Huck Finn 1: 9-27

“Tom Sawyer’s Gang. Everybody that wants to join has got to take an oath, and write his name in blood” (15).

Tom Sawyer, in his little gang of friends, appears to be the leader of the group. He organizes them and calls out the shots. Personally, I believe that Tom Sawyer is the only character that will remain the same throughout the entire novel. With the quote above, Tom’s values are shown, and I think that loyalty and integrity are at the top of Tom’s priority list. This message is sent through the requirement of writing their names in blood to prove their dedication to the gang.

“I was so ignorant and so kind of low-down and ornery” (20).

The keyword in the quote above is “was”. I say this because obviously Huck believes that there is a difference in him that no longer makes him ignorant. At the very beginning of the novel, Huck was unwilling to being helped out by Miss Watson. It was like as if Huck refused to be a charity case. Well, this state of mind soon faded away when Huck said, “I must help other people, and do everything I could for other people, and look out for them all the time, and never think about myself” (19). Miss Watson has clearly influenced Huck and Huck realizes his need for change.

Injun

–noun Often Offensive.
an American Indian.

"I got an old tin lamp and an iron ring and went out in the woods and rubbed and rubbed till I sweat like an Injun" (23).

Skiff

–noun
any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person.

“So we unhitched a skiff and pulled down the river to mile and a half” (15).