So towards the end of the novel, when Tom Sawyer comes back. I notice that Huck fell right back into the pattern of following everything that Tom says, instead of thinking for himself. Huck's development is stop when Tom returns.
Now at the beginning i didn't think Tom was a bad guy, but that he wasn't a great guy either. Now after finishing the novel, i don't like him. I think he is a villain, and i really can't stand him. He uses Jim as a toy, he allows him to stay locked up and captured, knowing that Jim is free and has been free for 2 months. All Tom wants is an adventure, he talked about that adventure at the beginning of the novel, when he started the banned of robbers, and he would pretend that they were stealing something else, when they were just stealing food.
Then Tom comes back into Huck's life, and claims he is going to help him "Catch the N*****" Which Huck is not a big fan of, yet the plan that Tom comes up with is way to crazy and dangerous, it may even get them all killed. And Huck knowns there is a easier plan, but he doesn't say anything. Throughout the plan, there are many things that Tom says they have to do, when in reality, those things are not need. Tom just wants the adventure. And time after time, Huck wants to know, how what they're doing is going to help Jim. Once they do get Jim, Tom even wants to cut off Jim's leg. And he would have done it too. All of this show that Tom treats blacks only a little better than slaveholders. Tom uses Jim as a toy to go a great adventure that he has read about he all his books.
I also believe that the reoccurrence of Tom, temporarily stops Huck's moral development and growth. Tom is the wall that Huck must get over. When Tom comes back, Huck just goes along with what he said, and becomes to go back to the ways, and thought. Before his moral development.
This is why i believe that Tom Sawyer is a villain of the novel.
PROGRESSION OF OVERCOMING TOM
ReplyDeleteI think that from the beginning of the book to the ending of the book we can see a clear distinction in the behavior of Huck towards the ridiculous and absurd ideas of Tom Sawyer. In the very beginning we see Huck join a group of kids his age so he can fit in and feel like a member of their group. He becomes a strict follower of these individuals specifically Tom. He never questions Tom's opinions and never creates his own.
As the book progresses, we see Huck begin to form his own opinions because he is forced to in his journey with Jim. Through these decisions we see that Huck is reasonable and cunning as he finds ways for Jim and himself to survive on the river and overcome numerous obstacles that they encounter. Even when superior figures appear in the story, like those of the King and the Duke, we see Huck overcoming these superior figures because he understands who these people really are and is a good judge of their character. So in this segment of the book we see Huck starting to become his own person and starting to be a leader rather than a follower.
As Tom re-enters into the story we see Huck immediately fall back into a following role as he instantly takes Tom's idea of freeing Jim as the best and disregards his own. But throughout this freeing of Jim, Huck begins to share the role of leader with Tom and continues to question Tom's ideas and theories of freeing Jim. In this segment we see Huck's character in both the beginning part of the book and the middle being mixed together, as he follows Tom partly but uses the knowledge he gained on the river to make up his own opinions on what should be done in each situation.