There is a reason that this book is called 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'. Throughout the whole book, Huck gets himself in many sticky situations including running away with Widow Douglas' slave, Jim.
'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn starts out by telling about the events that went on in 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'. Huckleberry then starts telling about his life after he got the robber's gold. Huck was adopted by the Widow Douglas' who lives with her sister, Miss Waston. Huck does not adapt well to the 'proper' way of living. It's hard for him to use maners, attend church and school and have an actual home to live in and take care of. Tom has the brilliant idea to create a band of robbers that includes Huck and Ben Rogers. After their plan for the band of robbers doesn't work out too well, Huck's dad ends up coming back to town. 'Pap' as Huck calls him, ends of harassing Huck then kidnapps him from Widow Douglas and Miss Watson and Locks him in a cabin on the other side of the Mississippi River. Whenever Pap comes back to the cabin he is drunk and beats Huck. Long story short, Huck fears the beatings will get worse so he ends up meeting up with the slave, Jim and they run away together. They meet many fun and odd characters on their journeys but end up making it home in one piece by the end of the novel.
Huckleberry Finn is a very complex character. Although he is fun and wild on the outside, he is very loving and cares deeply about those in his life, on the inside. The life that Huck has in the novel, is the only one he's ever known, so for us, we say, 'Wow! I'd never be able to make it through everything he's gone through.' But that's all he's every known so it's easy for him. However, Huckleberry is one of the easiest characters to relate to or to see yourselft in. I think that's because there's one point in all our lives when we've wanted to have a great adventure. Or maybe we've been pushed into a great adventure because of previoius events, just like Huck.
A Mark Twain novel, for me, is never a non-challenging read. The language he uses(this is based in MO before the Civil War, after all), is very different from our own dialect we use everyday. Once you get past the language used in the book, 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' is an easy, fun read!
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I am going to have to disagree with you. I felt that the book was completely hard to understand. Especially when I would try and read the dialogue. I also felt that the adventures dragged on to long. What was thought to be a fun adventure would end up putting me to sleep.
ReplyDeleteI thought some parts were hard, others were easy. For me, it depended where in the dialouge I was reading, and who was talking.
ReplyDeleteGoing past the level of difficulty found in this book, I am more interested in what you have to say about Huck as a complex character. You have started a very rough discussion analyzing Huck. I would like to hear you talk about him more. For instance, why does he portray one persona publicly and another privately? Why, after so many years, is this book still around? You mention that the reader can place him or herself into the story, how and why? You have touched on something here that I would like to see expanded and well thought out.
ReplyDeleteI agree with brendon and you! The book did put me to sleep sometimes with the confusing talk and the confusing adventures. The book also was a relative easy read once past all that, but still was hard to pass. Great blog though, i can relate to Huck through bravery and sarcasm!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the input, guys! :) I definetly understand your argument, Brendon. And I have to say that the book's dialect was confusing at parts, but for me personally, I could understand it when I got really into it.
ReplyDeleteMs. Jesik: Huck is a character that was never taught how to portray his feelings publicly so I find that that is the reason he portrays himself differently in public and private. Huck is an easy character to relate to because at one point in our lives we all want to be like him. I suppose 'relate to' isn't the correct wording. Maybe, we can all feel why he acts the way he does because we want to experience great adventure in life, even if it isn't as crazy as his adventures!
I thought you descibed the book really well and I agree with most of your ideas. I do have to put up the argument though that all books are not going to be happy go lucky and I would rather read an interesting book alike this one than an upbeat one with no lesson.
ReplyDeleteI definitely must disagree with you about the easy read. I though it was still hard to understand even after I kinda knew what they were saying. But maybe you're better at interpretting than me. I do agree with you about him being very relatable. I think that is a really interesting idea and it opened my eyes a little more to the book. I really like your post.
ReplyDelete-kristen :)