I had a lot of questions about these chapters for sure! To start off, what was the point of having all of the rats, snakes, and spiders with Jim? Was it really necessary, or was it just Tom's imagination running wild? Also, what is the point of Jim making a coat of arms? Not many people had a coat of arms back then, so why would they have the slave make one? Additionally, why did Huck and Tom feel the need to hide the bag of snakes in the house? They could have hid them anywhere on the farm, but they chose the house...why? After they wrote the letters to the family, did they ever consider the possibility that Uncle Silas would ask for help to protect his family? Furthermore, with the way Aunt Sally treated Huck and Tom, it made me wonder if she thought they were behind all of this. After Huck warned Tom and Jim, why did Tom think that the plan could go still be executed without a problem? They were literally trapped in the shed by farmers with guns and Tom still thought they could pull it off. I understand that Tom is an adrenaline junky, but I don't understand why he was so glad to be shot in the calf. I just don't understand it! The boys ended up in quite a bit of trouble, especially after Aunt Polly showed up. Once again, the boys didn't think of the repercussions of lying to their family. I feel like a lot of the problems could have been avoided if Tom hadn't gotten involved.
After the grand escape of Jim and the boys were on the raft, Huck made a significant comment that changed his thinking about Jim. After Huck and Jim talked about Tom's situation, Huck had an epiphany. He stated, "I knowed he was white inside, and I reckoned he'd say what he did say - so it was all right now, and I told Tom I was a-going for a doctor."(Twain 275). To me, Huck seems to have realized that even though Jim is black and a slave, he's not much different than himself. Jim thought the same way that Huck did, and for some reason Huck finally saw Jim as more of an equal rather than a lesser person. This is extremely significant due to the fact that rarely anyone saw a slave the same as they were on the inside. Later on when Tom was brought by Jim and the doctor to Uncle Silas's house, the doctor seemed to have a similar thought to Huck's. The doctor told all of the farmers that, "He ain't no bad nigger gentlemen; that's what I think about him." (Twain 285). He talked about how Jim never tried to leave, never complained, and was extremely helpful in getting Tom to help. The doctor and Huck both displayed that Jim is not much different from themselves. Slaves were viewed as lesser and willing to do anything to ensure their freedom. Huck and the doctor both observed that Jim was as faithful as any white person and they realized that Jim didn't think much differently than they did. Having the doctor stand up for Jim was something that not many people would have done back then.
There were several things that stood out to me throughout these chapters. I found it kind of entertaining when Tom and Huck put the bag of snakes under the bed and they hadn't tied it. So the snakes got out and were all over the house and they got in trouble for it. I mean seriously, why would they hide the snakes in the house? Their lack of common sense made me laugh. Later on though, when they were all trapped in the shed with the farmers, I found it amusing that the farmers had no idea that Huck and Tom were in the shed. What I really enjoyed about these chapters was the way the doctor described Jim. He protected Jim from being treated poorly by describing how faithful and loyal Jim was. Being able to stand up for someone when they can't stand up for themselves is a great attribute.
After the grand escape of Jim and the boys were on the raft, Huck made a significant comment that changed his thinking about Jim. After Huck and Jim talked about Tom's situation, Huck had an epiphany. He stated, "I knowed he was white inside, and I reckoned he'd say what he did say - so it was all right now, and I told Tom I was a-going for a doctor."(Twain 275). To me, Huck seems to have realized that even though Jim is black and a slave, he's not much different than himself. Jim thought the same way that Huck did, and for some reason Huck finally saw Jim as more of an equal rather than a lesser person. This is extremely significant due to the fact that rarely anyone saw a slave the same as they were on the inside. Later on when Tom was brought by Jim and the doctor to Uncle Silas's house, the doctor seemed to have a similar thought to Huck's. The doctor told all of the farmers that, "He ain't no bad nigger gentlemen; that's what I think about him." (Twain 285). He talked about how Jim never tried to leave, never complained, and was extremely helpful in getting Tom to help. The doctor and Huck both displayed that Jim is not much different from themselves. Slaves were viewed as lesser and willing to do anything to ensure their freedom. Huck and the doctor both observed that Jim was as faithful as any white person and they realized that Jim didn't think much differently than they did. Having the doctor stand up for Jim was something that not many people would have done back then.
There were several things that stood out to me throughout these chapters. I found it kind of entertaining when Tom and Huck put the bag of snakes under the bed and they hadn't tied it. So the snakes got out and were all over the house and they got in trouble for it. I mean seriously, why would they hide the snakes in the house? Their lack of common sense made me laugh. Later on though, when they were all trapped in the shed with the farmers, I found it amusing that the farmers had no idea that Huck and Tom were in the shed. What I really enjoyed about these chapters was the way the doctor described Jim. He protected Jim from being treated poorly by describing how faithful and loyal Jim was. Being able to stand up for someone when they can't stand up for themselves is a great attribute.