The first question I have about these chapters is, why didn't Jim and Huck try to get rid of the King and Duke sooner? The allowed them to drag them into these elaborate schemes that could get them into trouble and yet they still allowed them to travel with them. It may be because they were making money from these schemes. With that being said, was Jim and Huck actually getting money from them and their schemes or where they keeping it for themselves? I don't think they were and that brings me back to my original question. Why keep the King and Duke around? I know Huck knows they are just con artists but they didn't choose to do anything about it until it was too late and the King and duke were making plans of selling Jim. Also, how was the King able to impersonate Harvey Wilks so well? He knew who some of his closest friends were and was able to play along without any rising suspicion from anyone other than the doctor. Levi Bell had mentioned something about the King and Huck being in Pint the morning before they arrived for the funeral and him seeing them there talking to Tim Collins. Was Tim the one that told them about the funeral and about Peter Wilks?
One thing that struck me was the accusations made in these chapters. Most of the people found the King and the Duke's story to be true and never questioned them, but not all of them did. The doctor was one of them and even confronted them. He said, " You talk like an Englishmen, don't you? It's the worst imitation I ever heard. You Peter Wilks's brother! You're a fraud, that's what you are!" (Twain 169) Even though his accusation was true, nobody thought it was necessary and nobody believed him. Even when the real Harvey and William finally arrived most of the people stood behind them and called the actual Harvey and William frauds. Once they finally got that straightend out, the next ordeal was where Peter Wilks's money go. The King and Duke blamed it on the African Americans, which wasn't true. Once they found the money in the coffin the King and Duke began to accuse each other of taking the money and hiding it so they could dig it up later for themselves. Just like in The Crucible, accusations create mass chaos. Once these accusations got out, they are plagued with what happened and it follows with them throughout the towns. They can't escape them.
I really like that at the end of the chapters it showed that Huck had a little crush on Mary Jane. I was really hoping that something more would come of it because I thought it was adorable. On the other hand, as I had mentioned in the first paragraph, I really wish they would have gotten rid of the King and Duke. Huck and them were ALMOST hanged because of the big ordeal that they made. At this point I wish they would just get back to the water and stay there. The chaos is limited and it's so much more peaceful. I also wonder why that if Huck staged his murder to get away from a drunk why he would keep people around that get drunk just because. This book can be just a little puzzling to me.
One thing that struck me was the accusations made in these chapters. Most of the people found the King and the Duke's story to be true and never questioned them, but not all of them did. The doctor was one of them and even confronted them. He said, " You talk like an Englishmen, don't you? It's the worst imitation I ever heard. You Peter Wilks's brother! You're a fraud, that's what you are!" (Twain 169) Even though his accusation was true, nobody thought it was necessary and nobody believed him. Even when the real Harvey and William finally arrived most of the people stood behind them and called the actual Harvey and William frauds. Once they finally got that straightend out, the next ordeal was where Peter Wilks's money go. The King and Duke blamed it on the African Americans, which wasn't true. Once they found the money in the coffin the King and Duke began to accuse each other of taking the money and hiding it so they could dig it up later for themselves. Just like in The Crucible, accusations create mass chaos. Once these accusations got out, they are plagued with what happened and it follows with them throughout the towns. They can't escape them.
I really like that at the end of the chapters it showed that Huck had a little crush on Mary Jane. I was really hoping that something more would come of it because I thought it was adorable. On the other hand, as I had mentioned in the first paragraph, I really wish they would have gotten rid of the King and Duke. Huck and them were ALMOST hanged because of the big ordeal that they made. At this point I wish they would just get back to the water and stay there. The chaos is limited and it's so much more peaceful. I also wonder why that if Huck staged his murder to get away from a drunk why he would keep people around that get drunk just because. This book can be just a little puzzling to me.