To Hell!

“All right, then, I’ll- to hell”
“It was awful thoughts and awful words, but they was said. And I Let them stay said; and never thought no more about reforming."

I think that this quote in the book symbolizes much of the growth that Huck has made throughout the course of his adventure. He now realizes that above society, civilization, and what has been taught to him throughout his life is the love that he has for Jim, and the genuine friendship that has developed between the two of them. I say this because it has been a gradual process, and little by little, he is recognizing how ridiculous it all is, and no longer cares if he is considered uncivilized, or is committing some type of sin by helping Jim escape slavery. Earlier in the book, Huck had to make the decision whether or not to give Jim up to slave catchers. And he chose not to do it, but with somewhat of a heavy heart. After he did this, he still thought that it wasn’t right of him to not give Jim up, he thought he had done wrong, and still had the idea in his head that he was going to be punished for it. Now, in chapter 31, we see a different Huck make that decision. He remembers how Jim has protected him, listened to him and accompanied him, and is determined to save Jim, and to protect them from anybody who would harm them.
Before the King and the Duke started up trouble pretending to be the Wilks brothers, there is a scene in the book where Huck hears Jim mourning not having his wife and kids with him, and regretting hitting his daughter like he had. When he saw this, Huck said. “ I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their’n. it don’t seem natural., but I reckon it’s so.” It’s a very short scene, and Huck doesn’t go on and on about it as he does with others, but to me it seemed very important. Slowly but surely, Huck is looking past the race barrier, and seeing Jim as what he is: another normal person, his only friend.
So far, I’ll have to admit that I don’t care much for this particular section of the book, maybe because it got to a certain point where everything is so long, and Huck seems to go on and on. It could also be because the Duke and The King are so ridiculous, and their antics can get boring because they don’t know when to stop. What I do find interesting is how Huck is maturing. He doesn’t know it, but he is becoming more “civilized” and actually doing the right thing. I would like to see how Jim and Huck’s friendship develops throughout the rest of the book.
-Wendy C.