5/22/2023 0 Comments Narrator point of view![]() While we applaud Huck's decision to help Jim, for instance, we are saddened that he thinks he is "wicked" and will end up burning in hell for his inability to do the "right" thing by turning in Jim.Įven though Montag finds it a "pleasure to burn," it should be clear to readers that the narrator is critical of Montag's attitude and behavior. ![]() In particular, we find ourselves frustrated when Huck is unable to see his own goodness when choosing to defy the norms of the corrupt society in which he lives. ![]() In many ways Huck is still an innocent and naïve to the ways of the world, which makes us question his judgment and perceptions throughout the novel. Since Huck has always lived as an outcast, Twain implies that Huck has not yet been corrupted by society. At this point, however, he succumbs to peer pressure and returns to the Widow's house at Tom's urging for him to "be respectable." From the opening paragraphs, Twain establishes thematic tension between conforming to society's expectations and living an independent life according to one's own principles and values. Huck tells us that he would rather live in the woods by himself where he can be "free and satisfied," which foreshadows his decision to "light out for the territory" at the end of the novel. In the next paragraph, we discover that Huck is someone who does not fit comfortably within society and bristles at Widow Douglas' attempts to "sivilize" him. Still, integrity appears to be important to Huck, and we wonder if there will be a limit to his tolerance. Mark Twain," the person who wrote about his adventures with Tom Sawyer in the book "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," for exaggerating the truth and telling "some stretchers." Huck lightly chastises the author for his dishonesty, but he also seems to be a person who is forgiving by nature and generally tolerant of human flaws and inconsistencies. At the same time Huck does not begrudge people like "Mr. Oftentimes, first-person narrators misinterpret events around them, and the careful reader can recognize flaws in their logic and inconsistencies in their thoughts and actions.Įven though first impressions can sometimes be misleading, it seems that Huck values honesty from the opening sentence. When first-person narrators describe or interact with other characters in the novel, we have to consider whether our narrators fully understand the actions, thoughts, and motivations of these secondary characters. We quickly learn that Huck's story will consist of events recalled from his very recent past, which means our narrator will most likely lack the maturity and understanding that only comes from time and experience. For instance, in Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, we discern in the opening paragraphs that our narrator is an uneducated boy living on the fringes of society. Readers are granted access to their innermost thoughts and feelings, but we only see the world from their limited perspective, which means we cannot necessarily trust their observations or judgments. First-person narrators tell the story of their own lives.
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