Huck Finn Copy.qxd Copy - Steppenwolf Theatre Company
STUDY GUIDEJürgen HoopersteppenwolfFOR YOUNG ADULTSadapted for the stage by Laura Easonbased on the novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twaindirected by Edward Sobel
ContributorsLindsey BarlagLibby FordMargaret LebronElizabeth LevyLila NeugebauerNiccole ThurmanDesignLuis IbarraSpecial Thanks to:Hallie GordonPaul KoobMartha LaveyEd Sobel
Table of ContentsSection One: Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Satire Today Mark Twain: Father of American Satire What is Satire? Plot Summary of the PlaySection Two: Huck Introduces Himself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Political Backdrop of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Tom and Huck’s Relationship Tableau activitySection Three: Huck’s Escape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Huck’s Family Classroom Debate Activity:Running Away versus “Civilized Life”Section Four: Jackson Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Activity: Making a Decision Implications of Huck’s and Jim’s Friendship Value Systems: Superstition and ReligionSection Five: On the Way to Cairo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Huck and Jim’s Contrasting Views: The Solomon Story Adventure Becomes Danger: The Encounter on the Steamboat Trickster’s Remorse: Huck Learns the Effect of His Actions Storytelling ActivitySection Six: The River/ Missing Cairo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Free State vs. Slave State The Mississippi River: A Pathway to Freedom Jim’s PortrayalSection Seven: The King and the Duke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 The King and the Duke/Huck’s Moral Dilemma Discussion and Essay QuestionsSection Eight: Freeing Jim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Who is Free? The End of the Play Discussion Questions Controversy Surrounding the Book Questions about ControversyActivities Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
“Fiction is obliged tostick to possibilities.Truth isn’t.”–Mark TwainSection One:INTRODUCTION Satire Today Mark Twain: Father of American Satire What is Satire? Plot Summary of the PlaySection One3
Satire TodayWhat does the movie Borat, the comic strip The Boondocks and the novel Adventures ofHuckleberry Finn have in common? They are all pieces of American satire. Each of theseworks comments on societal and political views often in a humorous, attention–grabbingstyle. Uniquely, these three are unified by their use of an “unreliable” narrator possesing abold point of view different than those around them. As you learn about Huck Finn considerhow these contemporary satirical characters comment on our world. Mark Twain was the firstto introduce this type of character into American literature. His novels are some of the mostfamous examples of satirical writing and some of the first that effectively introduced challenging political views to a wide public.Borat is a character created by thecomedian Sacha Baron Cohen. Boratis from Kazakhstan and interviewsAmericans for a fictitious televisionshow broadcast in his native country.He often makes racist, sexist and antisemitic remarks and is unaware ofmany American customs and practices (for instance, he claimed to besurprised that American women hadthe rith to vote). He often provokesthe people he is interviewing todemonstrate their own bigotry andhypocrisy. Cohen himself is Jewishand he and the producers of histelevision show Da Ali G Show and hisrecent film Borat: Cultural Learnings ofAmerican for Make Benefit Great Nationof Kazakhstan maintain that throughthis satirical character he is exposingmany hateful attitudes that exist inour country. Cohen is currentlyembroiled in several lawsuits withseveral people he has interviewedwho are angry by the way theywere portrayed.4 Section OneThe Boondocks is a cartoon byAaron McGruder. Like Huck Finn, thecartoon’s point of view is through theeyes of a child, Huey Freeman, a 10year-old boy with strong politicalviews who sees himself as a revolutionary. He is bothered by the ignorance in modern-day black televisionand issues in politics. An observant,intelligent child, he often considershimself playing the voice of reason.The Boondocks is very political andoccasionally subject to great controversy, usually sparked by the comments and behavior of Huey. Thecomic strip has been withheld bynewspapers several times. In particular, the principal characters often discuss racial and American socio-economic class issues. Some attribute thedisputes over the strip to a politicalcorrectness that discourages any discussion or recognition of ethnic andcultural distinctions.
