The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Grade Levels

Excerpt

Sample Prompts:

• Huck is sometimes an unreliable narrator—a kind of narrator that tells parts of his own story inaccurately. In Huck’s case, these inaccuracies usually happen because he fails to understand what goes on around him. List two examples of things Huck does not understand in Chapter 1. What does he think is happening? What do you think is happening instead?
• What are some clues that this novel is set in the past? As you answer the question, describe the physical details of the setting and the cultural details regarding the characters’ beliefs and behavior.
• Compare and contrast Tom’s and Huck’s reactions when Jim almost catches them sneaking out. What character traits do these reactions suggest to you?
• The Widow Douglas and Miss Watson believe in the same religion, but the religious teaching they give to Huck is very different. What are some of the major differences in their explanations about God and heaven? How do their different teachings confuse Huck?
• Describe Pap’s complaints about the “govment.” How do they make you feel about Pap? Do you think the government is really responsible for Pap’s problems? Why or why not?
• Describe your impression of Emmeline Grangerford. Huck seems impressed by the poetry and drawings she left behind when she died. Do you think the author agrees that the poems and drawings are excellent? Use specific examples of the author’s word choice and tone to support your answer.
• Describe Mary Jane Wilks. Do you think she is foolish to trust the king and the duke, or do you respect the fact that she is so kind to them? What do you think you would do in her position?
• Huck has a strong conscience, and normally he would feel guilty if someone else took the blame for a choice he made. Why do you think his conscience deserts him when someone else takes the blame for stealing the money he actually took? How would you feel if you were in his place?

About

These eNotes Reading Response Prompts are designed to encourage your students to read more effectively and with more pleasure by giving them interesting subjects to write about after they have read. Many of the prompts will take them directly into the text, while others will give them an opportunity to express their thoughts and feelings and to reflect on their own experiences.

A second purpose of the eNotes Reading Response Prompts is to facilitate instruction in ways that work for you in the classroom. The organization of the prompts makes them easy to use, and the content and construction of the prompts are designed to develop students’ knowledge and academic skills.