Andie and Aubrey's Blog: Caught (Again)
Andie and Aubrey A.
Huck tries to escape the king and the duke during the confused frenzy at the graveyard when the bag of money is found in the coffin. He rows out to Jim and together they float away, but not fast enough,
"So, in two seconds, away we went, a sliding down the river, and it did seem so good to be free again and all by ourselves on the big river and nobody to bother us. ... I noticed a sound that I knowed mighty well- and held my breath and listened and waited- and sure enough, when the flash busted out over the water, here they come!-... It was the king and the duke. So I wilted right down onto the planks, then, and give up; and it was all I could do to keep from crying" (Twain 225).
1) Why do you think Huck and Jim didn't try to escape the king and the duke before this? Why didn't they after, when the king and the duke fell asleep drunk?
2) What do you think would have happened had Huck and Jim simply asked the duke and the king to leave?
Huck tries to escape the king and the duke during the confused frenzy at the graveyard when the bag of money is found in the coffin. He rows out to Jim and together they float away, but not fast enough,
"So, in two seconds, away we went, a sliding down the river, and it did seem so good to be free again and all by ourselves on the big river and nobody to bother us. ... I noticed a sound that I knowed mighty well- and held my breath and listened and waited- and sure enough, when the flash busted out over the water, here they come!-... It was the king and the duke. So I wilted right down onto the planks, then, and give up; and it was all I could do to keep from crying" (Twain 225).
1) Why do you think Huck and Jim didn't try to escape the king and the duke before this? Why didn't they after, when the king and the duke fell asleep drunk?
2) What do you think would have happened had Huck and Jim simply asked the duke and the king to leave?
posted by Kristin L | 2:37 PM
8 Comments:
Because of Tom, Huck always longed for adventure. When he was with the king and the duke there was always something fun going on. I think Huck felt a certain bond with the duke and the king and didn't want to leave them because they were a kind of family to him. Eventually Huck realizes the true frauds he was hanging out with and tries to leave them.
I agree with other people in that the only reason Huck and Jim chose to stay with the king and duke is because they saw it as somewhat of an adventure. The king and duke were sort of just forced upon Jim and Huck in the beginning, and neither escapee seemed to mind much. Jim probably didn't enjoy the king and duke because it brought more of a threat to him gaining his freedom. Huck on the other hand, was looking for excitement and the duke and king offered this. Eventually, though, both Huck and Jim realized they didn't want to live like pathetic criminals and wanted to get away from the king and duke. I think Twain put these two characters in the novel in order to sort of give Huck a foreshadowing of what might lie ahead in his life. The reader is not meant to like the king or duke, and it provides Huck a way to see what he is headed for and change his ways.
I think Huck was hoping that the townspeople involved in the money scandal would be enraged enough to prevent the duke and king from leaving the town. That way the king and duke would have too much on their hands to worry about the raft. Unfortunately, they got to the raft anyway. Afterwards, when the king and duke were drunk, Huck and Jim were too discouraged and probably afraid to escape the king and duke while they were all alone together on the river. The only way to get rid of them would be to either leave them on the raft and be left stranded on the shore or to push them off the raft and run the risk of either drowning them or enraging them further. Also, like the previous commenters said, Huck liked the adventures the duke and king provided.
If Huck and Jim had asked them to leave, I think they would have laughed and dared them to make them leave. I think they still have too much influence over Jim for Jim to allow them to go. And Huck, only wanting peace on the raft, would let them have their way.
I don't think that Huck wanted to leave the King and duke. Like Tom, Huck likes adventure. Jim on the other hand probably wanted to leave but because he stuck with Jim he did not.
If Huck and Jim had asked them to leave I think that nothing would have happened. The only way to get away from the duke and king is to escape when they are not looking which might have been the intention of Jim.
I agree with what Michelle said about the townspeople. Huck most likely thought that if he went along with their plan but didn't let on that he knew what was happening, the townspeople wouldn't allow the king and duke to leave. This is why they didn't try and escape before. Huck probably thought that if they waited longer to escape the duke and the king, they would have more trust in him if they caught up to the raft. I think that if Huck and Jim would have asked them to leave, they would have been very angry and reacted in a negative way. They probably would have done something to the raft or Huck/Jim.
I think Huck didn't run away sooner because he was laid back and really didn't care what happened but when he started to realize what kind of people the king and duke were he knew he had to try to get away. I thinl once he was caught he didn't try again because he didn't have enough energy and he by then had learned the king and duke's personalities and realized that they probably would hurt him.
P.S. kakos sorry this is late
I agree that Huck wanted adventure in his life, so that is why he didn't leave the king and duke. He felt a need to do something other than just sit around on the raft, and the king and duke gave him that. If Huck and Jim had asked the duke and king to leave, I think that they would have refused and simply think nothing more of it.
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