Lauren Huck Finn Close Reading

Huck Finn reflects much of Mark Twain's childhood, but no part more so then where Huck talks about the freedom of being on the river. As a child Mark Twain dreamed of being a Steam Boat captain because he pictured it as the ideal job, a chance at freedom and to impress the other boys. Huck feels free on the river, unconfined and unrestricted "Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don't. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft."(Twain 88) Twain felt that the river would be a place of freedom, and this is reflected in the sentiments of Huck. Twain uses words like cramped and smothery to describe other places, and words like free and easy and comfortable to describe life on the raft. Life on the river was a chance at freedom and independence for both Twain and Huck.  "So, in two seconds, away we went, a sliding down the river, and it did seem so good to be free again and all by ourselves on the big river and nobody to bother us." (Twain 154) This reflection shows the freedom felt on the river by Huck and Jim, it is also a reflection of Mark Twain's own childhood ideology of life on the river. On the river Huck learns a lot about race and acceptance. Words like sliding, free, big, nobody, are used to give a picture of the vastness, serenity and freedom of the river. 

Maura Entry #4 Huckleberry Finn Responding and Reflecting

One thing that I noticed in Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was the two dimensionality of the female characters. The novel is clearly a "male" story, centered around a boy going on adventures and growing up. It is entirely from Huck's point of view, but that does not exclude the female characters from having story lines of their own that have nothing to do with Huck. Each female who had some value importance in the novel was there to further Huck's story. Even Sophia Grangerford, with her love affair with Harney Shepherdson, involves Huck, as he is the one that survives the firefight between the two families. Despite knowing the time that it was written in, and expecting the females to be so stereotypical, it was still disappointing, as I feel that the book would have been greatly improved had the female characters had more depth, like the male characters did.
This novel really opened up my eyes in terms of expectations of females pre-21st century. In the back of my mind, I definitely knew that women had a lot less rights and freedoms than they do now, whether from history class or my own knowledge, but we always make a point to discuss the women or societies in history who defied those expectations in great detail, as if to draw the eye away from the dehumanization of women throughout history. We love to mention Ancient Sparta, Fa Mulan or Queen Elizabeth I, but their accomplishments do not cancel out the fact that the expectations they defied debased women for centuries. Additionally, many historical fiction young adult novels (that's a mouthful) tend have female main characters that challenge the roles set out of for them, and are commended for it by her peers and society, but the reality of society's reaction would have been far from that. Reading Huckleberry Finn and seeing the depersonalization of women by men in the novel and by Mark Twain really exposed the reality of life for women in antebellum society and long before it.

Maura: Entry #3 Huckleberry Finn Critical Lens Experts

"Reformers and Maidens" was written by Nancy A. Walker, a literary writer who has written more than 40 works on gender in literature. In this article, she comments upon the female characters in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and the roles they fill.

Walker claims that Twain's main failing as a writer is that all the women in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are stereotypes, filling one of two roles; "either reformers one could tease by temporarily conforming to their rules, or innocent maidens who could restore one's faith in decency and goodness". This seems to hold true, as any female character that Huck Finn has any true interaction with seems to fall into those roles. The Widow Douglas, Miss Watson and Aunt Sally, as the reformers, all appear to have only one aspiration: to make Huck civilized. Others, such as Brogg's daughter and Sophia Grangerford, are the "maidens"; described as "sweet" and "gentle". Their only purpose as a character is to mark a difference between their femininity and Huck's attempts to be masculine. Again, at the end of the novel, when Huck escapes from Aunt Sally, he claims that he won't be "sivilized", reaffirming Aunt Sally's role as a reformer.