The Father of American SatireMark TwainIn 1835, Samuel Clemens, who would later choose the pen name Mark Twain, was born inFlorida, Missouri. Four years later his family moved to Hannibal which became the inspirationfor the fictitious locale of St. Petersburg, Missouri that serves as the setting for Adventuresof Huckleberry Finn.Advocates for Adventures of HuckleberryFinn often cite Mark Twain’s socialand political maturation as evidencefor the book’s broader conscience.By the time he wrote the book, theEmancipation Proclamation had beenissued and he had come to believeunequivocally that slavery was anatrocious evil. He avowed that“Lincoln’s Proclamation not onlyset the Black slave free, but set thewhite man free also.” Moreover,Twain sensed that white Americansowed African-Americans some kindof ‘reparations’ for their horrendouswrong-doings. In 1885, Twain wrotea letter to the Dean of the Yale LawSchool, expressing his desire to paythe tuition and expenses of WarnerMcGuinn, the law school’s firstAfrican-American student: “We haveground the manhood out of them and the shame is ours, not theirs, andwe should pay for it.”From 1901 until his death in 1910,Twain was the vice president of theAmerican anti-Imperialist League.From this position, he continued towrite extensively on America’s troubled politic, most famously protestingthe American annexation of thePhilippines in his article “The WarPrayer.” If Twain himself acknowledged the evils of slavery, why,then, would he chose a protagonistas naïve and ignorant as Huck—aprotagonist for whom the decision tobefriend a slave is tantamount to“going to Hell”?“I came in with Halley’s Comet, and I mustgo out with it. The Almighty surely saidthat these two freaks of nature came intothe world together, and they must go outtogether.”Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is perhapsso challenging a text because Twainmakes extensive use of both satireand irony. Consider Twain’s openingNotice: a so-called ‘G.G., Chief ofOrdinance,’ orders that readers seekno “motive,” “moral,” or “plot,” inthis narrative, at the risk of weightypenalty. Directly thereafter, the authorissues his Explanatory on dialect,asserting the painstaking accuracy ofhis literary approach. The light-hearted, satirical comedy of the Notice—its gentle mockery of those who claimto serve as authorities on the writtenword collides with the seeminglyserious allegation portraying languageand dialect precisely. From his opening moment, Twain establishes ahumorous, satirizing tone thatbespeaks far weightier, at timesmoral, concerns.FACTThe four years that he spent on the river were the source ofinspiration for his later stories and his famous pen name:Mark Twain (though he did not begin using the name until hebegan to work for newspapers at the age of 27). In riverboatslang the phrase “mark twain” indicates two fathoms (twelvefeet) of depth, which means that the water is safe for boatsto pass through.Section One5
Mark Twain’s Major Works1867 - Advice for Little Girls(Twain’s first published work)1867 - The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County(Twain’s “big break” that was published in newspapers all over the country).1869 - The Innocents Abroad(non–fiction account of Twain’s travels through Europe and the Holy Landwith a group of religious pilgrims)1876 - Old Times on the Mississippi(Twain’s first account of his riverboat roots)1876 - The Adventures of Tom SawyerTwain also wrote two sequels: Tom Sawyer Abroad (1894) and TomSawyer, Detective (1896)1882 - The Prince and the Pauper(a tale of mistaken identity that explores class conflict)1883 - Life on the Mississippi(a non—fiction account of Twain’s days as a Mississippi River steamboatpilot and his most famous work on the subject)1884 - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn1889 - A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court(a time travel story exploring social injustice and the power of technology)1894 - Pudd’nhead Wilson(a detective story with racial themes)6 Section One
What is Satire?Satire is a literary mode that blends criticism with wit and humor in an effort toimprove society. Satire uses humor to expose the folly of its subjects, which maybe individuals, institutions, or states. The satirist challenges accepted social ideasor conventions by making them seem ridiculous—not simply to mock or degradethe subject, but instead, to show the reader (or audience) that subject’s hypocrisyor vice. This exposure is meant to encourage change, to improve society morallyor restore a moral order that society has abandoned.Would you recognize satire if you saw it?It would include some combination of the following: Ridicule or anger Irony Exaggeration Comedy and WitSatire is also closely related to burlesque, a type of comedy characterized byridiculous exaggeration and distortion. In high burlesque, a crude or nonsensicalsubject matter is presented in a lofty and elevated style, while in low burlesque, amore weighty, dignified subject is treated in a nonsensical, degrading style.Questions while you read:Many people call Mark Twain the best-known American satirist of the 19th Century.What makes him a satirist?If we consider Twain a satirist, what do you think the objectsof his satire are?What aspects of society does he target?What kinds of people does he target?If satire intends to create social change or improvement, what do you thinksome of Twain’s goals for society were?What kind of change was he encouraging?How does Huck, as a narrator, contribute to the book’s satirical styleand intention?How do you think Twain’s satirical style affected the public and criticalresponse to his book?Come up with a list of individual people Twain satirizes. Think about how those individualtargets might stand in for larger societal institutions (or societal problems) that Twainmay be addressing.Section One7
