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Good Books
- The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
- A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
- The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
- Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
- The Life of Pi by Yann Martel
- Girl With A Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier
- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
Huck is very practical in many ways. If he thinks something makes no sense, he won't do it. If an idea does make sense to him, he will find a way to have complete control over it. One way or another he's going to have his way, at least that's what it seems like to me. He's not very imaginative and doesn't play games. It's like 'Survival of the Fittest.' Huck is living to survive practically and convienently, not luxuriously.
ReplyDeleteHuck lives with the Widow Douglas, and he was to become "sivilized." Huck couldn't stand the, I would say primpy clothes or preppy manners, so he dressed in his old rags and ran away. (Tom got him to come back home by telling him he could join his band of robbers. This right here tells you Tom is adventuresome.)
Huck seems to think that if one person is doing something, like smoking in this case, he should be able to do the same as well. It's almost like he believes everyone should have fair and equal rights no matter the age, color, or background. For instance, the widow smoked yet told Huck that it is a very "mean practice and wasn't clean." The widow was being a hypocrite. It's practical for Huck to be doing the same as others.
Huck was bored with school after an hour or so, being dull and unreasonable to him. He was always told to behave like a gentleman: use proper manners, dress handsome, use proper language, and be a good boy. His life with the widow was luxurious in a sense because of his fancy clothes, being able to have an education, and from what I've been reading, his huge, beautiful house. However, just because it's luxurious doesn't mean it's a good life.
Huck was tired of rules and the constant nagging from widow Douglas and Miss. Watson. He wanted to be in control of his life because he believed his ways of life were more sensible. Huck can be described as a "do-it-myself-and-am-in-charge-of-my-life" kind of young boy.
Tom is more adventuresome because of his free-spirit. He started a band of robbers with his friends. He had everybody take oaths and keep the secret of this club. All of his ideas came from books he had read. They were going to rob and murder people. Tom had the imaginaition of "stopping stages and carriages on the road, with masks on, and kill the people and take their watches and money." Tom came up with a whole plan to complete his mission. It hasn't gone through yet, and it probably won't, but I don't know because I haven't finished the book.
To sum it all up, Tom and Huck are two very different individuals but are best friends. Whose not to say opposites attract?
These four chapters greatly demonstrate the differences in Tom and Huck's personalities; Tom being extremely adventuresome and Huck being practical. Tom is always looking to make something plain and original into something extraordinary that is to be remembered by everyone. He bases everything he does on the books he reads, and says if it isn't done that way it isn't done right. For example, he wanted to start a band of robbers, who would stop carriages on the road, kill the people, and take their valuables and money, all while wearing masks. Also, Tom wrote an oath with rules and ridiculous consequences as to what would happen if they broke the rules. (Killing the families of the boy who broke the rules) Then they had to sign the oath by pricking their fingers until it was bleeding and sign. Huck on the other hand, doesn't see the need to make things extravagant. He didn't need to feel like he was making a point, he just wanted to get things done. In chapter 2, Tom wanted to tie Jim up to a tree while he was sleeping. Huck didn't want him to do it because that might wake Jim up and draw attention to the fact that he wasn't in the house when he was supposed to be. He just wanted to get to the cave, discuss what they needed to discuss, and get back home before anyone noticed. Another example is after about a month of doing the Band of Robbers, they hadn't done anything like they said they would. They would still go and meet in the cave though, and pretend they had. Huck didn't see any point in this at all, and said, "But I couldn't see no profit in it." Basically, he just went along with it.
ReplyDeleteThese two characters are completely opposite, but I find it humorous how well they get along and I think it's interesting how they always find ways to work together.
In the first four chapters shows the differnces in personailty wise between Huck and Tom. Huck is bacsically a realist. Huck wants to be in control of his own life Huck is tired of rules and widow Douglas and Miss. Watson trying to change him into something he is not. Huck thinks that life can be more reasonable then they way he is living now.In my own opinion if a white people( no offense) but if they take you in and try to teach stuff you should be grateful because alot of black people would have love to have that opportunity that Huck has. Tom is more of a free spirt it seems like he bases alot of his life on the books he reads like for example the oath the men had to take to join the gang. tom and huck are complete opposites
ReplyDeleteTom is a romantic in that he wants to do extraordinary things like Sarah said, but he wants to do them in ways that aren't at all realistic. For instance, the gang of robbers he wanted to start. Tom want to kill, steal, and ransom right away, because that's just the way it was done. Tom wants to do things that he thinks will make him notable and happy.
ReplyDeleteHuck, on the other hand, just wants to be left to his own devices really. If Huck was going to rob someone, it would be to get what he needed, not to impress anyone.
Put Tom in Huck's situation. Tom would run away for the fun of it, while Huck runs away simply because he doesn't like being there. That is where the difference is; they do many of the same things, but with different motives.
