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Dramatic Irony
Chapter 18
Explanation and Analysis—Col. Grangerford’s Moods:
After getting separated from Jim, Huck spends time on land with the Grangerfords, an aristocratic family who take him under their wing. Impressed with Col. Grangerford’s temperament, he describes the man using a pair of metaphors:
He didn’t ever have to tell anybody to mind their manners—everybody was always good-mannered where he was. Everybody loved to have him around, too; he was sunshine most always—I mean he made it seem like good weather. When he turned into a cloudbank it was awful dark for half a minute, and that was enough; there wouldn’t nothing go wrong again for a week.
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Chapter 19
Explanation and Analysis—The Duke and the King:
The duke and the king—two con men who join Huck and Jim on their raft on the Mississippi River—act as foils to the main pair. Twain intentionally juxtaposes the two pairs of men so that readers can understand the differences in their motivations. Whereas Huck and Jim lie about their identities in order to protect themselves (from an abusive father and slave-catchers, respectively), the duke and the king lie in order to con people and steal their money. Though Huck is open-minded about the men at first, he sees through them quickly:
Unlock with LitCharts A+It didn’t take me long to make up my mind that these liars warn’t no kings nor dukes at all, but just low-down humbugs and frauds.
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Chapter 41
Explanation and Analysis—Tom vs. Huck:
In Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer is a foil for Huck, meaning that his presence is used to reveal information about Huck, such as his values and intentions. In comparing Tom’s immature and careless behavior in the later chapters of the book to Huck’s cautious behavior and critical thinking, readers understand how Huck has grown up over the course of the novel. While Huck starts the book as just another follower in Tom’s gang of boys, by the end he comes to develop his own moral compass and questions Tom’s single-minded focus on following the rules of his romance and adventure novels, especially when those rules lead to Jim being re-enslaved.
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