Additionally, Walker asserts that the reason why Twain only writes two dimensional female characters arises from two sources in Twain's personal life. Firstly, she claims that the belief that women exist to fill these two roles in life emerges from the Victorian beliefs that women's purity was meant to soften men's harshness and ruggedness and to serve as a "moral guide". This certainly follows along with the effects that the women in the novel have on Huck, such as the Widow Douglas' success in (temporarily) educating and "civilizing" Huck, or the soft-heartedness that Mary Jane Wilks brings out in him, pushing him to reveal the truth about the Duke and Dauphin. However, Walker also claims that the rigidness of how the female characters fall into these roles comes from Twain's relationships with the female members of his family, and how they failed to fit perfectly into the roles he expected of them. She alleges that Twain's frustration with his wife and how she didn't not fit the mold perfectly is what prompted Twain to create characters that do fit their expected roles. Walker quotes a letter written by Twain to one of his friends, complaining that there is "no romance" in his wife, Olivia, that she is practical and overbearing. This description of his wife, does appear to prove Walker's claim, but one letter to a friend lamenting his irritations with his wife does not mean that Twain had issues with his wife or other family members. With only one piece of evidence, with little context, this claim is difficult to support.

Reflecting on the N-word

When we started this book Ms Macho told us the Twain was going to use the word n------ in the book multiple times. It was surprise to me when she said that it was going to be said more than 250 times in this book. My experience with the word n----- is negative and I think is very racist word. However, I also hear a lot of my friends say it and I don’t think they’re racist. They use it and write it with an “a not and er” I also see black people call each other n----- too I don’t understand why but i think it’s just a word some most of the people use to sound and look cool for example some people might say “ This n----” inset of saying “ This guy or whatever, the way people use the word n----- today it’s kinda different in the modern way most of the people aren’t racist they just trying to look cool or sound cool, but I also seen old African American people who take the word n----- very serious maybe because they went through the real racist negative side of the word . In the time this book was published was more racist because this book was published in 1835 in time of slavery and low tolerance towards African American or just people of color in general that explains why in the book theres is no character the doesn’t use the word n------ when they talk to a black person also explains why all the slave are black and poor. I think the way the my friends use it is is not that of a negative to the people cause they might be used to it already but I don’t think is okay the my friends or just people from the whole nation call each other the word n----- because it cames from the negative and racist view from the book during racist century it cames with the purpose of trying make people feel down and less than other people just because of the skin color this is why I believe that my friends shouldn’t be using this word base to the negative discriminated background history the word n------ has in the past.

Close reading -Wendy Sumano

“Oh, yes. this is a wonderful government, wonderful. Why, looky here. There was a free n***** there from Ohio- a mulatter, most as white as a white man. He had the whitest shirt on you ever see, too, and the shiniest hat; and there ain’t a man in that town that’s got a fine clothes as what he had; and he had a gold watch and chain, and a silver-headed cane-the awfulest old gray-headed nabob in the state. And what do you think? They said he was p’fessor in a college, and could talk all kinds of language, and knowed everything. And that ain’t the wust. They said he could vote when he was at home. Well, that let me out. Thinks I, what is the country a coming to? It was ‘election day, and I was just about to go and vote myself if I warn’t too drunk to get there; but when they told me there was a state in the country when they’d let that n***** vote, I drawed out. (Faulkner 27)

In this quote Pap is ranting on how the mix-man has the right to vote in his home state of Ohio but his trial, for Hulk’s wealth, is being delayed. Pap thinks Judge thatcher wants to prevent him for obtaining Hulk’s wealth which causes Pap to be disappointed by the law. Pap feels humiliated since the black man can vote and cannot be sold in their state. While he has been awaiting the trial others mix people are obtaining rights in some states.

The meaning based on this scene reflects on how Pap believes that based on someones color they should not deserve the same rights. His ideology is that people with different color skin should not be able to succeed in their society by not being able to vote. People being suppress doesn’t allow them to move upward from the social pyramid. It prevents many people of color to become highly success but what they actually want is to keep them lower and not allowing them to get any properties or any rights. Suppression is what caused reflect racism; whites wants to run this society with all the power and wealthy they have but in order to do this they have to make laws against black people. Color people are still not seen upward of the social pyramid; many of the whites who had the power back in history continue to have the power and are the wealthiest now in this country. Not only did they suppress the ancestors but based on what happened in the past they don’t have the tools to become successful in this racist and not accepting community. Taking it back to the Marxist lens blacks are not at the same level as white. Minorities in general are usually on the lower level economically wise while the white continue to become more powerful and their wealth increases with the work minorities do for them.

