The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, for me, has always been a children’s book. It seems like a children’s book since the only previous time I read this book was in elementary school. Of course I read an abridged version, which called Jim a slave -rather than the elusive “N-word”- and omitting parts seemingly unfit for children. In this way, I never understood the true meaning of the novel until I read the unabridged version, and the real Adventures of Huckleberry Finn read like a whole different novel.

Twain creates realistic characters susceptible to society’s norms and traditions. Huck goes back and forth whether or not to turn Jim in, his final decision to free Jim, he believed would cause him to go to hell. Learning and connecting with Jim, I became sympathetic with his plight to become free. He was always loving and thankful of those who helped him, regardless of the situation he was in. Tom, however, served as the child-like and imaginative; not fully understanding the situation and danger Jim was in lest he get caught.

What I liked most about the novel is that while the situation Jim and Huck was in was almost dire, it was riddled lighthearted- almost childlike- adventure. Using satire and comedy, Twain depicts southern society from the heavy alcohol use, to family feuds, all along the mighty Mississippi River. While the novel reads as a humorous comedy at times, Twain has the ability to make his theme clear; racism and slavery was an immoral aspect of American society.