[kelik]

English

Hope, derived from the German word “hoffen“, means to desire with expectation of obtainment or to expect with confidence. The word has found a place in our every day language. “I hope to get this job”, “I hope she marries me”, “We hope to see you again” etc. In the book Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain shows the expression of hope, without actually being obvious about it. Such expressions can be seen in certain “themes”, the trust between Huck and Jim, the serenity of the river, and the cheating, uncaring, and oppressive nature of the Duke and Dauphin
The trust between Huck and Jim can be seen when they first meet on Jackson Island. Once Jim figures out that Huck is not really dead, he fears that Huck will turn him in. But in response, Huck tells Jim “Honest injun I will. People would call me a low down Ablitionist and despise me for keeping mum- but that don’t make no difference. I ain’t agoing to tell, and I ain’t agoing back there anyways. So now, le’s know all about it”. In this case, Jim’s hopes are made true as the bond between Huck and Jim is steady.
The serenity of the river gives the sense of an exodus from the South like the reading in the Bible. Although not at all as bloody as in the Bible, Jim is hoping to escape from the rugged slavery life and Huck is hoping for Jim’s well-being. Also, Jim expressive his feelings for being separated from his family. During one of the river scenes, Jim tells Huck about his plans after he is free. He tells that he hopes to buy out his family from slavery so they could be together again.
The Duke and Dauphin take advantage of Huck’s youthfulness to help them with their con-artist ways. But as time goes by, Huck does not want to scam people anymore. Mary Jane is the prime reason in which he changes time. “So I wrote: ‘I put it in the coffin. It was in there when you was crying there, away in the night. I was behind the door, and I was mighty sorry for you, Miss Mary Jane.” A possible crush also could have played a major role in his decision, defying the Duke and Dauphin and accepting all consequences if they ever found out that he was the one that foiled their plans. All he hoped for was the safety and personal securities of Mary Jane. “Take y’r hands off!-leggo my throat! - I take it all back!”. “If you ever deny it again, I’ll drown you”. The wrath of the duke was seen, and Huck was relived that it was not him, although it could have been him in the first place.
All in all, hope is not seen as a literal word that can be read out loud. Hope is seen between the lines. A whole page can describe one’s feelings of hope and the exact feelings the person has towards it. Whether it’s trust or love, hope is what drives the characters in Huck Finn and also present everyday people.

This post has been edited by kelik425: 05 December 2005 - 03:55 AM