Faulkner uses diction and imagery to get his point across to portray the anger he has toward people of different color is used in many instances. For example, he uses the term “n*****” and is very detail with what object the color man is wearing. He wants his audience to picture the man, as he criticizes and feel left out since he is white and cannot even afford what the color person has. Money is a great issue in this scene since the person of color is a teacher and get’s paid money while Pap has no money and doesn’t work. There is jealousy and suppression. The constant repetition of the n word is a way of trying to suppress the color people in a different manner than not just going pro laws against them. Adding on the italicize of the word vote pops up in the part of the text and it highlights the idea of why Pap is angry. That word is what makes the picture clear because it is mainly what the rant is on.

Maura: Entry #2 Huckleberry Finn Close Reading

Text: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain Critical Lens: Feminist/ Gender Lens

“And don’t go about women in that old calico. You do a girl tolerable poor, but you might fool men, maybe. Bless you, child, when you set out to thread a needle, don’t hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it-that’s the way a woman most always does; but a man always does ‘tother way. And when you throw a at a rat or anything, hitch your-self up a tip-toe, and fetch your hand up over your head as awkward as you can, and miss your rat about six or seven foot. Throw stiff-armed from the shoulder, like there was a pivot there for it to turn on-like a girl;not from the wrist and elbow, with your arm to one side, like a boy. And mind you, when a girl tries to catch anything in her lap, she throws her knees apart: she don’t clap them together, the way you did when you catched the lump of lead. Why, I spotted you for a boy when you was threading the needle; and I contrived the other things just to make certain." (pg 52-3)

In this quote, Huckleberry Finn, dressed as a girl, had approached a town and asked around for information. A woman, Mrs. Lofts, welcomed the disguised Huck into her home. She quickly realized that Huck was a boy and in this quote, explained how she figured it out and what behaviors gave away the fact that Huck is a boy. In her description of Huck's very masculine behaviors, the Mrs. Lofts clearly defines the expected behavioral differences between males and females in antebellum society, telling Huck that he can "do" a girl, implying that appearing a female is all about actions and behavior. Females are expected to be weak, and their throws ineffective, "awkward as you can, and miss your rat about six or seven foot". They are also expected to be good at housework, such as sewing, thus girls are supposed to know the proper way to thread a needle, which Huck failed to do. These expected behaviors demonstrate the roles that females are allowed to fill in antebellum society: as mothers, and as homemakers. However, the roles that females are expected to fill in antebellum society reveal even more about the treatment of and lack of power of women at that time. Women were considered to be weaker. They were assumed to be incapable of anything other than producing and raising children and doing housework, as seen in Mrs. Lofts' instructions to Huck to throw things "stiff-armed", as if incapable of throwing. Men were firmly in control of society, and of women. This is shown in the roles that women filled, as subservient to men and without any true social or political power. In this quote, Mrs. Lofts also reveals the importance of appearance to women in antebellum society. Appearing as a women, gives Huck the ability to slip around unseen, as females are not regarded as important by men, as evidenced by Mrs. Lofts claiming that Huck would not be able to fool women dressed as a girl, but "you might fool men, maybe", because men disregard females and do not look further than identification of gender.

Why I Chose this Len

Racial Cultural Lens interested me the most because at of all particular lens is the most common in all books and movies and almost in all cases in real life is more realistic. In my experience I seen movies and read books and it’s in the news. My personal beliefs about racist is that there's is a lot of people who belief that white people are superior than people of color. I wonder if this ideal will be in the book or if the character will be affected by this actions. Other lens I was thinking of was feminist because this book was written in 1895 at this time of period people weren't that equal with genders, women was not as able to be or do the this a men could of do. I’m hoping of getting out of this project to get more reading skills and to understand the racial perspective more deeply.

