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SUMMARY
When the King and the Duke catch up with Huck and Jim, the King holds Huck by the collar and accuses him of betraying them. He shakes him and demands to know what has been playing on his mind. Huck's agility of mind again comes to his rescue and he convinces the former that it was mere 'survival instinct that had made him run away. He cooks up a story that the doctor had taken pity on him because he reminded the former of his own son who had died the previous year. Huck says that the doctor had prompted him to run away because he did not like such a small boy to be in such a dangerous situation as Huck was in. He even induces the King to believe that both, Huck and Jim, had been "awful sorry" for the two of them as they had believed them to be dead. The King believes him.
This is followed by a series of allegations and defense, between the King and the Duke. The latter blames the former for having messed up the entire game of deception. He blames him for his idea of making up the "deffisit" by chipping in their own money into that of Peter Wilks. He also believes that the King tried to "scoop up" all the money and "give him the slip". When he starts to throttle the King, out of a sense of panic, the latter owns up. The two of them start drinking and are thick friends again. They hug each other and go off to sleep, snoring in each other's arms. Once they are fast asleep, Huck recounts his ordeal to Jim.
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| The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Chapter 30 |
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This chapter reinforces common intelligence that there is no sense of pride among crooks. Each tries to conceal his own intentions by holding the other accountable for the misfortune. It is by sheer power of coercion that the Duke forces the King to concede to something that he is note guilty of, Not long afterwards, they become the best of friends and powerful mellow". It is evident that they are using each other for their ulterior motive. Their relationship is in sharp contrast to that of Huck and Jim, who have an inexplicable love for each other and would go to great lengths to ensure each other's safety.
The chapter also reinforces our belief that Huck's lies are in sharp contrast to that spoken by the King and the Duke. Though he displays reasonable intelligence, he is unable to sustain a lie when the going gets realy tough. Huck can also not lie very convincingly when it is the question of a fellow human being's life or feelings.