I see John's point. Huck and Tom "do many of the same things, but with different motives." I never thought of it that way. Huck and Tom are best friends yet quite opposite in their ways of thinking. It all has to do with how differently they were both raised.
ReplyDeleteUmm..is this what it means to comment on a minimum of 3 posts made by the other students?
ReplyDeleteTom's adventuresome ways were very obvious in the first 4 chapters of this book, just as well as Huck's practical ways.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was entertaining to read about Tom leading his gang to rob the caravan of Arabs and Spaniards, when in reality it was just a sunday school picnic. This really puts an image of just how imaginitive and adventuresome Tom was. He just wanted to have a great adventure no matter what. Tom was able to turn the most regular situations into great adventures of action and excitement.
Huck on the otherhand, was much more practical. He would follow Tom in whatever he pursued, until he came to a realization that it was pointless. He decided that if they were a gang of thieves and robbers that weren't robbing or killing anyone, there was absolutely no point to being in the gang. Huck made decisions like this throughout the novel. That's how his character was. He would think things through and have a plan, whereas Tom was just looking for excitement and would go with the flow.
In the first 4 chapters we were able to really see the contrast of the two characters, but it continued throughout also. Tom and Huck were best friends though, even among their differences. They would figure things out together, get out of messes together, and always knew they were there for each other.
Katie, its looking like this may be the only way to get our posts. If no one posts their own topics, you can't comment on them, so don't get too excited.
ReplyDeleteAs Jill said, Tom makes things into an adventure even when they aren't and all of his followers join in with him as if his attitude wears off on others. Even practical Huck joins in on the fun imaginary raiding.
ReplyDeleteOkay John. I do not get excited about commenting on others posts. No one reads them anyways and I could care less.
ReplyDeleteI love the reference to "Don Quixote" right in the text because that's exactly who Tom sounds like in chapter three.
ReplyDeleteTom talks about how the "Spainards and A-rabs" have all these grand treasures that are only guarded by four-hundred men, and that the gang must go see and steal their riches.
The only problem is, when the gang goes to "ambuscade" them, all they find is an innocent and quite richless Sunday-school picnic.
When Huck questions Tom, he says that magicians "turned the whole thing into an infant Sunday-school class, just out of spite."
To me, this incident demonstrates Tom's adventurous spirit, as well as Huck's practicality. Tom creates this huge fantasy in his mind and runs with it as if it were reality, while Huck, despite his great admiration for Tom, refuses to buy into Tom's imagination and beleives that it is simply a Sunday-school picnic.
Much like myself, Huck Finn would rather take the easy way out of situations. Usually the easy route is the best and fastest way. He is also very stubborn. If an idea doesn't make sense to him, like praying, he won't bother with it. Mark Twain did a fantastic job connecting us with his characters because we all know someone like Huck Finn.
ReplyDeleteI really disliked Tom Sawyer. His thoughts were hilarious early on in the tale with his gang of thieves and proper ways to treat the ladies. It got old later on, though. Unlike Huck, Tom would rather take the hardest way possible to get something done because it would make for a better tale. It's crazy how some people think.
Huck is the kind of person that if he does not like where he is he just leaves he basically just runs away from his problems instead of facing them he is more of a realist to me.
ReplyDeleteAnd on the other hand Tom bases most of his life on books he just wants his life to be an adventure.When you compare Huck and Tom they are two different people but no matter what you just know that they are good firends
Huck is from the lowest class of white status. His drunken father beats him, and he is often homeless or on the move. So, faced with frilled up reality, he sees it as pointless. He just wants to get whatever task he is doing done, with no dilly dallying, or flair.
ReplyDeleteTom, however, was raised in comfort. He only really knows what he has heard from adults or read in his books. Hence, Tom likes to make things flashy…to turn normal situations in to a story book fantasy, or else seems unstylish or boring in his relaxed life.
Tom needs adventure and the dazzle effect to flourish, while Huck is just happy to be safe and getting what is needed to be done, done.
So naturally, when they make the band of robbers, Tom thinks they must make major life or death pacts, and kill and “ransom” every victim. He tries to change every situation into extraordinary, even if it’s a merely a Sunday school picnic, or sneaking around after dark. Huck however, finds every little add-on “stylish” task a major waste of time and luck.
Their conflicting personas just adds to the story.
Tom has a wild immagination and loves adventuring and getting into trouble, while Huck enjoys laziness and lacks the desire to pretend. If something seems foolish to him and doesn't serve a real purpose, then it's simply not worth his time, but Tom lives to make things more complicated than they have to be.
ReplyDeleteWell, Tom is a thrill-seeker and is all about adventure, where Huck is very sensible. Tom just wanted to make everything into an adventure just for the sake of a good story. For example, at the very beginning whenever Jim was sleeping, Tom wanted to tie him to a tree and Huck wanted to continue on because it was the practical thing to do. Many times Huck would agree with whatever Tom said and part of the reasoning behind that, I think, is that it was Huck's loyalty to Tom as his friend.
ReplyDelete