Although Huck's father is holding Huck against his will, Huck almost has more freedom then he does with Widow Douglas. With his father Huck is allowed to smoke and curse. Huck doesn't have to pretend to be civilized like he does with Widow Douglas. Although Huck is able to return to his previous way of life, he still isn't happy and he wants to run away.
Huck's father is described as a generally slimy person. He has cold black eyes, holes in his boots, and greasy hair. His physical description matches up perfectly with his character. He doesn't care about his appearance or the way others think about him. He is a mean person that has bad habits like drinking and beating his child. He is a slimy person both inside and out.
I think that Widow Douglas is presented in a more favorable light. Miss Watson is more of Huck's teacher and has to admonish Huck as well as force Huck to do things. The book is told from Huck's perspective, so Huck prefers the person who takes care of him rather than the person who is forcing him to do things. Widow Douglas is always in the background feeding and caring for Huck, but Miss Watson is more involved with Huck's education and civilization. How does Huck respond to Miss Watson's admonitions to pray? What does this tell us about Huck?3/5/2013
Tom and Huck are quite different characters. Tom is more of a leader than Huck. Huck is more of a practical person than Tom. Huck is less imaginative and more ingenuitive. Tom is much more more imaginative than Huck, while Tom looks at a primer class and sees a group of Arabs, Huck only sees a primer class. |