Husk’s suspicion proves true, pap has come back. “He went to Judge Thatcher’s and bulldogged him, and tried to make him give up the money,”(Twain 21). Pap’s actions show how greed affects what he does because without Pap’s desire for money he would have never come back to town. He also would never have gone to Judge Thatcher and irritated him by his drunken rants, or torturing the town with his binge drinking. Pap is unsuccessful at getting the money from Judge Thatcher so he turns back toward Houck. “He watched out for me one day in the spring, and catches me, and took me up the river about three mile in a skiff,”( 23).
Pap’s greed also motivates him to kidnap Houck. Husk’s life is now also affected by Pap’s greed because Pap took Houck away from Miss Watson and Widow Douglas, causing him to be taken out of school. Pap’s desire for money, in combination with his drinking, causes him to act cruelly. Mark Twain’s description of Pap shows what Twain thinks about humanity. Twain outlook on humanity in this situation is that greed for money can cause people do things that they wouldn’t do otherwise. Houck and Jim meet the Duke and King, they find that the Duke and Kings’ fife style is as con-artists, doing whatever it takes to get money.
The Duke and King go to a town and thinks of another plan to make money. They decide they will put on a play of Romeo and Juliet. “When he had got it pretty good him and the duke begun to practice it together,” (134). The Duke’s and King’s greed for money forces them to put on fake plays. They are so greedy that they take time out of their day to practice Romeo and Juliet plays and pretend to be people they aren’t. It is clear their greed hinders their perception of good and bad because they don’t feel guilty ripping people off. See that every man that went in had his pockets bulging, or something muffled up under his coat,” (152). The people that went to the first or second night of the play had come back to the third night for revenge. The Duke and King are risking their lives by lying to people and stealing their money but the pairs greed outweigh their concern their own lives. Through his description of the Duke and King, Twain is illustrates his view that he thinks money can run and ruin a person’s life along with others. Houck and Tom are planning a way to help Jim escape from the shed.
Houck moms up with a simple plan that will work well, but Tom decides they should make a more complicated plan. Tom says ‘Work? Why certainly it would work, like rats a-fighting. But it’s to blame’ simple; there mint nothing to it,” (232). Houck has already made a plan that would work and get Jim free but Tom dismisses Husk’s plan because of his greed for adventure. Tom would rather have fun then make sure a man’s life is saved. Tom told Houck “The way all the best authorities does is to saw the bed-leg in two, and leave it just so, and swallow the sawdust,” (238).
Toms hunger for an adventure has put him ender the illusion that the situation is just a game; trying to free Jim from the shed. Tom also does not take the escape plan seriously because they are trying to free a slave and Tom was brought up to believe that black men aren’t equal. Mark Twain expressed his thoughts about humanity through his description of Tom. His description shows that Twain thinks that it is wrong for humanity and society to discriminate against black men. It also reveals that Twain doesn’t believe in slavery. Mark Twain’s description of pap, the King and the Duke, and Tom show how greed is the motive for their actions.
Pap would never have taken Houck into the woods, beat him, and deprive him of basic human rights if Pap was t blinded by greed. The Duke’s and the King’s greed for money also affected other people. Their greed resulted in many towns-people being scammed. The Duke and the King didn’t feel sympathetic toward the people of the town because they care about money so much that they have become emotionally detached from people and can only relate to money. Tom’s greed for adventure made him believe trying to free Jim is just a game. Tom didn’t care about Jims life and only cared that they had fun while making a plan the way hey escape in books.
Mark Twain’s view on humanity is easily depicted from his description of the characters. Pap’s description shows that Twain thinks money can cause people to do things that they would never do under other circumstances. The Duke and Kings description also shows Twain’s view on how money can run and ruin a person’s life. Tom’s description shows Twain’s view on how black men should be treated equal and shouldn’t be forced into slavery. From the novel it can be determined that Twain believes greed can corrupt people and limit their abilities to feel empathy.
