In 1884, Mark Twain published the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which takes place the 1840’s, beginning in St. Petersburg, Missouri, and then expanding to the Mississippi River. The novel’s protagonist is Huckleberry Finn, and for a majority of the novel, he is accompanied by Jim, a runaway slave. Together, the two flee Missouri, and travel North on the Mississippi. While traveling, Huck and Jim invite two men who seem to be fleeing from the police onto their raft. That evening, the men say why they had become wanted criminals, and more importantly, their royal heritage; one confessing to be a duke, and the other, a king. Throughout most of the novel, Twain creates characters and scenarios that represent more than what is above the surface. When Huck Finn meets the king and the duke, below the surface Huck is reacting to the …show more content…
When they first discover the fake background of the duke, Huck and Jim “...bow, when [they speak] to him, and say ‘Your Grace’…one of [them] ought to wait on him at dinner… [they] done it.” Similarly, with the king, Jim and Huck “... [get] down on one knee to speak to him, and always [call] him ‘Your Majesty,’ and [wait] on him first at meals… Jim and [him]... doing this and that and t’other for him…” Upon first meeting the duke and king, and hearing their backstories, Huck believes and acts respectfully toward both men. That evening, Huck decides that the duke and the king are “frauds.” However, he “never [says] nothing, never [lets] on…” in order to “keep peace,” and ignores the issue. Huck only changes in regards to his opinions of the duke and king. In spite of that, Huck’s treatment of them does not change, therefore his character does not grow. Because Huck chooses not to say anything about the suspicious behavior of the duke and the king or present the issue, Huck’s dismissive nature is