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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Mark Twain good ideas, which often get the boys into trouble. Huck’s
father returns to St. Petersburg and makes Huck live with
him, but Huck runs away. He meets up with Jim, who
has also run away because he doesn’t want to be a slave
anymore. Together the travel by raft down the Mississippi
to Cairo. They have lots of adventures and they meet a lot
of interesting people. Finally, Jim is captured by a farmer
and taken prisoner. Tom Sawyer arrives and he and Huck
try to plan Jim’s escape. Although the plan is not very
successful, Jim is eventually free as Widow Douglas gave
him his freedom before she died. Huck stays with Aunt
Sally, but is planning to run away again as he doesn’t want
to be taught to be polite.

About the author Chapters 1–2: Huck doesn’t want to live with Widow
Mark Twain’s real name was Samuel Clemens and he Douglas and runs away. Tom persuades him to go back
was born in Florida, USA, in 1835. In 1839, his family so that he can be in a gang of robbers he is going to start.
moved to Hannibal, Missouri, a town on the Mississippi They sign their names in blood, but it’s only a game. The
River, where young Sam experienced the excitement Widow sends Huck to school and one day on the way, he
and colorful sights of the waterfront. Hannibal, and the sees his father’s footprint in the snow. He is afraid of his
variety of people Clemens met there, feature widely in father and worried about some gold he has given to the
many of his books, particularly The Adventures of Tom judge for safe keeping. The judge buys Huck’s gold from
Sawyer (1876) and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn him. In the spring, Huck’s father takes him to live in a cabin
(1884). In these books, the name of his hometown is and sometimes hits him. So Huck escapes down the river
changed to St. Petersburg. in a canoe.

Clemens had some schooling, but became a printer’s Chapters 3–5: Huck paddles as far as Jackson Island and
apprentice when his father died in 1847. He left Hannibal sees a steamboat and people looking for him. They think
to travel in 1853 and decided he wanted to be a riverboat he is dead. Then Huck meets Jim, who has run away too.
pilot. So he began working on the steamboats on the One day, they see a big house coming down the river.
Mississippi. In 1861, the American Civil war stopped river Inside, there is a dead man. They take some things from
traffic and he moved to Nevada. After an unsuccessful the boat and Huck finds $8 in a coat pocket. He decides
attempt at gold and silver mining, he started work for to go into town, but dresses as a girl so that nobody will
a newspaper, writing under the pen name Mark Twain. recognize him. He goes first to a woman’s house and she
Clemens wrote his first popular story The Celebrated talks about how people are going to go to find Jim that
Jumping Frog of Calaveras County in 1865 and continued night. Huck goes to get Jim and they go down the river
to work as a correspondent for various newspapers, on a raft.
traveling all over the United States and Europe. Between Chapters 6–7: Huck and Jim travel down the river at
1873 and 1889 he wrote seven novels. His best books are night because it’s safer. One night they see an old broken
considered to be the skillful re-creations of American life steamboat. Huck looks inside and sees a man with a gun
in the period of his youth. Clemens died in 1910, but Mark who is going to kill another man. Huck and Jim steal the
Twain is still remembered as one of America’s greatest men’s boat and get help. The next night, Huck and Jim get
writers. lost in the fog and they can’t find each other. The following
night, two men with guns approach their raft, looking for
Summary Jim. Huck convinces them that he is with his sick father.
Huckleberry Finn, known as Huck to his friends, lives The men are afraid and go away. The following night, a
with Widow Douglas in St. Petersburg, Missouri. His best steamboat hits the raft and destroys it. Huck is convinced
friends are Tom Sawyer and Jim, the Widow’s black slave. that Jim is dead.
Huck likes Tom because he is very smart and has lots of

