Huck Finn vs Tom Sawyer free essay sample

Huck is more of a simple person, whereas Tom wants to make an adventure into everything he does. Huck having a simple mind does give him the advantage. When Tom comes up with these ridiculous plans Huck could step in and tell Tom about his own plans, but he never does. If the group were to follow through with Huck’s plans, they would not only save time but they would also save the risk of getting caught and getting into trouble. Huck is a shy guy with a simple imagination. He does not have the wild ideas as Tom does. Huck thinks that he is not as bright as Tom because he cannot come up with theses elaborate plans, so he thinks that his plans are stupid, but actually they are better. In this case, simple is better and Huck should have stood up for his ideas. When Tom and Huck tiptoed past Jim while he was in the kitchen, Jim came outside because he heard a noise. We will write a custom essay sample on Huck Finn vs Tom Sawyer or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He says, â€Å"Who dah? † as he walks toward Huck and Tom and stands right between them without knowing (4). Jim sits down and says, â€Å"I’s gwyne to set down here and listen tell I hears it agin† (4). Jim soon falls asleep under a tree that he is laying against. Huck just wanted to get out of there, but Tom wanted to pull a prank before they left. Tom initial plan was â€Å"to tie Jim to the tree for fun,† but Huck said it would be too risky (4). Instead, Tom took three candles, and paid five cents for them as well as putting Jim’s hat on the tree limb right about his head. It is ironic that Tom will pull all of these pranks, but he will not steal. Tom acts as if he was a rough boy, but he will not break the law or the rules. The prank is just the beginning of the many adventures to come. Huck realizes even now that Tom’s idea was not the brightest. Tom could have gotten them both caught, but he doesn’t care because he just wants the adventure. Tom has a group of friends called the â€Å"Tom Sawyer Gang† (5). He then comes up with this elaborate story saying that the gang will keep secrets and if anyone tells, their family will be killed. It is also the first time Tom mentions the books that he has read about robbing, and he tells the gang that they must follow the rules because that is what the books say. Even when Ben Rodgers, from the gang, suggests to killing the victims as soon as they kidnap them, Tom speaks up and says that’s not the â€Å"regular† way to do it â€Å"because it ain’t in the books† (7). Tom tries to be in charge of everything that happens in this gang, even if it is not the best plan or idea. The group of boys never ends up robbing anyone or killing anyone. This is just another one of Tom’s fantasies that will never come true. After Tom lies about the gang, Huck begins to recognize that Tom is a liar that makes up elaborate tales and he also wants to control everything. Huck â€Å"couldn’t see no profit in it† so he ended up resigning as well as the other boys (9). The gang â€Å"hadn’t robbed nobody† and â€Å"hadn’t killed any people, but only just pretended† (9). Huck thought that it was a waste of time, and he knew that Tom was lying about killing and robbing people. When Jim and Huck are alone on the canoe for several days, Huck steps up and becomes the boss. He planned where and when the two would travel and decided that they would spend three days on the island, as they did. He takes on Tom’s role, and does a good job at it. He begins to care for Jim as a person, something that Tom would never let happen. Huck says that he â€Å"wouldn’t want to be nowhere else but here†, referencing the island that the two men sleep at for three days (37). Huck comes up with numerous plans and ideas that help him and Jim survive and dodge the obstacles that come their way. Jim hides in the raft when people pass by them so that they would not ask who Jim was. Huck also came up with a fake name to tell people so that they wouldn’t know that he was still alive. There are a few times when Huck has to leave Jim for awhile, but he never gives up on Jim. Another one of Huck’s brilliant ideas as a leader was to dress up as a girl and go into town. He finds out that there is an award out for Jim and himself. He eventually goes back to Jim and they continue to travel. Huck was pulling his wagon for town when he sees Tom half-way. He stops and waits for Tom, and Tom thinks that Huck is a ghost. After Tom believes that Huck is alive, Huck tells Tom about Jim being kept on a farm. Huck starts to doubt Jim and at one point, wants to just leave on his own. Jim had become a good friend of Hucks’, and he would do anything for him. At the beginning, Tom would not have sacrificed anything for a slave. When Jim gets into a predicament, such as being trapped on a farm in a hut, Huck