"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain

Critical Response

Although the “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” can be seen as a fun fictional story, it is quite easy to see that author Mark Twain uses the character of Huck to explore and communicate some of his own ideas and possible struggles with the typical American view of ethnicity during his own time period. Huck’s inner-struggle concerning his assistance in Jim’s freedom as a slave is a definite theme throughout this tale.

Twain starts off his work by explaining his use of the various dialects and how he worked at differentiating between them “pains-takingly” (1244), which certainly makes the audience feel as though they are right with Huck and Jim on their adventure. The words of Huck are made to appear more educated than the slavery dialect, although as an unruly boy in a time of self-discovery at age fourteen (1312, footnote 8), Huck’s style of communication helps the reader to identify with the true personality of this growing boy who is torn between worlds of what society says is right and what Huck knows to be true in his heart.

At one point in the story, Huck has decided it would be right to turn Jim in and has feared that he won’t be able to live with himself if doesn’t do just that (1306). However, when Jim excitedly speaks of being on the edge of freedom – “Jim won’t ever forgit you, Huck; you’s de bes’ fren’ Jim’s ever had; en you’s de only fren’ ole Jim’s got now” (1306), Huck’s mind changes quickly and he knows reporting Jim cannot be the right thing to do after all.

Later, when the raft turns over and Jim and Huck cannot find each other, Huck decides to stay with the Grangerford family. It is here in this house that it seems Huck does a lot of thinking about slavery and the way people treat one another in general, despite their ethnic background (for example, the Shepherdson feud (1319)). Twain seems to poke fun at the way these families treated one another, especially when he tells of the Sunday sermon Huck attended where both families were present (1320). Huck seems to take this time to enjoy the way he can bond with the family and temporarily put aside his troubles with how he should handle his conflict of helping to free Jim. After a serious turn in the feud, however, Huck feels as though all of this is to blame on himself, and has a reunion with Jim by help of one of the Grangerford’s slaves (1321). After seeing Jim again and having some time to think and sort things out (most likely incorporating the poor effects prejudice could have on a man and his life, despite the color of his skin), Huck finally makes it up in his mind about how his life will be. He takes a paper with a note that he could send to Jim’s owner to turn him in and thinks about what to do with it.

“I took it up,” Huck explains, “and held it in my hand. I was trembling because I’d got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it” (1384). Huck tears up the paper, and then he decides that if he is going to save Jim once and for all, he might as well do anything “worse” than that as well, “because as long as I was in, and in for good, I might as well go the whole hog” (1384).

As one reads this adventure story of Huckleberry Finn, it quite clear that there is more to the tale than a simple fictional story about a couple of friends on a raft. Twain uses a boy as the main character who is on the brink of manhood, perhaps as a way of showing how youth were not quite as set in their ways and could see outside the lines of treatment of people different than themselves, and be courageous enough as Huck to ask, “why are things this way and what if they could be different?”

I originally read this story January 30, 2006, but was beginning to feel IC symptoms and unable to respond at the time. This is my first response to the story after re-reading it to refresh my memory.