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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Chapters 8–10: Huck finds Jim, who has a new raft banned it when it was first published because they
and they continue down the river. They meet two men, thought it was racist. Twain, however, uses his book to
who say they are a king and a duke. The king organizes attack racism. Until 1861, people in the United States
a theater show in the next town and many people pay could buy slaves, black men, women and children from
money to see him. The show is very bad and the people Africa, to work on their farms. They were given food and
are angry, but the king and duke are happy because a place to sleep but they were not paid and usually had an
they have made a lot of money. Next, the king and duke extremely difficult life. Above all, they were not free. Some
pretend to be the brothers of a man who has just died states, particularly in the north, did not agree with slavery.
and left a lot of money in his will. They try to trick the These were called free states. In the story, Jim is trying to
man’s daughters out of the money and their home, but get to a free state. Slavery was finally abolished after the
Huck is unhappy about this and helps them. American Civil War.
Chapters 11–12: Jim is captured by Mr. Phelps and taken Society and social rules: This book is humorous, but
prisoner at his farm. Huck goes to the farm and Aunt Sally it has a serious message. Twain was trying to point out
thinks that Huck is actually Tom Sawyer. Huck pretends to the cruelty and injustice of society at his time. He does
go into town to get his bags and meets Tom on his way this through Huck, a kind boy who is curious about life
to the farm. At first, Tom thinks Huck is a ghost, but when and feels uncomfortable living according to accepted
Huck explains all about his adventures, they decide to help social rules. He prefers the freedom of living on the river.
Jim to escape together. Tom pretends to be Sid Sawyer Rejecting his cruel father, he finds true friendship with
and they begin planning the escape. Huck suggests stealing Jim and he realizes that this is more important than social
the key, but Tom wants to do it the difficult way, like in the standards. He also shows how sometimes you have to put
stories he has read. yourself at risk to save those you care about.
Chapters 13–14: Huck and Tom continue with the
escape plans, making things more difficult by writing a Discussion activities
letter to warn people that a gang of robbers is coming to Before reading
steal the slave. A lot of farmers with guns gather at the 1 Discuss: Put students in small groups and ask them to
farm. During the escape, Tom is shot in the leg. They reach discuss the following questions. If possible, allow them
time to look for information on the Internet.
an island and Jim is a free man, but Tom is ill and they
What do you know about the United States today? What
need a doctor. Huck goes to get a doctor and he goes to do you know about the history of the United States?
help Tom, but as a result, Jim is captured again. They all go Have you heard of the Mississippi River? Is it long or
back to the farm and Tom and Huck tell everybody the short? Which parts of America does it pass through?
true story. Tom also tells how Widow Douglas had freed 2 Pair work: Ask students to answer the following
questions in pairs, encouraging them to give reasons
Jim just before she died two months earlier. Jim is a free
for their choices.
man after all. Do you like being polite? Do you prefer wearing new
clothes or old clothes? Do you prefer sleeping in a bed in
Background and themes a house or outside in the open air? Do you like reading,
The Mississippi River: Twain recreates the American way writing, spelling and working with numbers? Do you like
adventures? What kind?
of life in towns along the Mississippi in the mid-1800s. This
Get feedback from the whole class and then ask
river is the second longest in the United States, flowing students to look at the first picture in the book of
across the country from Minnesota in the north Huckleberry Finn. In pairs, ask them to predict what
to New Orleans in the south. Its main course is about he would answer to the questions above.
3,766 kilometers long. The river was very important for Chapters 1–2
trade and transportation: food, wood, and other goods After reading
were carried along it in steamboats, small boats and even 3 Team game: Write the following characters on the
rafts. Many different kinds of people traveled along the board: Huck, Tom, Widow Douglas, Jim, Pap, Judge
river and called at the different trading towns there. Thatcher. Put students in small groups and give them
5 –10 minutes to think of true sentences about these
Slavery and racism: This book has always been characters without looking in the book. Then, each
controversial because it deals with slavery. Some libraries group in turn has to say a true sentence about one of

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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

the characters. Sentences cannot be repeated. If the Chapters 8–10
sentence is right, the team scores one point. After While reading (p. 46, after “I knew what they were
10 minutes, the team with the most points wins. planning.”)
4 Pair work: Ask students to discuss the following 9 Discuss: Ask students to discuss in pairs what they
questions in pairs and then get feedback from the think the duke and the king are planning and if they
whole class. think it will work. Get feedback from the whole class.
Why does Huck want everybody to think he is dead?
Do you think this is a good idea? What do you think is After reading
going to happen to him now? What will he eat? Where 10 Write and guess: Write Mary Jane had black hair and
will he sleep? Will he meet anybody? Will he be in danger? a very kind face on the board. Elicit which word is
wrong from the students (She had red hair). Now
Chapters 3–5 students choose a sentence from Chapters 8 –10 and
While reading (at the end of p. 14) rewrite it changing one word. Students mingle, reading
5 Role play: Put the students in pairs. One of them out their sentences and the other students have to
takes the role of Huck and the other takes the role identify and correct the mistake.
of Jim. Tell them to act out the meeting between the
two on Jackson’s Island. Chapters 11–12
Huck: Say hello and explain to Jim that you are not a While reading (p. 57, after “How could we help Jim to
ghost. Offer him some food from your canoe. Tell Jim escape?”)
why you ran away from your father’s cabin. 11 Discuss: Ask the students to discuss in small groups
Jim: Tell Huck not to hurt you. Tell him you like dead the different ways that Huck and Tom could help Jim
people. Explain to Huck that you are hungry. Tell him to escape. Tell them to think of other stories or films
why you ran away from Widow Douglas’s house. in which a prisoner escapes and the ways in which
they did it.
After reading
6 Write, ask and answer: Write What does Huck throw After reading
at the rat? on the board and elicit the answer (A 12 Pair work: Write the following words on the board:
piece of metal). Now tell students to write similar wagon, illegal, kiss, dig, shirt, rats. Have the students talk
questions about Chapters 3–5. Students then mingle and write in pairs to say how these words were used
with each other, asking and answering each other’s in Chapter 3.
questions.
Chapters 13–14
Chapters 6–7 After reading
While reading (p. 26, after “… and then they both went 13 Write and guess: Divide the class into small groups
back into the steamboat.”) of four (or less if numbers don’t allow for this).
7 Guess: Put students in small groups and ask them to Tell each student to look at a different illustration
guess what had happened to the three men before from Chapters 13 –14 (pp. 62– 63, p. 65, p. 67 and
the scene that Huck and Jim saw. Then get feedback p. 69). Tell them that they have to write a description
from the whole class. of the illustration (what they can see and what is
What is the relationship between the men? What happening), but make five deliberate mistakes. Then,
happened before Huck and Jim arrived at the they read out their descriptions to the rest of the
steamboat? Why did one man want to kill the man on group who have to look at the illustration and spot
the floor? What was in the big bag they put in the boat? the mistakes.
Where did they get the money from? 14 Act and guess: Put students in small groups and
have them choose one scene from the book.
After reading Students practice miming the scene and then
8 Discuss: Put students in small groups and ask them to perform for the rest of the class, who have to
discuss their answers to the following questions. Get guess what is going on.
feedback from the whole class.
What lies does Huck tell to the man in the boat, Jim, and
the two men with guns who came over to the boat? Was
Huck being good or bad when he told these lies?
Do you ever lie? When and why?

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