The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
By Mark Twain
The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
By Mark Twain
Synopsis
"Huckleberry Finn," rebel against school and
church, casual inheritor of gold treasure, rafter of the Mississippi,
and savior of Jim the runaway slave, is the archetypal American
maverick. Fleeing the respectable society that wants to "civilize"
him, Huck Finn shoves off with Jim on a rhapsodic raft journey down
the Mississippi River. As Huck learns about love, responsibility, and
how to make moral choices, the trip becomes a metaphoric voyage
through his own soul, culminating in the glorious moment when he
decides to "go to hell" rather than return Jim to
slavery.
Mark Twain defined "classic" as "a book
which people praise and don't read"; Huckleberry Finn is a happy
exception to this rule. Twain's mastery of dialect, coupled with his
famous wit, makes "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" one
of the most enjoyable and distinctly American classics ever written.
