedom and liberty. Chapters 2 and 3 focus on elucidating the differences between Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. They reveal that Tom is rather silly and inhabits a world of imagination whereas Huckleberry Finn is an outsider who is being taught the rules of civility and as such he remains rooted in reality.