persuades Tom into helping to escape Jim. Tom changes his attitude and thinks of it as an adventure, and Tom takes control once again. Huck comes up with a plan to steal a key from the old man that had Jim locked in the hut. Tom says that his plan was â€Å"too blame’ simple; there ain’t nothing to it† (176). Tom is becoming that leader and Huck becomes the follower once again. When trying to help Jim escape from the cabin, Huck wants to simply pick up the bed’s frame, and slip the chain out. Tom wants to use a chainsaw and cut the bed’s frame, and possibly â€Å"saw Jim’s leg off† (181). Tom tries to be more complicated than necessary. Tom is the leader, and Huck allows him to be because of his passive ways. It is the norm that Tom comes in and takes control. There is no need to saw Jim’s leg in order to get the chain free. Huck becomes unsure of his idea and thinks that it is not as good as Tom’s. Huck is just inferior to Tom. Realistically, Huck’s plan seems more logical than Tom’s and a lot easier to maneuver. This is just Tom’s normal behavior to think more into it than it really has to be. Huck is seen as â€Å"ignorant† to Tom (182). Tom says that â€Å"if I was as ignorant as you, I’d keep still- that’s what I’d do† (182). In Tom’s perspective, Huck’s plans do not make any sense. Tom wants to get Jim a shirt â€Å"to keep a journal on† (182). Huck want to get Jim out of the cabin with a ladder but Tom wants to tear up sheets to â€Å"make Jim a rope ladder† (182). Tom’s defense was that it was in the regulations, and Huck agreed that he did not want to go against the regulations. Tom also mentions to write the journal in Jim’s own blood. Huck knows that this is impossible because Jim cannot write. Tom also comes up with the brilliant idea of digging Jim out with â€Å"a couple case-knives† (184). Huck says that the idea is foolish, but Tom insists, and Huck goes along with the idea. Huck goes along with all of Tom’s ideas no matter how ridiculous they may sound. Huck seems very self- conscious about his ideas, so he thinks that Tom’s will work more efficiently. Huck looks up to Tom as if he were a God. Huck seems to always give in to Tom. For example, when Tom wants to tear up the sheets to make a rope ladder, they could have used the ladder that was already there instead of tearing up Aunt Sally’s sheets, but Huck agrees to do it because that is what the regulations say to do. While Jim is about to escape, Tom claims that Jim needs a â€Å"coat of arms† (194). Tom says that Jim needs to write an inscription on the wall because everyone does it. Jim says that he cannot think of anything, but then he says he thinks of a lot of them. In Huck’s eyes, it is just another one of Tom’s ideas that do not make sense. There is no need for Jim to leave something behind. If anything, it is just taking up more time and effort. Tom then comes up with another great idea that is questionable at the least. He wants to â€Å"have rattlesnakes aroun’† (197). Tom says that Jim can tame the snake and he won’t be scared of it after a little while. Tom says that all of the books say that they have to do it. Soon after the rattlesnake idea come rats. Every time a rat bit Jim he would get up and write a little in his journal whilst the ink was fresh† (201). It is a ridiculous idea that came from no other than Tom Sawyer. He comes up with these absurd ideas that make not a bit of sense. He just wants to do it because that is what the books say to do and they are from real adventures. Huck and Jim both do not u nderstand why, but they just go along with the plan. Huck starts to realize that Tom’s plans are stupid and just takes up more valuable time; however he still goes along with the plans and still believes that they are better than his own ideas. One instance is when Tom wants to use spoons to dig out Jim, when there is a shovel right there. Tom says that the books say nothing about a shovel. The spoons take up a lot of time, whereas a shovel would have been a lot faster and more efficient. The whole time Tom is back into the adventures, he becomes the leader, even though Huck is fully capable of doing the job. Huck looks up to Tom and believes every word that Tom says. Even the most outrageous ideas that Tom comes up with, Huck trusts him and always goes with his judgment. Despite all of the bad ideas that Tom comes up with, Huck still looks at Tom for inspiration and advice. Huck loses his self-assurance as soon as Tom joins the group again. Huck is just used to Tom taking control, and even when Huck gives his outlook on the plans, they always pursue Tom’s ideas and not Huck’s. The allegation is that Huck will not end up having any more adventures with Tom. Huck plans to straighten up his life. He says â€Å"light out for the Territory ahead of the rest† (220). His adventures with Tom have come to an end. (WC 1970)