Superstition or Stupidy
When Jim got bit by that snake Huck instantly turned to superstition for the cause of the incident, yet it wasn't bad luck at all. It was Huck's own stupidity and carelessness that lured the snake to his friend. It is sad that he instantly ran to bad luck rather than take responsibility for what he had done. It makes his character more defined as the guy who would believe anything if it meant he could shoulder the blame away from himself. it was well written this way and it helps the reader define who Huck is as a person and as a friend.
posted by John Smith @ 6:34 AM
5 Comments
5 Comments:
I bet Huck never thought of that happening to Jim
Huck is a young immature boy, so when I heard Huck did this I chuckled to myself because any young boy would do this because boys would think is funny. I agree Jim getting bit was a dumb caress mistake Huck made. I believe Twain put this in the novel because it adds humor and makes Huck develop more as a character. So in the end Jim and Huck are even more superstitious and careful.
We have to keep in mind though, that Huck knew about the snake's mate before-hand, and he just neglected to think about it. As we all know, Huck is better than that. For example, his plan to fake his murder was brilliant, and very well thought through. While we all are human, Huck would have definitely remembered the snake's mate, so maybe it WAS bad luck that caused the incident to happen. o-/-<]:
In a way, everybody sort of likes to take blame off of themselves and blame it on something else. Today, we can blame it on something like "Sorry my phone didn't work" or "i don't have enough money" ETC. Back then superstition was obviously a big part of folk life and people blamed things on that.
I think it's interesting that Huck acknowledged that it was his fault. He threw the snake bodies into the woods to make sure Jim didn't ever find out it was his fault, after all. It says a lot about the long term thinking Huck is having with Jim. Huck just wants Jim to like him, as Huck will be spending what will possibly be the rest of his life on the island with Jim. However, it is a sign of lack of responsibility that Huck would let Jim get bit and die, yet not tell Jim how it happened. I think it continues to show that Huck is more willing to deal with more direct, best case scenarios than the possible indirect, less than best case scenarios. Maybe Huck should improve on trying to be more considerate of what his actions will cause, other than the one main consequence that he focuses on (in this case, he just focused on pranking Jim rather than the possibility of him dying).
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