Analysis

The introduction of the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons adds a new element of humor to Twain’s novel. Whereas earlier Twain satirizes the actions of “common” townspeople, the stately families provide a perfect opportunity for Twain to burlesque the Southern code of chivalry and aristocracy of the antebellum South. The Grangerford’s house represents a gaudy and tasteless display of wealth, and Huck’s appreciation of the decor only adds to the humor. The decor that exemplifies the Grangerford’s taste is the artistic work of Emmeline, the deceased daughter who pined away after failing to discover a rhyme for “Whistler.” In contrast to Huck’s practical fascination with death, Emmeline’s work displays a romantic and sentimental obsession that even gives Huck the “fantods.”

Twain also uses the families to underscore his subtle satire on religion, as the two families attend the same church, leaning their guns against the walls during the sermon about “brotherly love.” The mixture of theology and gunplay is ironic, as is the family’s subsequent reaction that the sermon was filled with positive messages about “faith and good work and free grace and preforeordestination.” Twain’s Calvinist background resurfaces in his combination of predestination and foreordination.

The feud between the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons is one of the more memorable chapters in Huck Finn because of its extreme violence. The fact that the two noble families do not know why they continue to fight is ironic, but the irony deepens when the families actually draw blood. Huck’s casual observance turns into participation, and when he witnesses the death of his young friend, Buck, he is unable to recount the story to readers. The hated calls of “Kill them, kill them!” prompt Huck to wish that he had never gone ashore, despite his affection for the Grangerfords. The theme of death and brutality, then, is present in all facets of society, including the wealthy, and the peace of the river is never more apparent to Huck.

When Huck returns to the raft and he and Jim are safe, Huck wearily observes that ” . . . there warn’t no home like a raft, after all . . . . You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft.” The unaffected statement solidifies the raft/shore dichotomy and reinforces the idea that society, despite its sophistication, is cruel and unjust.

Glossary

dog-irons iron braces used to hold firewood.

Pilgrim’s Progress a religious allegory by John Bunyan (1678).

mud-cat a catfish.

liberty-pole a tall flagstaff planted in the ground.

bowie a steel knife about fifteen inches long, with a single edge, usually carried in a sheath.

nip and tuck so close that the outcome is uncertain.

predestination the theological doctrine that God foreordained everything that would happen.

foreordination predestination.

puncheon floor floor made of a heavy, broad piece of roughly dressed timber with one side hewed flat.