Role Of Pap In Huckleberry Finn
According to Liz Bureman, a foil character serves to highlight one or more attributes of another character by providing a contrast. In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck is travels with a variety of individuals, including his father Pap and Jim, a runaway slave. Jim is kind and friendly to Huck. Pap, a foil of Jim, is rude and abusive. Mark Twain portrays Pap Finn as a cruel and neglectful alcoholic in order to emphasize Jim’s role as a companion for Huckleberry Finn. Not long after Pap finds Huck in the house of the Widow Douglas, he begins to scold Huck for living a “sivilized” life. He tells Huck, “If I catch you about that school I’ll tan you good” (Twain 30). Pap aims to have complete control over his son because he needs Huck’s money to buy alcohol. He clearly feels that Huck’s education will interfere with the pursuit of his own selfish
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needs and desires. Unfortunately, when Pap removes Huck from school and the widow’s house, he also eliminates Huck’s presence in civilized society. This does not seem to bother Pap, who is only concerned with finding a way to support his addiction. On the other hand, Jim never deliberately harmed Huck to benefit himself during their trip along the Mississippi River; he even offered to build a fire for Huck on their first day together on the island (53). If Huck had been raised by kind and compassionate parents, this event would be insignificant. However, due to Pap’s neglectful tendencies, this event represents a major change in Huck’s environment. By portraying Pap Finn as selfish and neglectful, Twain emphasizes Jim’s traits of kindness and generosity. During the time that he lived with Pap, Huck is routinely locked in the cabin for long periods of time by his father.
One time, Pap locked Huck in the cabin and “was gone three days” (35). It is evident Pap Finn does not care about Huck’s well-being; when Pap could be spending time with his son, he is always too busy drinking or trying to get the money from Judge Thatcher. Unlike Pap, who willingly ignores his son for days at a time, Jim tries to stay near Huck at all times and worries when they become separated. When Huck and Jim reunite on the river, Jim says to Huck, “Goodness gracious, is dat you, Huck? En you ain’ dead…it’s too good to be true” (94). Jim’s reaction is so important because it shows that Jim cares about Huck more than anyone else, especially Pap. If Huck had been raised by a father who cared about him, Jim’s reaction and the friendship that Huck developed with Jim would be less meaningful. By creating such a strong contrast between Pap and Jim’s opinion of Huckleberry, Mark Twain is able to create a stronger bond between Huck and Jim than he could without the neglectful behavior of
Pap.
needs and desires. Unfortunately, when Pap removes Huck from school and the widow’s house, he also eliminates Huck’s presence in civilized society. This does not seem to bother Pap, who is only concerned with finding a way to support his addiction. On the other hand, Jim never deliberately harmed Huck to benefit himself during their trip along the Mississippi River; he even offered to build a fire for Huck on their first day together on the island (53). If Huck had been raised by kind and compassionate parents, this event would be insignificant. However, due to Pap’s neglectful tendencies, this event represents a major change in Huck’s environment. By portraying Pap Finn as selfish and neglectful, Twain emphasizes Jim’s traits of kindness and generosity. During the time that he lived with Pap, Huck is routinely locked in the cabin for long periods of time by his father.
One time, Pap locked Huck in the cabin and “was gone three days” (35). It is evident Pap Finn does not care about Huck’s well-being; when Pap could be spending time with his son, he is always too busy drinking or trying to get the money from Judge Thatcher. Unlike Pap, who willingly ignores his son for days at a time, Jim tries to stay near Huck at all times and worries when they become separated. When Huck and Jim reunite on the river, Jim says to Huck, “Goodness gracious, is dat you, Huck? En you ain’ dead…it’s too good to be true” (94). Jim’s reaction is so important because it shows that Jim cares about Huck more than anyone else, especially Pap. If Huck had been raised by a father who cared about him, Jim’s reaction and the friendship that Huck developed with Jim would be less meaningful. By creating such a strong contrast between Pap and Jim’s opinion of Huckleberry, Mark Twain is able to create a stronger bond between Huck and Jim than he could without the neglectful behavior of
Pap.