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Huckleberry Finn Study Guide |
| Chapters VI-XII | Chapters XIII-XVIII | |
| Chapters XIX-XXV | Chapters XXVI-XXXI | Chapters XXXII-XXXIX |
| Chapters XL-"The Last" |
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Questions for Discussion and Essay Answer each of these questions on the left side of your reading journal after completing each reading assignment. Make sure to title each assignment. 1. Explain why this novel is sometimes seen as a “rite of passage” story. Consider how Huck is at the beginning, what ordeals he undergoes, and how he survives at the end. 2. Define the term “irony” and cite four examples from the novel that support your definition. 3. By citing incidents from the novel, demonstrate that a major theme is “man’s inhumanity to man.” 4. Trace the development of Huck’s troubled conscience. What is his problem, and how does he finally resolve it? 5. Explain why Huck decides to “light out” for the Indian territory rather than stay with Aunt Sally and be “sivilized” again. 6. Prove the following thesis by citing passages or incidents from the novel: On the river,Huck finds peace and freedom. When on land, he has to deal with human gullibility, greed, corruption, and cruelty. 7. In what ways is Jim a less-developed character at the beginning and at the end of the novel than he is in the middle of the novel? 8. List as many points of contrast as you can between Tom and Huck. 9. Why do you suppose Ernest Hemingway said that all modern American literature began with Huckleberry Finn?10. A work of literary art is frequently described as a book that has something important to say and says it with great artistry. What important comments on the human experience does this book make? 11. Identify passages from the novel in which Twain satirizes the average man, human gullibility, and romantic literature.
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