Reader Response 2: Huck Finn (7 - 13)

Huck is influenced by a large number of people in his life, some are a negative influence and some are a positive influence on him. The people that influence him throughout the story are Tom sawyer, Widow Douglas, Pap, and Jim. These influences affect how Huck reacts to situations and conflicts in the book.

First Tom Sawyer is a big influence on Huck in many ways. Huck looks up to him as if he was his older brother. Throughout the book he is continually thinking of what Tom sawyer would have done or, what Tom sawyer would have thought. “I did wish Tom Sawyer was here, I knowed he would take an interest in this kind of business, and throw in the fancy touches.”(ch.VII, pg.25, par.1) He thinks Tom is smart and knows everything. Tom and Huck are always getting in trouble together but overall Tom sawyer is a good influence on Huck.

Next there is Widow Douglas who took Huck in and takes care of him in the beginning. She teaches him to be “civilized” and makes him clean himself up and go to school. She also tries to teach him about religion but he does not see an advantage in some of the things he learns about it. “Well, I couldn’t see no advantage in going where she was going, so I made up my mind I wouldn’t try for it.” (ch.I, pg.2, par.3) Huck may not think she is, but widow Douglas is a good influence on him in the story.

Another character that influences Huck is Pap. Pap is his father who is an alcoholic and abuses/abused Huck. Pap is lower than low, he is almost never sober, and he is also very illiterate. "The law takes a man worth six thousand dollars and upards, and jams him into an old trap of a cabin like this, and lets him go round in clothes that ain't fitten for a hog." (ch.VI, pg.20, par.1) After Huck is with Pap for a while he starts to go back to being like he was before he started to live with Widow Douglas. Overall Pap is a very bad influence on Huck throughout story.

The last person that influences Huck in the story is Jim. Jim is one Widow Douglas's slaves who she might have planned to sell. Jim is also very reliable and can be very superstitious at times. "And Jim said you musn't count the things you are going to cook for dinner, because that would bring bad luck." (ch.VIII, pg.34, par.4) Although he is illiterate he has a lot of knowledge and is always questionable to stand firm on a certain belief, he tends to go both ways. Huck learns a lot from Jim and gains a lot of good things from him.