Twain's novel about the adventures of Huckleberry Finn has something for everyone. It's entertaining, suspenseful, and at times, even heart-breaking. He wrote the novel to provide a satirical glimpse of southern life and culture in the mid 1800's. He addressed many of society's major issues including: slavery, child abuse, and hypocrisy in religion.
Twain wrote with a heavy local color that shines through in several dialects. The hardest to wade through for me personally is Jim's. Jim's character is the epitome of the slave stereotype. I know the novel was meant to be satirical but at times, I was almost offended. Jim was shown to have great integrity, however, and that softened my response to his portrayal. When Jim recalls the scene where he discovered his daughter's deafness I had tears running down my cheeks. Though clearly not an intellectual, Twain did load Jim's character with plenty of common sense.
The King and the Duke were lively companions for Huck and Jim. They were very clever confidence men - but not quite clever enough in the end. Their scam to steal the girls' inheritance made me very angry, and I'm glad they got what was coming to them. I did love their version of Hamlet's soliloquy.
Sherburn's speech on cowards is often overlooked when this novel is discussed, but I believe it to be wise and accurate. I think he summed up much of society when he pointed out the power of a mob, and the lack of that power, or courage, in individuals.
Tom and Huck are incredibly sharp, and Huck is endearing at almost all times. I love the last few lines of the story when Huck is dreading becoming "sivilised" again. I think Huck and Tom could have given the underground railroad a run for their money.
It's a great book that every American should read. It would be interesting to see the stories broken down and written in modern English. I'm sure kids would have an easier time wading through it and it could be treasured by a younger audience.