Plot Summary of the PlayAt the start of the play we meet Huck,Huck’s strict guardian the WidowDouglas and Huck’s best friend, TomSawyer. Huck is concerned that hisfather, Pap, has returned to town andasks Jim, Widow Douglas’ slave, to tellhim his fortune.Angry that his son lives a more comfortable life than he, a very drunk Papkidnaps Huck. Pap hides Huck in ashack by the river where he violentlyabuses him and Huck decides he hasto escape. Huck devises a plan inwhich it looks like he has been murdered and then escapes in a canoedown the Mississippi River. In themeantime, Huck discovers Jim onJackson Island, who admits he has runaway from Widow Douglas’, in fearthat she would sell him. They agree torun away together and eventually finda raft. Huck and Jim decide to traveldown the Mississippi River to Cairo,Illinois, where the river meets theOhio River. This will put them in thefree states and Jim will be safe frombeing sold, and Huck will be awayfrom Pap and the Widow Douglas.8 Section OneHuck and Jim continue to travel downthe river, but only at night, to keepJim out of sight. They come upon asteamboat that has been shipwrecked.Huck then sees a man lying on thedeck of the boat. Jim investigates andconfirms that the man is dead, butdoesn’t let Huck look. As they leavethe boat, they narrowly escape the twomen who murdered the dead manand through a web of lies Huck contributes to their capture. Huck andJim go through the goods they got offthe steamboat and Jim says he doesn’twant to encounter a boat like thatagain. Huck argues that these areadventures and make the experienceof running away that much better.Huck starts to read one of the booksthey found in the boat about kingsand dukes. Jim says he only knowsabout one king, King Solomon, andhow he didn’t think much of thatstory. Huck says King Solomon mustbe the wisest of all kings because theWidow Douglas told him so. Huckthen goes on to tell him about theKing of France who was believed tohave come to America.As they get closer to Cairo the sky getsfoggy and they can barely see eachother. Jim believes he lost Huck forever. When they find each other, Huckpretends he was by Jim’s side all alongand that Jim was imagining things.Huck repents for tricking Jim whenJim confesses that his heart broke atthe thought of losing Huck and thatit’s wrong to make a friend feelashamed. Huck apologizes with anewfound sincerity and they focus ongetting towards Cairo. Huck then feelsa crisis of conscience when Jim admitsthat when he gets to Cairo he is goingto save up all his money to buy hischildren back, and if that doesn’twork, he will have an abolitionist stealthem. Huck feels guilty for aiding Jimin stealing his children, who are theproperty of someone else. He considers turning Jim in.Through a series of close encountersalong the river they discover theymissed Cairo and have to turn
around. As they make their way back,Jim tells Huck about his family and hishopes to get them back again. AsHuck comforts Jim, two men runtowards them along the shore. Theyare being chased and Huck believesthem to be a Duke and the lost Kingof France, the Dauphin. Huck and Jimare at first impressed and offer to aidand serve the two men. The King andthe Duke decide that on their nextstop along the river they will put on aShakespearean play for money, however it’s clear neither of them is all thatfamiliar with Shakespeare, and additionally secretly plot to turn Jim in sothat they can get a cash reward. Theyeventually turn Jim into the Phelpsfamily (who happen to be the aunt anduncle of Tom Sawyer)Huck questions whether it would bebetter for Jim to return to being aslave back at the Widow Douglas’,rather than in a strange new place andconsiders writing to the WidowDouglas to tell her what happened,even if it meant she would be disgusted with Huck himself. He then realizesthat he would rather go to hell thanput Jim back into slavery anywhere.He instead resolves to rescue Jim fromthe Phelps’. He finds Jim there, buttrying to free Jim is interrupted byAunt Sally Phelps who thinks thatHuck is Tom, who was supposed tovisit them. Huck plays along untilUncle Silas Phelps returns with theactual Tom. Tom is very confused andfrightened to see Huck, since he stillbelieves he is dead. The Phelps offer toshelter Huck, and Huck asks for Tom’shelp in freeing Jim, since he is afraidof the King and the Duke returning aswell. Tom agrees but is only interestedin making it an adventure, and not apractical plan to help Jim. Huck realizes he can’t depend on Tom to helphim, and Huck devises a plan on hisown. Huck learns that the King andthe Duke get their punishment bybeing tarred and feathered, and whileHuck is relieved that he is free ofthem, he expresses regret and sympathy for their punishment.As Huck readies to free Jim, Jimthanks Huck for his friendship andconfesses that the dead man they sawon the steamboat was Pap. A letterthen comes announcing that theWidow Douglas had died and hadfreed Jim in her will. Jim had beenfree all along. Aunt Sally is furious thatTom knew about Jim’s freedom sincehis arrival and never told anyone.Tom claims he wanted the adventureof freeing him, but gives Jim fortydollars in repentance. Jim remindsHuck that he had been rich before andhere he was, rich again. Huck decideshe has to go out again on anotherjourney before Aunt Sally tries to“civilize him.”Section One9
Character BreakdownIf you have read the book Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, you might noticethat the play is a little different from the book. There are many more charactersand scenarios in the book than appear in the play. The playwright and adaptor,Laura Eason decided to focus on the relationship between Huck and Jim. Ms.Eason was also interested in the theme of lies that runs through the story andhow Huck determines what truth he wishes to believe. The additional characters that appear in the play all revolve around a lie being told. Many of theactors in the play will play more than one part. An actor might play a villain inone scene and a decent person in another. How does this contribute to theidea of lies and truth?Here is a brief overview of the characters that appear in the play: Huckleberry Finn: The maincharacter and narrator. A youngadventurer who seeks to free himselffrom the abuse of his father and thesocial constraints of the WidowDouglas. Tom Sawyer’s best friendand a friend to Jim. Widow Douglas-Huck’s caretaker:Even though she often scolds him, shegenuinely cares about his well–being andsafety. While she has a strong sense ofmorality that she tries hard to impart inHuck, he is somewhat aware of thehypocrisy of what she says.10 Section One Tom Sawyer: Huck’s best friend who we meet at the beginning ofthe novel. He, like Huck, seeks adventure and mischief. He is someone whom Huck admires, but eventually comes to question.
