Inspirational Talk

How much do words really matter? Can they astonish a world during an astronaut’s first moon walk or inspire an author to write a novel? In A Scholar Finds Huck Finn's Voice in Twain's Writing About a Black Youth, the author narrates how Twain may have been inspired by a boy he described “in an almost forgotten article in The New York Times in 1874 as "the most artless, sociable and exhaustless talker I ever came across"” (Anthony DePalma). The possibility that The Adventure’s of Huckleberry Finn was inspired by a young boy’s speech seems rather unbelievable.

Twain continues describing the boy as he states: “"He did not tell me a single remarkable thing, or one that was worth remembering," Twain wrote, "and yet he was himself so interested in his small marvels, and they flowed so naturally and comfortably from his lips that his talk got the upper hand of my interest, too, and I listened as one who receives a revelation"” (Anthony DePalma). This sounds just like a description of Huckleberry Finn, completely immersed in his adventure of survival, friendship and persistence. The way Huck completely brings his experience to live through his narration may well be based on Twain’s experience with this captivating boy.

Professor Fishkin, author of Was Huck Black? Mark Twain and African-American Voices, explains how Huck and Jim, the black boy Twain was allegedly inspired by “constantly repeat the same words, make frequent use of present participles and often make the same mistakes. The two boys often use the same adjectives in place of adverbs. Jimmy says, "He's powerful sick." Huck says, "I was most powerful thirsty"” (Anthony DePalma). This reminded me of an article about Neil Armstrong’s moon walk speech mistake. Words definitely travel a longer distance than we can imagine.