Huck & The New Mindset, Tom Stuck in His Ways
Recently my english class finished reading the book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and for the essay I chose to focus on the character foil between Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer. This prompt jumped out at me because while reading the book, i kept a mental list of differences between the two characters. Having such a strong character foil, the two of them brought out distinct characteristics within the other.
Within the book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain makes powerful statements regarding the corrupt mindset of the pre-Civil War era. Huck represents the newfound ideology of racial equality and acts as a realist. On the other hand, Tom Sawyer is a romanticist who dwells on the idea of slavery and represents America as a whole in that time period. A strong character foil is evident to emphasize the changing American culture.
Tormenting the town with lighthearted pranks and outrageous ideas is what Tom Sawyer is known for in this novel. His personality can be described as mischievous, charming, and slightly dramatic in nature and his ignorance to the world is heart-warming. His main goal in life is to make an adventure out of whatever possible. When Tom and Huck are
trying to break Jim out, Tom says to use, “‘A couple of case knives’” (273). This is an absurd request that will get them nowhere but Tom suggests it anyway to heighten the sense of adventure. Comparing this to the theme of slavery, Tom’s reasoning behind using the case knives is because, “It don’t make no difference how foolish it is, it’s the right way-and it’s the regular way. And there ain’t no other way way, that ever I heard of, and I’ve read all the books that gives away any information about these things’” (273.) Using this as an excuse to do something completely absurd is the same as using that excuse for slavery. Everyone thought slavery was right at the time because they didn’t know what else to believe. People in this era were born to believe that negroes belonged as slaves. All people except for Huckleberry Finn of course.
Since the beginning of the novel, Huck Finn has stole the hearts of readers as being the misunderstood kid who never really fits in anywhere. From living with an abusive father to trying to be “sivilized” by Miss Watson, Huck didn’t have a
home so he ran away to make his own. Finding Jim along the way sealed their bond as Huck finally had a father figure in his life. Along his journey to Cairo with Jim, the two had a heart-to-heart conversation where Jim had said, “‘Jim won’t ever forgit you, Huck; you’s de bes’ fren’ Jim’s ever had; en you’s de only fren’ ole Jim’s got now.’ I was paddling off, all in a sweat to tell on him; but when he says this, it seemed to kind of take the tuck all out of me. I went along slow then, and I warn’t right down certain whether I was glad I started or whether I warn’t” (110). Fluidity within Huck’s standings on slavery has impacted the way the book is read. Representing the new ideology being created post Civil War, Twain uses Huck to give an insight about what happens when people think for themselves and realize that slavery is wrong.
The character foil between Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer bring out the motifs and themes that make up, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. By doing this, readers can pinpoint the clear distinction between the romanticist vs. realists in the book that represent something bigger than themselves. Tom Sawyer’s ignorance and foolishness relates to the corrupt minds of slave owners in the 1850s while Huck’s acceptance and curiosity was the start of a new way of thinking. Mark Twain’s subtle attempt at establishing the differences of thinking was being represented by the two main characters in the book.
