The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: 

Chapters 29-31

By: Brendan RyanSean O'Donnell

Basic Events

Chapter 29• New Wilks brothers arrive• Investigation of frauds

o Unable to retrieve goldo Fail handwriting testo Tricked by tattoo test

• Find lost gold in coffin• Huck escapes with Jim• Duke and king find them

and board raft

Chapter 30• King becomes angry at Huck

for leaving• Duke defends Huck• King and duke argue if either

hid the inheritance; king lies to end debate

• Able to restore trust

Basic Events, Cont.

Chapter 31• Group refrains from entering towns for

days• Perform multiple fruitless scams• King and duke contemplate about next job• Arrive at Pikesville• Huck tries to escape• Jim sold by king and duke • Huck struggles over right/wrong • Huck begins rescue mission

 

Characters

• Harvey/William Wilks- New brothers of Peter Wilks; arrive late due to luggage mistakes and William's broken arm

 • Levi Bell- Lawyer, uses handwriting test on frauds, gives

Huck advice about lying• Doctor- Aids in investigation of frauds, not tricked by Huck's

lying • King/Duke- Pretend to be real brothers of Peter,

miss out on Peter's fortune, sell Jim • Huck- Plays along with the King and Duke, 

struggles with right and wrong, goes to rescue Jim   

'

Chapter 29, Quote 1

"Set down, my boy; I wouldn't strain myself if I was you. I reckon you ain't used to lying, it don't seem to come in handy, what you want is practice. You do it pretty awkward,'" (Twain 178).  Analysis: When Huck is trying to talk about how he is from England and what he knows, the lawyer picks up on his lies because he himself is from England. He makes this comment to show that Huck is lying about being from England. This shows how Huck, throughout, has not been an exceptional liar, but has been successful from the trustworthiness of the Southerners.

Chapter 29, Quote 2

'"He can't write with his left hand,' [...] 'If he could use his right hand, you would see that he wrote his own letters and mine too,'" (Twain 179). Analysis: The new William apparently has a broken arm.  This limits his ability to prove himself.  In this case, he cannot write to prove that his handwriting matches the handwriting of the letters written from the Wilks brothers to Peter Wilks.  This makes them look more guilty because they have conveniently placed problems that reprieve the need for them to prove themselves.

Chapter 30, Quote 1

"Leggo the boy, you old idiot! Would you 'a' done any different? Did you inquire around for him when you got loose? I don't remember it." (Twain 184).

Analysis: The duke is defending Huck from the king's accusations of leaving them. He talks about how the king would have also abandoned them, had he been been in the same situation. This shows how the king and duke have no particular interest in Huck or Jim's welfare, but are merely using them for transportation.

Chapter 30, Quote 2

"Yes, sir! I know you do know because you done it yourself!" (Twain 185). Analysis:  The king is accusing the duke of stealing the money and hiding it in Peter Wilks' coffin so he could take it for himself. He is angry because he thought that the slaves took it and that he had no chance of retrieving it. He cannot find any other explanation as to how it got there, so he immediately points towards the duke. His greed drives him to make false accusations about those around him.

Chapter 31, Quote 1

"'All right, then, I'll go to hell'- and tore it up." (Twain 191).

Analysis: Huck was unsure whether he should rescue Jim because of how society would view him. He was brought up to not feel compassionate towards a slave, but part of him knows that this not right, so he decides to save Jim. Even so, he believes that this is a sin, so Huck is clearly confused about what is right and wrong.

Chapter 31, Quote 2

"'We never thought of that. Fact is, I reckon we'd come to consider him our n____; yes, we did consider him so- goodness knows we had trouble enough for him. So when we see the raft was gone and we flat broke, there warn't anything for it but to try the 'Royal Nonesuch' another shake. And I've pegged along ever since, dry as a powder-horn. Where's that ten cents? Give it here.'" (Twain 193).

Analysis: The duke is able to lie to Huck about why he sold Jim. He and the king had the nerve to sell Jim without asking Huck, keep the money to themselves and waste it. To make it worse, he makes Huck give him even more money. The true motives of the king and duke become apparent here.

Themes

• Greed can lead to dangerous situations.o The King and Duke pretend to be relatives of Peter Wilks

to steal inheritance from his real family. However, they are unable to keep up the lie and, once caught, are almost killed by an angry crowd.

 •  Lying can keep problems from escalating.

o The king and the duke are arguing about who put the gold into the coffin. Realizing that the debate is going nowhere, the king finally gives in and says he was the one who put it in. Even though he took the blame over something he didn't do, he managed to retain their relationship.

Questions

• Pretend you are Huck; how would you have reacted when the Duke and King found you and took over the raft again? Do you think it was wise for Huck to let them back on?

• What do you think of Huck's dilemma in Chapter 31? How (or has) his view on race changed since the beginning? What about his relationship with Jim? Will he regret this decision?

Works Cited

The Duke Went for Him. N.d. JPEG file.  Huck, the duke and the king in disguise. N.d. Allmovia. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Nov.      2011. <http://www.allmovia.com/c/1319/1319_1.jpg>.  

PPT Background. Abstract Blue Template Background. 24 Sept. 2011. JPEG file.  Striking for the Back Country. N.d. JPEG file.  

The True Brothers. N.d. JPEG file.  Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Upper Saddle River: Prentice      Hall, n.d. Print.