I need help with some AP Lang questions about Huck Finn:

Question

1) How does Huck devlop morally throughout the book. Use specific evidence from the text

 

2) Consider the quotation: "it is on shore that Huck encounters the worst excesses of which 'the damned human race' is capable, but with each return to the raft comes a renewal of spiritual home and idealism" (Magill 13). Examine the difference between society's dictates as embodied by Huck and Jim's encounters on the shore and the relative freedom they experience on the river. Discuss the irony that, what is thought to be civilized is, in fact, not. Compare and contrast encounters on the shore with desciptions of life of the river.

 

Your answer doesn't have to be an essay by any means, I just need help getting started. I find the dialogue in the book to be very confusing and distracting at time. I also found it hard to discern the answers to these questions with in all the excessive/random details presented throughout the novel. Thanks!

Answer 1

You would have to read the whole book in order to answer the first question. Have you done that already? Did you try taking notes or highlighting important events in the story, or tracking the plot of the story? As events unfold in the story, and you hear Huck's thoughts and words or witness his deeds, you come to know him better. Try making a list of his characteristics at the beginning,middle and end of the story and see if you notice changes. Also, pay close attention to any accounts of bad or evil behavior in the story. What does Huck think about them? Does he engage in the same type of behavior? What about acts of courage, bravery and goodness in the story? Does Huck change as he continues on his travels with Jim? It's a great book. One not to be missed! And all the details are probably important.