Saturday, October 11, 2014

What is the description of Huck Finn's raft?

Huck Finn's raft is described as having a wigwam on it for
sleeping in, a light, a place for a fire. Jim had built both the firebox and the wigwam
as places to keep them warm, and him particularly out of sight if necessary during the
day. The raft itself had a steering oar and a signal
lantern.



Jim
took up some of the top planks of the raft and built a snug wigwam to get under in
blazing weather and rainy, and to keep the things dry. Jim made a floor
for the wigwam, and raised it a foot or more above the level of the raft, so now the
blankets and all the traps was out of reach of steamboat waves. Right in the middle of
the wigwam we made a layer of dirt about five or six inches deep with a frame around it
for to hold it to its place; this was to build a fire on in sloppy weather or chilly;
the wigwam would keep it from being seen.
We made an extra steering-oar,
too, because one of the others might get broke on a snag or something. We fixed up a
short forked stick to hang the old lantern on, because we must always light the lantern
whenever we see a steamboat coming
down-stream.



This information
is pretty specific and important if you are trying to build a replica or draw the actual
image of their raft. Most significantly, this description of the raft gives readers the
extent to which Jim and Huck went in order to survive as well as keep Jim hidden. It
probably took the brains of both the older, but uneducated man, as well as the sharp 11
or 12-year-old to consider every feature of the raft that would be
necessary.

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