English 390 March 5, 2001 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain takes place in mid Eighteenth Century America. It is about an orphan named Huck who is adopted by a woman named Widow Douglas who tries to civilize him. The story takes place in St. Petersburg, Missouri. The town is described as being similar to Hannibal, Missouri, where Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) grew up.
The major characters in the novel are Huck Finn who is the main character and is about 12 years old and is also the son of the town drunk. Jim is the runaway slave of Miss Watson's. Huck helps Jim in gaining his freedom.
Widow Douglas is Huck's guardian who tries to civilize him. Pap is Huck's real father who comes back to town when he hears that his son has become rich. Tom Sawyer is a close friend of Huck's who is also about 12 years old.
Huck and jim on raft
Traditional raft, from 1884 edition of Adventures ...
English: Illustration from Adventures of Huckleber...The Duke and the Dauphin are two friends who go around and "relieve"ÃÂ people of their money. They also join Huck and Jim on the raft.
A few other characters who take a minor role in the novel are Miss Watson, who is Widow Douglas's sister and also tutors Huck. Ben Rogers is also a friend of Huck's and is also a part of Tom Sawyer's gang. Joe Harper is also another friend of Huck's. Judge Thatcher is a judge in St. Petersburg and also the custodian of Huck's money. Boggs is a drunk from a small Arkansas town who gets killed in broad daylight.
Huck is the protagonist of the novel who must decide whether or not to turn in Jim, a runaway slave who later becomes his friend. The antagonist of the novel is the society and its values and customs that allow...