Pap- Huck’s father: He is an alcoholic criminal who terrorizes Huck.Pap is frustrated that Huck has a better life than he has, and violentlylashes out on him as a result.Jim- Widow Douglas’ slave: A friend to Huck, butnot someone whom Huck really learns to respectuntil they journey down the river together. Jimbelieves strongly in superstition and teaches Huckabout morality in a different way than the WidowDouglas had.The King: A con man who Huck initially believes tobe the lost King of France, also known as theDauphin. He has conned people into thinking he isalso a doctor and a preacher.The Duke: Also a con man running away from a town which heconned into thinking he was a shakespearean actor, and who thentries to convince that he is the Duke of Bilgewater. Both the King andthe Duke are responsible for Jim’s capture.Additional characters: Bill and Turner, the Watchman, Loftus and Buck, Parkerand Stevenson, Uncle Silas and Aunt Sally Phelps.FACTAll the music in the play is original music written for this playand will help convey Huck and Jim’s journey down the river.All the actors (except the ones playing Huck and Jim) will playthe music onstage!Section One11
“You don’t know about mewithout you have read abook by the name of TheAdventures of Tom Sawyer”– HuckSection Two:HUCK INTRODUCES HIMSELF Political Backdrop of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Tom and Huck’s Relationship Tableau activitySection Two13
Political BackdropAdventures of Huckleberry FinnAs a young country, America was very much like Huck Finn—breaking away from the old wayof doing things, daring to set off down the river in hopes of becoming the master of one’sown destiny.America in the 1830’s is often characterized by the rise of Jacksonian Democracy.Four years after the disputed 1824 election, in which no candidate won a majority of the electoral vote and the House ofRepresentatives was forced to decide theoutcome, Andrew Jackson, the founder ofthe newly developed Democratic Party,won a sweeping victory. His school ofgovernment promoted the power of theexecutive branch while simultaneouslyextolling the virtue of the common peopleby seeking to extend the right to vote toall white men, not just property owners.Democrats promoted Manifest Destiny,the idea that America had the divine rightto expand its borders and spread democracy. They wanted to enlarge the territoryof the United
a raft. Huck and Jim decide to travel down the Mississippi River to Cairo, Illinois, where the river meets the Ohio River. This will put them in the free states and Jim will be safe from being sold, and Huck will be away from Pap and the Widow Douglas. Huck and Jim continue to travel down the river, but only at night, to keep Jim out of sight .
“The Huck ollection” will be available for purchase. ) These samples only scratch the surface of the versatility of the Huck structure. Huck can be bold, elegant, subtle or everyday utilitarian. Huck can be woven as texture, as lace, as color-and-weave
6 Minute Grammar . bbclearningenglish.com Page 1 of 5 Catherine Hello. Welcome to 6 Minute Grammar with me, Catherine. Finn And me, Finn. Hello. Catherine Today's programme is about question tags, isn't it Finn? Finn . It's about five minutes from my house. The question tag Finn used was
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huck-lace curtain came next. This time, I chose a 4-shaft huck variation that forms little boxes. Resources Strickler, Carol, ed. A Weaver’s Book of 8-Shaft Patterns. Loveland, Colorado: Interweave Press, 1991, p. 205, for the towels. Tedder, Lynn. “Stuck o
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Geology of the Turner Sandstone, Finn-Shurley Field, Powder River Basin Wyoming Stephen A. Sonnenberg & Andrew Heger & Courtney Bone Colorado School of Mines. The Finn-Shurley field produces
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Accounting information from several branches can be merged, making decision-making easy and fast. End of Chapter Questions 1 Anti-virus software, complicated passwords. 2 Email, cloud. 3 You can save your work, easy to send to other people, calculations and templates are already there for you to use. 4 Hacking, failure in technology – power cut, some software is expensive. Exam Practice 1B .
