preview

Commentary on Mark Twain´s Huckleberry Finn

Decent Essays

Literary legend, Ernest Hemingway once said, “All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain; Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Mark Twain’s historical fiction, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is about a boy, Huckleberry, and a runaway slave, Jim. Huck decides to fake his death and runaway. Eventually, Jim and Huck run into each other and together they travel down the Mississippi River. They encounter many obstacles in their way, but overcome anything that comes their way. Although this book has been rejected by many schools, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is essential to the high school curriculum. Not only does it teach about the problems of slavery and racism but it also shows the impact society has on people. In addition, it stresses the importance of individuality in the novel.
Slavery and racism are problems that have been faced before. Although these problems are not as serious now, they are still evident. In the novel, Huck and Jim are travelling down the Mississippi River, trying to reach the free states. As they are floating, they encounter some slave-hunters in the distance. The men begin to question Huck about his raft. They say, “Well, there’s five niggers run off to-night, up yonder above the head of the bend. Is your man white or black?” (111). When they ask Huck about Jim’s race, Huck says, “He’s white” (111). This simple dialogue shows that racism is a main theme in this novel and helps people see the problems that were faced in the

Get Access