Parental Influence on Huck Finn Essay - 1587 Words

Parental Influence on Huck Finn In Mark Twains novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the adults in Hucks life play an important role in the development of the plot. Pap, Hucks father, constantly abuses the boy, never allowing him to become an intelligent or decent human being. He beats and attacks Huck whenever they meet up, and tries to destroy Hucks chances of having a normal life. This situation is balanced by several good role models and parent figures for Huck. Jim, the runaway slave, embraces Huck like a son, and shares his wide ranging knowledge with him. He also protects Huck on the journey down the river. Widow Douglas is another good role model for Huck. She tries to civilize him and make him respectable to society,†¦show more content†¦T.S. Elliot said, Huck is alone: there is no more solitary figure in fiction. The fact that he has a father only emphasizes its loneliness; and he views his father with a terrifying detachment (329). Most parents like to s ee their children excel in life and become productive members of society, but Pap is thinking only about himself. Instead of wishing the best for his son, he is angry because he is becoming a better person than his father. This man would be an awful influence on any child, and should be kept away from Huck. Pap is known as the town drunk. Every dollar he gets he spends on whiskey. He is an angry drunk, and beats Huck during his drinking spells. One night after he kidnaps Huck, he gets very drunk, which Huck describes. He says Â…all of the sudden there was an awful scream and I was up. There was Pap, looking wild and skipping around every which way and yelling about snakes. He said they was crawling up his legs; and then he would give a jump and scream, and say one had bit him on the cheek - but I couldnt see no snakes. (Twain 28) This is a disturbing account of what Huck went through. Pap brought Huck out into the middle of the woods so no one can find them. He got drunk and basically went nuts. He also tries to attack Huck before he passes out again. This is an awful situation, and would be illegal in modern times. Pap should be put in jail and kept away from Huck, but somehow he is able to kidnap his son. Henry Nash SmithShow MoreRelatedParent Figures in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn1398 Words   |  6 PagesInstructor Date Parent figures in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn In Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck indirectly searches for a home among the different characters, with whom he interacts. The theme of parental figures is core to this piece of work. There are different characters, which represent parental figures. These are important to Huck, as they help to shape him into a man. 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