Lit Analysis # 3 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Before you got on my case about the last two lit analyses being on books we already read, listen to what I have to say.  We read them, did an essay or two, and moved on.  We didn't go in depth as these lit analyses are allowing us to do.  This is why I am rereading them.

GENERAL
1. Briefly summarize the plot of the novel you read, and explain how the narrative fulfills the author's purpose (based on your well-informed interpretation of same).

My notes are in one of the posts below this one.  As for explaining on how the narrative fulfills the author’s purpose; The author (Mark Twain) did, in fact, continue the story after The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
2. Succinctly describe the theme of the novel. Avoid cliches.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is sort of like Man vs. Nature.  It is Huck Finn versus the world as he goes about on his adventures.  Leaving his civilization for something other than safety set him apart from the rest and exposed Huck to all the dangers in this world.
3. Describe the author's tone. Include a minimum of three excerpts that illustrate your point(s).

The whole book is filled with episodes filled with comedy.  Everything has something funny about it.  Huck dressing up as a female, the con artists prancing around naked, even the dialogue alone.  Never, ever, do you hear Huck crack on joke during any of the occasions.  He stays serious through the novel which, in my opinion, gives the author’s tone of the novel to serious.
4. Describe a minimum of ten literary elements/techniques you observed that strengthened your understanding of the author's purpose, the text's theme and/or your sense of the tone. For each, please include textual support to help illustrate the point for your readers. (Please include edition and page numbers for easy reference.)

1)      Motif: Huckleberry Finn’s youth is a great motif for childhood.  Huck and Tom’s age leads to a sense of freedom and play to their actions.  It makes the overall novel “light”.

2)      Symbolism: The Mississippi River is the main symbol in the novel, the symbol of freedom.  It is life moving on, opportunities missed, progress.  It is the ultimate symbol.

3)      Narrator Point of View: The whole novel is written in Huck’s point of view.  This makes it feel like the reader is actual in the story and gives the novel a more “human” approach

4)      Writing Style: First person is a writing style original to Mark Twain.  It has proved inspiration to many other writers.

5)      Setting: The choice of the Mississippi River brings a lot of possibilities with all the roads Huck could take.  Twain made, possibly, the most open ended novel I know

6)      Diction: Twain picked words like “nigger” to really punch the reality of the situation into our minds.  It gives a clear understanding of what type of word the novel takes place in

7)      Syntax: Twain also builds his sentences in the olden type way.  “Who Dah?” and “Whar is You?” are just some examples

8)      Characterization: Using ethnicity and stereotyping as strong points, Twain crafts the characters through the novel to be more like southerners

9)      Style: Twain picks up on the styles of language of both Whites and African Americans.  The White sentences contain no grammatical errors and the African American ones are full of them

10)   Speech: In order to downgrade slaves, Twain has Jim talk in such a way as not having any education what so over.  This means talking like this. ” Don't you blame yo'self 'bout it”

CHARACTERIZATION
1. Describe two examples of direct characterization and two examples of indirect characterization.  Why does the author use both approaches, and to what end (i.e., what is your lasting impression of the character as a result)?

I could not find one instance of direct characterization in the novel as the whole thing is through Huck’s eyes.  Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, was what Huck thought of it.  The whole novel is Huck’s perspective of things.
2. Does the author's syntax and/or diction change when s/he focuses on character?  How?  Example(s)?

The entire novel is based through the eyes of one character so there is nowhere for this change to occur
3. Is the protagonist static or dynamic?  Flat or round?  Explain.

I feel that Huck is dynamic.  He learns how to deal with certain situations and what the power of friendship is.  He also learns to get over ethnicity and the other things that come with it.  This leads to Huck being a flat character.  There is not much to him.  He is a country boy and that is about it.
4. After reading the book did you come away feeling like you'd met a person or read a character?  Analyze one textual example that illustrates your reaction.

Not really.  I feel like I will never come away from a book feeling like I met the main character or any other character for that matter