Huckleberry Finn is a novel by Mark Twain that contains certain themes that are prevalent throughout the novel. Huckleberry Finn is about Huckleberry Finn, an old friend of Tom Sawyer who goes on an adventure with Jim, a runaway slave. Huckleberry Finn deals with several themes throughout the story. The major theme in Huckleberry Finn is the idea of coming of age. Huckleberry Finn is said to be transitioning from childhood to adulthood throughout the novel.
Huckleberry begins adolescence after several incidents during his adventure on the Mississippi River with Jim, including saving Jim’s life and realizing that he has both done wrong and right by helping runaway slaves (Slaves). Huckleberry also becomes aware of racism in society through his interactions with Jim; Huckleberry believes that blacks are not inferior to whites like most people do at this time (American History – Slavery In US).
After Huck witnesses these events, he realizes that society does not need to follow its rules (Slaves) . Another major theme in Huckleberry Finn is reality vs. appearance. The book heavily deals with the difference between reality and appearance, Huckleberry Finn deals with this because Huckleberry goes on an adventure to escape his current life in society. Huckleberry has many encounters that force him to distinguish between how things appear to be and how they actually are (Slaves) .
Huckleberry Finn is a novel about Huckleberry Finn, a young boy growing up along the Mississippi River. Huckleberry was raised by a drunkard father who he did not care much for. Huckleberry made friends with Tom Sawyer, who introduced Huck to literature such as The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe and The Pilgrim’s Progress (Huck – Influence). Father dies, Hucky runs away from his drunkard relatives where he runs into the escaped slave Jim and they begin to travel down the Mississippi River.
Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is an 1884 novel. Huckleberry Finn, the protagonist of the novel, begins by running away from his abusive father. Huckleberry makes his way to Jackson’s Island on the Mississippi River. Huckleberry befriends Jim, a runaway slave who was enslaved due to being accused of burning down his owner’s barn for insurance money. During their journey Huckle- berry and Jim develop a close bond; meanwhile Huck becomes more mature and educated throughout the book.
I believe that Huckleberry Finn is a novel about growing up and learning what it means to be free despite obstacles such as slavery and social norms like racism and gender roles/expectations. One theme I found most prominent in Huckleberry Finn is growing up and how Huckleberry progresses through the novel. Huckleberry starts the novel as a boy who values freedom over anything else, yet he doesn’t have many responsibilities.
Huckleberry’s sense of responsibility increases throughout the novel as he learns more about Jim and caring for someone else. Huckleberry falls into dangerous situations because of his desire to help others or prove that he is a good person. Huckleberry also discovers what it means to be free but still does not escape from society’s expectations towards him by realizing that slavery is wrong and proves this when he saves Jim from being sold down the river despite social norms telling him it isn’t right or smart to do so.
I would recommend Huckleberry Finn to anyone who is interested in learning more about American culture or any reader that wants a novel that shows characters growing up. Huckleberry Finn is the prequel to Tom Sawyer, which I have not read, but Huckleberry Finn can be read as a stand-alone novel. Huckleberry Finn is an easy read with many comical moments throughout the novel when Hucks talks about Mississippi River life and his life on the island with Jim.
The book does include racism so it may not appeal to all readers, especially white readers. Huckleberry Finn taught me what it means to be free because Huckleberry was able to escape from virtually anything in the novel at points even when he found Jim after being sold down the river he found himself running into many more problems through his journey with Jim. Huckleberry’s character teaches readers that everyone is free to choose what they want in life even if it isn’t easy or accepted by society.
Huckleberry Finn taught me most about what it means to grow up because Huckleberry goes from a boy doing whatever he wants without caring for others to a boy who can help people despite rules and social barriers he must overcome. Huckleberry also learns what it means to be free even though Huckleberry still has some things holding him back, but Hucks realizes his limitations are self-imposed due to society creating barriers on its own members which I think shows how important individuals are creating their own freedom within societies.
Huckleberry Finn is a novel that shows the importance of individuals and what it means to grow up. Huckleberry Finn has taught me about American culture by showing how people lived on the Mississippi River after the Civil War. Mark Twain included some comical views of Mississippi River life, along with racism (which I know was prominent in Huckleberry Finn’s time period). Hucks shows his perspective of society through its mores which include slavery and how Jim is treated like property even though he had every right to be free.
Huckleberry Finn also shows how difficult it was during this era for African Americans just because of their race – they were treated poorly, enslaved despite being free men yet, somehow expected to have manners and act like gentlemen. Huckleberry Finn shows readers what it was like during Hucks time period in America and Huckleberry’s adventure helps readers understand the difficulties Hucks had to overcome even though he faced many hardships.
Huckleberry Finn is a novel that gives readers understanding of American history by showing what people did after the Civil War ended, even among racism due to slavery ending. Hucks views how people live their lives on the Mississippi River which is also important for understanding culture because it is the hotspot for American culture due to being located between Missouri/Arkansas which are located in the Mid-West making Huck an Mid-Westerner despite living with Widow Douglas in St.
Petersburg, which makes Hucks interesting because most novels are based on the East Coast. Huckleberry Finn helps readers understand what people did after the Civil War with Hucks views of how slavery ended without realizing, Hucks shows his true personality through racism towards African Americans which makes it difficult to know what Hucks really thought about society.
Huckleberry Finn also is a novel that helps readers understand American history by showing specific difficulties African Americans faced during Hucks time period. Huckleberry Finn is an easy novel to read because Mark Twain uses short sentences and simple vocabulary throughout most of the novel making it easier for young adults/teenagers to read compared to other novels written in this era or before Hucks’ time period.
Huckleberry’s character makes reading fun since he acts like a child at many points in Hucks adventure suggesting Hucks may be young, despite being older. Hucks also shows his true character through attitude and how Hucks struggles with understanding what is right or wrong in Hucks’ eyes which make it easy for readers to understand Hucks’ character since he doesn’t understand right from wrong.
Huckleberry Finn’s simple story-line makes it easier to read by using short sentences and simple words making the novel understandable for teens/young adults who still haven’t learned complex language skills yet. In conclusion, Huckleberry Finn is an important novel that helps readers better understand American culture because it shows what people did after the Civil War ended even among racism due to slavery ending.