The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Group

Question:

huckfinn3748
huckfinn3748
Student
High School - 11th Grade

In "The Adventures of Huck Finn", why do the King and the Duke decide to give back the inheritance?

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Posted by huckfinn3748 on Monday May 25, 2009 at 2:20 PM and tagged with characters, duke, inheritance, king.

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  1. scarletpimpernel Teacher
    High School - 12th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    The Duke and the King's motivation has nothing to do with guilt or any type of noble thought.  Because some are starting to question their identity as the heirs, they need to perform some gesture that will win unconditional trust from the Wilkes sisters.  By giving back the inheritance, they demonstrate their interest in the ladies' well-being and seem to be nobly motivated.  They have "studied" the daughters enough to know that they will not keep the inheritance, but rather that they will feel that they can trust the King and Duke with the care of the money. Thus, the naive girls give the money back to the con artists and they end up with more money and property under their control than before they "graciously" give back the money.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/adventures-of-huckleberry-finn/

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    Posted by scarletpimpernel on Friday May 29, 2009 at 8:05 AM