Reviews

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

trin's review

5.0

This is a book that my dad read to me when I was little, that I slogged through in high school, and that I rediscovered my passion for in college. Twain is so clever—take the section about the Shepherdsons and the Grangerfords, a saga that's part Romeo and Juliet, part Cain and Abel, and part screwball comedy (with a shocking tragic end)—but there's also real depth and meaning behind Huck's journey—the physical, and the emotional one. This is really the story of a boy finding his moral center in a time of corrupted ethics. I think about the scene where Huck decides he's willing to go to Hell if that's the price for rescuing Jim, his friend, and I know why this is a classic.

swaye's review against another edition

4.0

kalschaef's review against another edition

adventurous funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

jrdndllla's review against another edition

adventurous funny reflective slow-paced

3.0

wolfgold's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

emaciated_dragon's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

jackdziatkowiec's review against another edition

adventurous challenging reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

The irony is strong with this one. 

The first thing that shocked me was the archaic and offensive language. It's in total opposition to the message of the story. Two people from different background who find themselves in the same circumstance and must rely on each other to survive, and realize they have more in common than not.

Huck and Jim travel down the Mississippi. They meet two other travellers and form a theater troupe. They put on shitty shows in towns they come across and try to swindle the villagers out of their money. Huck does his best to thwart their plans.

By and by, Jim is captured and sold into slavery, but just in time, Tom Sawyer shows up to save the day ...and ruins everything.

Instead of helping Jim escape, Tom keeps him chained up, because he thinks it's fun to be a prisoner. Jim should try to enjoy it.

This third act of the book ruins every anti-slavery message it was working towards.

Tom Sawyer's IQ dropped significantly in this book. Maybe because it's written from the perspective of Huck Finn. Similarly, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is from Tom's perspective, and Huck was the dumb one. Funny how perspective shifts your view of the world and the people in it. Both of them think the other is an idiot.

lorenaalexia's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious slow-paced

3.25

wellfleetbooks's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

sidharthvardhan's review against another edition

4.0

"Hain't we got all the fools in town on our side? And hain't that a big enough majority in any town?”

I knew Twain could be funny, I didn’t knew he could be this good in questioning prejudice.

Strange that it should be one of most challenged books on racist grounds. It is actually quite anti-racist.

The criticism comes because of language. There is frequent use of big 'N' word and Jim is often referred to as if he is a sort of property.. but both were commonly use words in Finn's time, the monster won't go away if I shut my eyes. And Finn lacks sophistication or education to check the language he picks up.

What makes it more special to me is that he makes a white and a black kid best friends in Jim and Finn. Finn’s difficult childhood makes it easier for him to relate to Jim. He is not above apologizing to Jim, or breaking law in order to rescue him. Given Finn’s upbringing away from secure white environment, his dialect came to be a mix of dialects spoken by Black and White people. Twain manages to do all this without making a big noise about how big a thing he is doing.

And this was years before Conrad was doubting black people's ‘humanity’ (Heart of Darkness).

Even Twain’s stated theme has to do nothing with racism. It is supposed to be development of one’s moral values. Finn’s moral sense was developed away from school and religion. “A sound heart” Twain once said about the book, “is a surer guide than an ill trained conscience.” While Finn is not able to do away with socially imposed values, he rather chooses to go along with his heart.

“All right, then, I’ll go to the hell.”

Twain repeatedly questions the established social beliefs. First, he makes you feel sorry for a white kid and emotionally support his escape from an abusive parent, then he throws at you a similar escape of a black kid from slavery which is supposed to be illegal. Despite Finn’s love for his friend, Tom, Finn think that later would consider helping Jim's escape as wrong – given his educational and religious upbringing.

“I know what you’ll say. You’ll say it’s dirty, low down business; but what if it is? I’m low down; and I’m a-going to steal him, and I want you keep mum and not let on. Will you?”

His eyes lit up and he says: “I’ll HELP you steal him!”