Once Huck and Jim have been split up from the raft, Huck happens to cross the Grangerfords property. He was meet by the Grangerfords dogs and several guns pointed at him. Once they acknowledged that he was not a Shepherdson, they welcomed Huck into their home. Huck has never seen such property that the Grangerfords own. They had lavish lifestyles and over one hundred slaves. Huck eventually learns that the Grangerford family and the Sheperdson family have been feuding for the last thirty some years. Humor ties in because neither of the two families knows why they are fighting so violently for. The feuding between the both families has become second nature. “It was pretty ornery preaching-all about brotherly love, and such-like tiresomeness; but everybody said it was a good sermon, and they all talked it over going home…”(Twain111). Twain adds this line to be ironic.
The violence that’s being portrayed has been carrying for thirty some years. Many family members have been killed from both families. Three children from the Grandgerfords family have been killed due to continual fighting. Emmeline is an exceptional though. She died due to her sickness. “This was all there was of the family now, but there used to be more- three sons; they got killed; and Emmeline that died” (Twain, 108). Emily was a weird character. She loved to write poetry about the dead. She also liked to surround herself photographs of the dead. Her death left a vast impact on her family.
Twain creates an allusion to a British play, “Romeo and Juliet,” while is at the Grangerford’s home. The story of “Romeo and Juliet” tells of two feuding families. Romeo comes for a troublesome family, Montagues. Juliet how ever was raised by her parents who were strict and arrogant parents, Capulets. However when Romeo and Juliet meet they immediately fell in love. They where both aware that their relationship would never be acceptable, to their people and their parents. It created conflict and ended in both Romeo’s and Juliet’s death. Sophia Grangerford acts very much like Juliet and Harney Sheperdson, Romeo. Well, den, Miss Sophia’s run off! ‘deed she has. She run off in de night some time-nobody know jis’ when; run off to get married to dat young Harney Sheperdson, you know- leastways, so dey ‘spec” (Twain, 114). Their family members are angry just as the family in “Romeo and Juliet” families where. Although their actions resulted in more fighting and deaths rather then ending like Romeo’s and Juliet’s.
