Huckleberry-Finn-and-Tom-Sawyer

HuckleberryFinnandTomSawyer–ExtremeCharactersMarkTwain'sTheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinnfollowsayoungboynamedHuckthroughhisadventuresdowntheMississippiRiver.ThroughtheadventuresandobstacleshefacesandovercomeswithJim,aloyalrun-awayslave,Huckchangesandbecomesmoremature.Heisnolongerthecareless,prankplayingboythatranaroundandhadfunatotherpeople'sexpense.Neartheendofhislife-changingjourneydowntheMississippi,HuckisreunitedwithhisidolandclosefriendTomSawyerandtheseonceverysimilarboysnowhavemanyobviousdifferences.HuckdiffersfromTominhiswayofthinking,inhistreatmentandattitudetowardsJim,andinhistendencytoquestionhissurroundings.HuckseesandinterpretstheworldrealisticallyandinpracticaltermswhereasTom,atrueromantic,believestheworldoperateslikethestoriesinhisbooks.AgreatexampleoftheircontrastingwaysofthinkingisintheirdifferingapproachestorescueJimfromhisimprisonment.Huckplanstosimplystealthekey,getJimout,runtothecanoe,andescapedowntheriverontheraft.Huck'splantogetJimoutofcaptivityisstraightforward,simple,andeffective.Tom,however,complainsthatitstooblamesimple,andthatthereain'tnothingtoit(224).Tom'splaniscomplicatedandfullofunnecessaryadditionsbecauseofhisstubbornadherencetotheromanticscenariosthathereadsinhisnovels.Tombelievesthereishonoringetting[Jim]outthroughalotofdifficultiesanddangers,(230)andhegoesoutofhiswaytoinventobstaclestomakethesituationmoredifficultandmorelikethestorieshegrewupon.Heunnecessarilyinventshardrocktodigthrough,atalltowertoclimbdownfrom,aninfestedcellfullofrats,spiders,andsnakes,andahighsecuritysituation.Huck,seeingnologicorpracticalityinTom'splan,questionsthesehighlyunnecessarynotions,claimingthatit'soneofthemostjackassideas[he]everstruck(239).Huck'srealisticmindcouldnotunderstandTom'sromanticnatureandhedisagreeswithTom'sdecisionsonnumerousoccasions.AfterhisexperiencesdowntheriverwithJim,HuckbeginstoseeJimasahumanbeingandasaclosefriendwhileTomisstillstuckinthemindsetestablishedbyhissouthernwhiteelders.WhenHuckfindstheraftunoccupiedanddiscoversthatJimismissing,hesetdownandcriedbecausehecouldn'thelpit(204).HuckhadneverrealizedhowmuchJimmeanttohimuntilhelosthim.HefeelssostronglytowardsJimthathewouldrathercondemnhissoulandgotohellthantoseeJiminchainsagain.HedecidestotakeupwickednessagainandgoworktostealJimoutofslavery(207)eventhoughthiswouldmeanthathewouldhavetogoagainsteverythinghehadeverknownandlearned.Tomisthecompleteopposite.TomonlyseesJimasanigger,abeinglowerthanhuman,whoisincapableoffeelingsoremotions.TomseesJimashehadbeentaught.So,withouteventhinkingaboutJimandhisfeelings,TompursueshisownhappinessandselfisheagernessforadventureattheexpenseofJim'sprolongedcaptivity.HeneglectstotellHuckthatJimwasalreadyfreeandhefeelsnoguiltoruneasinessforkeepingafreemanlockedup.ObviouslyTomregardsJimasonlypropertyandtortureshimwithoutguilt.Huck,ontheotherhand,wantsnothingmorethantoseehisloyalfriendfreeandhappy.ThefinaldifferenceisthatHuckquestionstheworldaroundhim,unlikeTomwhoblindlytakeseverythinghehearsandreadsastruthsandunalterablefacts.Evenintheearlypartsofthenovel,Huckquestionsmanylessonsandstoriesthattheheistold.Forexample,Huck[sat]downonetimeinthebackofthewoodsandhadalongthinkabout(20)organizedreligionandthepurposeofprayer.Heusedhiscritical,realisticmindanddecidedthathecouldn'tseenoadvantageinit...andreckonedhewouldn'tworryaboutitanymore(20).HuckdoesthesamewithTom'sromanticstoriesofgeniesandmagiciansandjudgedthatallthatstuffwasjustonlyoneofTomSawyer'slies(23).TherearemanyinstancesinthebookwhereHuckquestionsanddecidesforhimselfwhattobelieveinsteadofacceptingeverythingassolidfacts.Tom,however,believeseverywordthathereadsorhearsfromhiselders.Hehasneverquestionedanythinghewastoldaboutslaveryorreligion.Hislifeisbasedaroundhisbelovedadventurebooksandhebelievesinthemwholeheartedly.TomwasoutragedwhenHuckquestionsthevalidityandpracticalityinfollowinghisromanticstoriesandautomaticallydismissesHuck'sreasonablesuggestions.Tomblindlytakesthosefictionaltalesasarulebookorstandardfornormallifeandhewon'tstandbytoseetherulesbroke-becauserightisrightandwrongiswrong(237).MarkTwaincreatesanobviousdifferencebetweenthecharactersofHuckandTomduringthelastscenetohighlightthechangethatHuckundergoes.WithoutTom,anunchangedcharacterthatHuckoncemodeledhimselfafter,thereadercannotcorrectlyjudgehowmuchHuckchangedfromhisexperiencesdowntheriverandhowgenuinelygoodHuckhasbecome.AfterspendingsomuchtimewithJimanddiscoveringJim'srealcharacterandpersonality,Huckacquirenewunderstanding,compassion,andrespectforhim.HecannowseepastthecolorofhisskinandtreatJimasahumanbeing.AlthoughhewillneverconsiderJimasanequal,hehasalreadytakenmomentousstepstowardsrealizingthattheslaveinstitutionisunjust.Huckhasgonebeyondanybodyinhissocietyandhasbecomefreeofthelimitationsthatthesouthernsocietyhasplacedonthought.HehasbecomenearlytheoppositeofTom,whoistheperfectembodimentofthesouthernlifestyleandwayofthinkingCompareandcontrastthepersonalitiesofTomSawyerandHuckleberryFinn.HuckleberryFinnandTomSawyeraretwofriendswithverydifferentpersonalities,eachbringingtheirownuniquech