The  Psychoanalytical Lens is interesting because, emotions and conflicts can influence the characters actions throughout the story. For example in Desiree's Baby, Desiree seems to change by the end of the story since her husband seems to ignore her, and his actions contribute to her changed thoughts of feeling unloved.Though the husband makes his actions because he knows that his wife's race is highly criticized and manipulated, so he feels as his baby will bring him problems. I do believe that every character makes actions based on what internal or external conflicts which lead to bad or good actions in the story, it can also lead to making a character  change personalities like Desiree’s  husband, which changes because he has an external conflict with his baby and mother being colored people. Though the Psychoananlitical lens  is great, I thought the feminist lens was very intriguing because as a guy I want to see how women look at men,  what roles they have in society, and how they view themselves. Looking through different lenses makes me see another part of how books are written, and I look forward to knowing how viewing through different lenses impaactes they way someone interprets the book.

Historical Lens

I chose the historical lens to look at these texts with. As authors are often influenced by the events and culture of their time I feel it would be a good choice to look at Huckleberry Fin and Song of Solomon through this lens to see how the culture of when they were written shows through in the books themselves. I considered using the racial lens, however I feel Huckleberry Fin is a book primarily analyzed through the racial lens and I felt like I wanted to do something different in order to see the book in a new way. One thing I am hoping to get out of this project is a better appreciation of two classic novels.

Marxist lens- Wendy

Marxist lens, being on the social classes issue, got my eye since it was something different than what I would have focused on before due to the fact that I am not involved with this subject matter. At the beginning I was falling more into the feminist lens side since I have always like to view the discrimination women suffer and the lack of support and opportunities they are given but since I have my own opinion on this topic I felt like I would not be able to see the different ideas from the past without judging them right away. It obtain my attention because until this time period I can see different opportunities and rights depending on your economical status. As I am applying to college and look at the prices i notice it will be very hard for the lower economic level to pay for a degree without having to go into a debt. While students with higher economical background tend to have more knowledge and understanding of the subject matters due to the ability to pay for tutors and seek for help without any hesitation. This made me want to understand how the economic pyramid affected others in a different time period and different scenario.       

gabrielle: entry #1 "why I chose this lens"

For this project we are beginning to do, I ironically decided to go with the Race Lens. I chose to examine the books in this point of view because I mostly, if not always, see them through a psychoanalytic way without consciously knowing.  This time, I wanted to get out of my ‘safe zone’ by selecting something I usually wouldn’t go for and a bit challenging. I found the Race lens to be the most interesting from the rest because based on these two novels, I  believe I will find some great correlation with one another by looking at it this way. Even though I say that I have an open mind, I still find myself being prejudice some how. For example, without meaning to have a mindset about certain groups, I still have some stereotypes inplanted in me. I might not find it in anyway harmful or menacing, but to someone else, it could be really offensive. Because of this, I have to remind myself that I have to empathetic and see where the person is coming from. What I hope getting out of this project is to be less restrictive of analyzing things in lens that aren’t in my comfort zone.

Maura: Entry #1 Why I Chose This Lens

For this project, I have decided to analyze the novels through a Feminist/Gender lens. I made this decision for multiple reasons. The first is my own personal interest in studying gender in society. The value that society places on gender, specifically on the male gender, while unequal is interesting and looking at a text while considering those values even more. Second, my decision to analyze through a Feminist lens springs from my familiarity with it. I completed the playlist for Critical Lens during the Drama Reinterpretation project, so my reinterpretation of the play and Director’s Notes were written through a feminist lens, discussing how changing the gender of a character changes the language and relationships are around them. I really enjoyed that project and looking at gender within Hamlet, so I hope that this project will be just as enjoyable. I chose this lens over other lenses that interested me, such as the psychoanalytic and race/culture lenses, because of my familiarity with it, which will hopefully allow me to write the best I can.