Today's lesson addressed Huck Finn as an archetypal American hero. We reviewed language from the reading wherein Tom Sawyer criticizes Huck for "always wanting a fresh start" and not doing things "regular". Olivia expanded on the significance of this statement noting that doing things "regular" referenced adhering to conventions. We then discussed the reference to " a fresh start" as a reference to Americanism separate from European cultural influence. We then analyzed the ongoing satire of the Romantic melodramatic genre in the final chapters of the novel. Last ,Olivia discussed that in contrast to Huck , Tom Sawyer lacks empathy as evidenced by his disregard for Jim's imprisonment while Tom unnecessarily concocts an elaborate drawn out plan to free Jim. We questioned Huck's acquiescence to Tom's insistence on prolonging Jim's imprisonment. For homework, I assigned reading the next two chapters .