The Last Two Chapters of Huck Finn, Analysis

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Chapters 42-43 Summary: Chapter 42 As Huck and the Phelpses sit around the breakfast table, Aunt Sally sees Tom on a mattress along with the doctor, Jim with his hands tied, and a bunch of people. Aunt Sally is profoundly relieved to find that Tom is alive. Men in the mob say they should hang Jim as a warning to other slaves, but others say his owner might come and then they would have to pay for him; so they all refrain. The men in the mob also cuss at Jim and strike him and put him back in the cabin enchained, but Tom’s doctor tells them they shouldn’t be rougher with Jim than they have to be, because Jim faithfully helped to treat Tom and risked his own freedom to do it. The men in the mob soften up on Jim and thank him for helping the doctor. Tom begins to recover, and comes fully to as Aunt Sally andHuck sit at his bedside. He joyfully recounts to an incredulous Aunt Sally how he and Huck helped Jim to escape. However, Tom’s joy gives way to grave disappointment when he learns that Jim is back in bondage; he tells Aunt Sally that Jim is as free as any creature that walks this earth. He also reveals that he’s known all along that Miss Watson had set Jim free two months ago in her will. As Tom is speaking, he notices that Aunt Polly, his guardian, has come in, much to Aunt Sally’s delight. She reveals Tomand Huck’s true identities, and tells the disgruntled Phelpsesall about Huck. She also confirms that Miss Watson had setJim free two months ago. Finally, during a conversation between the adults, it comes out that Tom was intercepting letters from Aunt Polly to Aunt Sally, which is why the latter didn’t know that Tom was impersonating Sid. Summary: Chapter 43 Tom tells Huck he had planned for them to run all the way to the mouth of the Mississippi if they had managed to escape unharmed. Jim gets a positive reception in the house because of how well he

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