Wednesday, February 13, 2008

What is Pap's role in Huck's journey?

In providing motivation for Huck to fake his own death and escape from society, Pap is indispensible as a plot device who drives Huck onto the river. However, Twain's characterization of Pap makes him much more than just a one dimensional alcoholic used only as a plot device. Because of the complex motives behind his abusive but sometimes clever actions, Pap is a fringe character in society that represents the negative rebelliousness existing in America and the ideas and lessons from Pap continue to drive Huck throughout the book.
Twain introduces Pap at the beginning of chapter 5, painting an already grisly picture of a character whose morals match his appearance. "His hair was long and tangled and greasy, and hung down, and you could see his eyes shining though as if he were behind vines" (Twain, 19). This description is meant to show that Pap has little regard for what society thinks of him and acts based on that. Later, Twain insinuates that Pap is motivated mainly by two things: his desire for alcohol and his warped southern sense of honor. This "honor" comes into play almost right after Huck is reunited with his father, manifesting itself in the form of Pap's rage over Huck having learned to read and therefore feeling "inferior" to his son. A caring father would typically be overjoyed to see his son rise up in society, but Pap has other, more restricting plans for Huck.
Pap's big rant comes in chapter 6. He begins by complaining about his belief that the government has robbed him of his rightful spot as one of the richest men in town and forced him to live out in the woods. The truth is that the government actually tried to act in the best interest of Huck, but Pap fails to see that and this part of his speech shows that even white people often fail in getting along, and suffer delusions and prejudice about the government and each other. The next part of the rant is somewhat paradoxical. Pap states that he would never vote again due to the fact that there were places where black people could vote. He also presents a great example of a very intelligent black man who can obviously contribute a lot to society, but nonetheless opposes him. Here Twain not only satirizes the foolishness of Pap but also the foolishness of every American that maintains a racist viewpoint despite the huge amount of evidence to the contrary.
As Huck travels down the river, the racist values that Pap and society have ingrained in his mind slowly begin to peel away. Despite the similarities in outdoor and practical capabilities and, in the beginning, ideology, Huck drifts further and further away from his father as he comes to know Jim better. However, Huck's attitide towards his father resurfaces in how he sees the duke and king, showing that experience with Pap has also given Huck some important abilities.
Despite being a highly illogical person, Pap shows his capability in dealing wih people when he tricks the judge into letting him escape. This ability is shared not only by Huck but also by Tom Sawyer, who in the end of the book hinders Jim's bid for freedom with his imagination and influence over Huck. The ability to make people believe a lie is shown in this book by the many evil characters that hinder the plot. From Huck's perspective, people who hindered him in happiness include not only Pap and the duke and king who directly put Huck into danger, but also the Widow who tried to civilize him,Tom who polluted his mind with outlandish ideas, and his own conscience that tried to make him do the "correct thing". Seen in this light, Pap is an extreme example of the many forces in the story that hold Huck back from his self realization in religion, morals, and freedom that even he is forced to pursue.

1 comment:

Nicole C. said...

Now I don't normally leave commens on random posts like this, but I really was compelled this time, lol. I just finished reading this book for my junior English honors class, and your commentary and analysis of Pap really hit home and agreed with a lot of the ideas I was conjuring up, too.
So...kudos!