1. Symbol
The river symbolizes the freedom that Huck and Jim suddenly have. Jim is a runaway slave, so he had never had a sense of freedom before, and Huck has always been held back by his father. The river shows that they have broken away from what was holding them back before they escaped. The fog is symbolic of the troubles that are near. They ran away, so they may feel free, but they are constantly watching out for anybody who may catch them. Jim and Huck live in fear of what may happen, or of who may find them.
2. Conflict
Huck faces the internal conflict of helping Jim, who was a runaway slave. He feels responsible for stealing the Widow Douglass's "property" and helping him get to a free state. Huck feels more guilt when Jim tells him that if he must, he would steal back his family, meaning that Huck would be committing yet another crime. He resolves this conflict temporarily in Chapter 16 when he justifies helping Jim because they are friends. Jim told Huck that he was the best friend that he had ever had, so Huck decided not to turn him in to the police.
3. Figurative Language
In Chapter 13 Twain uses a hyperbole to exaggerate what is happening to Huck and Jim. He wrote, "seemed a week before we got to the stern." to describe the size of the Walter Scott, which was the ship wreck that Huck and Jim were exploring. There is more figurative language in the form of a pun in the last line of the chapter that reads "...and turned in and slept like dead people." which means that Huck and Jim slept well, or without disturbance. It also represents the "dead" career of an author and colleague of Mark Twain's named Walter Scott. This was to show that Walter Scott is similar to a ship wreck.
4. Characterization
Huck's personal development is defined by his want to avoid trouble when he encounters the robber and by taking responsibility for himself. He buys his own supplies and watches out for Jim's and his own safety. In chapter 15, Huck says "It made me feel so mean I could almost kissed his foot to get him to take it back.". Huck said this after Jim had told Huck that he had made him feel like trash, and Huck didn't want to feel so mean. His statement is completely the opposite of what was socially acceptable at the time, and actually bonded Jim and Huck's relationship. Huck learned to respect Jim, and to not take advantage of the help and security that Jim provided for him.
The river symbolizes the freedom that Huck and Jim suddenly have. Jim is a runaway slave, so he had never had a sense of freedom before, and Huck has always been held back by his father. The river shows that they have broken away from what was holding them back before they escaped. The fog is symbolic of the troubles that are near. They ran away, so they may feel free, but they are constantly watching out for anybody who may catch them. Jim and Huck live in fear of what may happen, or of who may find them.
2. Conflict
Huck faces the internal conflict of helping Jim, who was a runaway slave. He feels responsible for stealing the Widow Douglass's "property" and helping him get to a free state. Huck feels more guilt when Jim tells him that if he must, he would steal back his family, meaning that Huck would be committing yet another crime. He resolves this conflict temporarily in Chapter 16 when he justifies helping Jim because they are friends. Jim told Huck that he was the best friend that he had ever had, so Huck decided not to turn him in to the police.
3. Figurative Language
In Chapter 13 Twain uses a hyperbole to exaggerate what is happening to Huck and Jim. He wrote, "seemed a week before we got to the stern." to describe the size of the Walter Scott, which was the ship wreck that Huck and Jim were exploring. There is more figurative language in the form of a pun in the last line of the chapter that reads "...and turned in and slept like dead people." which means that Huck and Jim slept well, or without disturbance. It also represents the "dead" career of an author and colleague of Mark Twain's named Walter Scott. This was to show that Walter Scott is similar to a ship wreck.
4. Characterization
Huck's personal development is defined by his want to avoid trouble when he encounters the robber and by taking responsibility for himself. He buys his own supplies and watches out for Jim's and his own safety. In chapter 15, Huck says "It made me feel so mean I could almost kissed his foot to get him to take it back.". Huck said this after Jim had told Huck that he had made him feel like trash, and Huck didn't want to feel so mean. His statement is completely the opposite of what was socially acceptable at the time, and actually bonded Jim and Huck's relationship. Huck learned to respect Jim, and to not take advantage of the help and security that Jim provided for him.