Buckle up for Huckleberry Finn adventures

After the carefully worded and esoteric My Antonia, this book was a definite change of pace. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was a rollicking, rambling good time down the Mississippi River. I enjoyed the shenanigans of the titular character, but I must give fair warning of some outdated notions about slavery!

The plot of Huckleberry Finn

This book is loosely a sequel to Adventures of Tom Sawyer, but you don’t have to read that book to understand this one. Young Huckleberry Finn has been adopted by a good widow in town, who aims to civilise the harum-scarum young lad. Huck isn’t particularly interested in this plan, but goes along with it until his drunk and abusive father arrives on the scene. Forced to go back to his father, things are looking pretty dangerous for Huck, until he makes a bold escape.

Once on the run, he encounters a Black slave, Jim, who is making a break for the north and freedom. The pair join forces and head down the Mississippi River on a raft, encountering all kinds of adventures along the way. As they near the end of their journey, disaster strikes, as Jim is recaptured. Will Huck decided to set free a runaway slave, despite his pro-slavery views? And what will happen to Jim and Huck if they do attempt another daring escape?

What I liked: Clever humour and satirical swipes at slavery

It’s no secret that Mark Twain was an excellent comic writer. Huckleberry Finn certainly showcases this, and I enjoyed it. There are little gems of humour scattered throughout the already amusing escapades that unfold through the novel. As you roll down the river with Huck and Jim, you feel part of the story but can still laugh at the happenings.

Twain also includes several satirical swipes at slavery throughout the book as well. Considering the era in which he lived, I think he’s actually being quite controversial: pointing out that Black people have the same qualities and abilities as white people, and questioning how anyone can be enslaved. Mind you, this isn’t a politically correct book. The anti-slavery message is definitely not the main thrust of the book. But it’s there and cleverly worded, which I enjoyed.

What I struggled with: odd accents and actual racism

Having noted the above, it is still a fact that this book is outdated in it’s view of Black people. The n-word makes a frequent appearance. It was jarring to read at times, but I think the humour which which Twain attacked the subject did make it easier to read. You feel that Twain doesn’t 100% buy into this way of things. But it’s definitely not what would be considered acceptable today, so that might be something for you to consider.

Twain also writes in various southern accents throughout the book. It does add a certain charm and authenticity. But it’s also hard to read. So many odd contractions and spellings! I took a bit of time to get it right in my head and I think it would be difficult to read out loud.

They’re relatively minor things for me. Overall, it was a fun book with plenty of humour and adventure. Older children, especially boys, would enjoy this.

Have you read Huckleberry Finn? What did you think?