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I would like to ask about the meaning a sentence from the following conversation between Tom and Huck from Chapter 27:

"No, not rot him. FIND him! Track the money!"

"Tom, we'll never find him. A feller don't have only one chance for such a pile—and that one's lost. I'd feel mighty shaky if I was to see him, anyway."

Who does a 'feller' refer to? Does Huck mean that a 'feller' only has one chance or has more than one chance for such a pile? Also what is lost here, the feller or the pile?

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    A 'feller' is just a local dialect way of pronouncing 'fellow', a person usually male. So replace with 'person' and reread to see if it makes more sense.
    – Mitch
    Commented Aug 22, 2018 at 13:22
  • They're both lost. The dude took the money and he's gone.
    – Lumberjack
    Commented Aug 22, 2018 at 15:04

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In that sentence, "feller" means "fellow," but it is being used as a pronoun for an unknown person, much like when we use "one" or "you," for example:

  • I've done my best to prepare, but one never knows what the future holds.

  • I've done my best to prepare, but you never know what the future holds.

  • I've done my best to prepare, but a fellow never knows what the future holds.

With that in mind, "a feller don't have only one chance" means "all anyone gets is one opportunity," and "and that one's lost" means that that aforementioned opportunity has come and gone, that it is in the past and no longer exists.

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  • Thank you for the answer. But why does Huck said that a fellow "doesn't" have only one chance. Why does the use of "doesn't" not alter or reverse the meaning of the remark.
    – Kartikeya
    Commented Aug 22, 2018 at 16:07
  • @Kartikeya You have read up to Chapter 27 and you haven't noticed that Huck doesn't speak standard English?? This includes his use of negatives.
    – Arm the good guys in America
    Commented Aug 22, 2018 at 23:55
  • @Kartikeya - The language used in the novel's dialogue is colloquial and reflects the characters' lack of formal education. What he clearly means is "doesn't have but one chance" only he failed to say it that way.
    – Billy
    Commented Aug 22, 2018 at 23:56
  • @Knotell Huck's lack of formal is pretty evident and obvious in the novel, but till that point in the story I thought Huck only used "ain't"as a negative in his remarks. Now that I am reading "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", Huck's informal use of single and double negative in his narration make more sense to me. Thank you everyone for the explanations.
    – Kartikeya
    Commented Aug 23, 2018 at 10:10
  • @Kartikeya would it make more sense if it were phrased as "a person has naught but one chance to gain such a prize"? The meaning is the same.
    – fectin
    Commented Feb 16, 2023 at 14:04

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