Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

"Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot." ~Mark Twain, intro to Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

A few days ago, I finished this novel, which supposedly is the "first great American novel," in preparation for my upcoming AP English Literature class. If any of you are planning on reading this classic, I have to forewarn you: the beginning is extremely boring. If I didn't have to read it for class, I wouldn't have finished it, but thankfully I did. After a few complications, though, the plot (yes, I found a plot, Mark Twain! Ha!) begins to get interesting.

This story picks up after the end of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and Huck Finn finds himself torn between the Widow Douglas, an older woman who volunteered to civilize the boy, and his drunkard father. Eventually deciding he would prefer to live without either of them, he fakes his death and runs away down the Mississippi River. But things soon turn complicated, when the Widow Douglas's runaway slave, Jim, runs into Huck, and they find themselves rafting down the river together. As Huck struggles with the knowledge that he is helping a slave escape, which he considers a great sin, he decides that he can't turn in his newfound friend--Jim--even if his decision is sinful (Twain really shows the ridiculousness of racism and slavery at this point, by making it seem a great sin to not turn in a friend). Up to this point, the story is pretty boring, but then, the two rafters meet two runaways, the younger one calling himself a duke. The older escapee immediately feels threatened and pronounces that he is the "Lost Dauphin," the rightful king of France. These two really add some humor into this book, as they will go to any lengths to receive cash, and frequently obtain it through deceitful and silly methods. Throughout this journey with Jim, the runaways, and other characters, Huck learns more about himself and finds his path in life.

I definitely recommend this book, but if possible, you should read it in a group. I haven't analyzed it yet in my online class, but I know that there is lots of depth and material for analysis in Huckleberry Finn.