One key to the final chapters may be found in the meaning of Tom’s phrase to describe his plans for Jim. term “letting on” “helping” (Tom’s “evasion” (241; chapter 39) has been much discussed, but has not, with the “letting on” important exception of Forrest Robinson [174-78], who reads both these terms in the context of post Civil War America). For Tom, signifies not just to “letting on” say one thing and mean another, but it also becomes a systematic way of lying shared by a group. Case-knives shall be called pick-axes, and torture benevolence. Listen to being so uncertain, what I recommend is Tom: “Things this: that we really dig right in, as quick as we can; and after that, we can let on, to ourselves, that we was at it thirty-seven And here is years.” Huck’s endorsement of on on no Tom’s plan: “Letting don’t cost nothing; letting ain’t trouble; and if any object, I on we was at it a hundred and it’s don’t mind letting Such a consensus to wink to each other while lying Huck calls being fifty year.” of chapter 35). “[f]ull principle” (220, 222, Critics who want to defend ending as satire of Federal policy Twain’s toward blacks after 1876 may point to many instances of contemporaries Twain’s engaging in Tom Sawyer-like double-speak. Reversing the Civil Rights Acts of 1866 and 1875 that were high-water marks of Reconstruction, for instance, U. S. Supreme Court justices argued in 1883 that racial segregation was constitutional because such acts did not re-enslave. Writing for the majority, Justice Bradley began by limiting the relevance of the XIIIth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: The XIIIth Amendment relates only to slavery and involuntary servitude (which it abolishes), and, although, by its reflex action, it establishes universal freedom in the United States, ... yet such legislative power extends only to the subject of slavery and its incidents, and the denial of equal accommodations in inns, public
One key to the final chapters may be found in the meaning of Tom’s phrase “letting on” to describe his plans for “helping” Jim. (Tom’s term “evasion” (241; chapter 39) has been much discussed, but “letting on” has not, with the important exception of Forrest Robinson [174-78], who reads both these terms in the context of post Civil War America). For Tom, “letting on” signifies not just to say one thing and mean another, but it also becomes a systematic way of lying shared by a group. Case-knives shall be called pick-axes, and torture benevolence. Listen to Tom: “Things being so uncertain, what I recommend is this: that we really dig right in, as quick as we can; and after that, we can let on, to ourselves, that we was at it thirty-seven years.” And here is Huck’s endorsement of Tom’s plan: “Letting on don’t cost nothing; letting on ain’t no trouble; and if it’s any object, I don’t mind letting on we was at it a hundred and fifty year.” Such a consensus to wink to each other while lying Huck calls being “[f]ull of principle” (220, 222, chapter 35). Critics who want to defend Twain’s ending as satire of Federal policy toward blacks after 1876 may point to many instances of Twain’s contemporaries engaging in Tom Sawyer-like double-speak. Reversing the Civil Rights Acts of 1866 and 1875 that were high-water marks of Reconstruction, for instance, U. S. Supreme Court justices argued in 1883 that racial segregation was constitutional because such acts did not re-enslave. Writing for the majority, Justice Bradley began by limiting the relevance of the XIIIth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: The XIIIth Amendment relates only to slavery and involuntary servitude (which it abolishes), and, although, by its reflex action, it establishes universal freedom in the United States, ... yet such legislative power extends only to the subject of slavery and its incidents, and the denial of equal accommodations in inns, public