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Section 23 of 42
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Page 2 of 2
CHAPTER XXIII.
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Chapter 23 — CHAPTER XXIII.
Central question
How far will the king and duke go to exploit an audience?
Main argument
The packed audience watches the king’s sham performance and then retaliates with rotten produce,...
AI Summary
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Section 23 of 42
Chapter 23 — CHAPTER XXIII.
Central question
How far will the king and duke go to exploit an audience?
Main argument
The packed audience watches the king’s sham performance and then retaliates with rotten produce, which the frauds escape by predicting the outrage. Huck also gets Jim to talk about his family, and Jim’s story of his daughter’s deafness gives the novel one of its clearest images of accidental cruelty. Twain lets comedy and grief sit beside each other without cancellation.
Key ideas
Fraud and punishment become part of the same performance cycle.
Jim’s private history deepens his character.
Huck’s curiosity now leads to genuine listening.
Key takeaway
The chapter pairs stage fraud with a quietly devastating family story.
me .
It make me
mad ;
en I says agin ,
mighty loud ,
I says :
“‘
Doan ’
you hear me ?—
shet de
do ’!’
“
She jis stood de
same way ,
kiner smilin ’
up .
I was a-bilin’!
I says :
“‘
I lay I _
make _
you mine !’
“
En wid dat I fetch ’
her a slap side de
head dat sont
her a-sprawlin ’.
Den I went into de
yuther room ,
en ’
uz gone ’
bout ten minutes ;
en when
I come back dah was dat do ’ a-stannin’
open _
yit _,
en dat chile
stannin ’
mos ’
right in it , a-lookin’
down and mournin ’,
en de
tears
runnin ’
down .
My ,
but I _
wuz _
mad !
I was a-gwyne
for de
chile ,
but jis ’
den —
it was a do ’
dat open innerds —
jis ’
den , ’
long come de
wind en slam
it to ,
behine de
chile ,
ker -_
blam !_—
en my lan ’, de
chile never move ’!
My breff mos ’
hop outer me ;
en I feel so —
so —
I doan ’
know _
how _
I feel .
I crope out ,
all a-tremblin ’,
en crope aroun ’
en open de
do ’
easy en
slow ,
en poke my head in behine de
chile ,
sof ’
en still ,
en all uv a
sudden I says _
pow !_
jis ’
as loud as I could yell . _
She never budge !_
Oh , Huck,
I bust out a-cryin ’
en grab her up in my arms ,
en say , ‘
Oh ,
de
po ’
little thing ! De
Lord God Amighty
fogive po ’
ole Jim,
kaze he
never gwyne to fogive hisself as long’s he live !’
Oh ,
she was plumb
deef en dumb , Huck,
plumb deef en dumb —
en I’d ben a-treat’n her so !”
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