Posted: March 24th, 2024

Aunt Polly in Huck Finn

In the book Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Aunt Polly is a minor character but her role is very important. She is Tom Sawyer’s aunt and also his guardian. Aunt Polly is a sharp woman who tries to keep Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn out of trouble. She is a character that is fearsome, respectable, and loved. When Huck Finn sees Aunt Polly at Aunt Sally’s house he says she was “looking as sweet and contented as an angel half-full of pie, I wish I may never! ” (1460).
Huck Finn describes Aunt Polly in a loving way but he also expresses his fear in seeing her. Huck fears her so much that he hides under the bed (1460). As soon as Aunt Polly tells Huck to come out from under the bed, he does so timidly which indicates he respected her enough to do what he was told immediately (1461). Aunt Polly demands that Tom should give her the letters that she wrote to Aunt Sally. Tom acts as if he does not know what she is talking about. Aunt Polly responds by saying, “I will be bound if I have to take hold of you I’ll –“ (1461). She doesn’t have to finish her sentence because Tom interrupts her where they are.
He does this because he fears Aunt Polly. When Aunt Sally wrote to Aunt Polly about Tom and Sid arriving safely she was puzzled because Sid was with her. She wrote to Aunt Sally several times with no response. Aunt Polly made the 100 mile trip to Aunt Sally’s because she knew that something wasn’t right. This shows just how sharp Aunt Polly was. When Aunt Polly arrives at Aunt Sally’s she looks at Tom, “-kind of grinding him into the Earth, you know. ” And this indicates that Aunt Poll was an intelligent woman because she knew that Tom and Huck had tricked Aunt Sally (1460).

When Aunt Polly arrives Huck Finn disappears under the bed and Aunt Sally does not know where he is. “Come out from under the bed Huck Finn. ”, says Aunt Polly (1461). She had only been there briefly but could easily assess the situation. Evidently Aunt Polly is a sharp character. She is feared by Tom and Huck. It is clearly shown that she is a respectable person. Aunt Polly is a very important character because she helps the story come together in the end. She is the one who puts an end to Tom and Huck’s charade. I believe Aunt Polly to be a stern but kind person. She loves Tom and Huck and they love her.

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