The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn-The last Chapters

I would like to write my post not focusing on the literal ending of the book, but rather identify some of the lasting impression left after reading this book. First, let's look at reasons why this book may be considered controversal.


"Many people see Adventures of Huckleberry Finn not as an attack on racism, but as inherently racist itself. African Americans and others, led by the NAACP, begin to challenge the book in the 1950s, appalled by the novel's portrayal of the slave Jim and its repeated use of the word "nigger.""


I grabbed this quote off of PBS, a pretty recognizable organization. Understandably, this books use of language has impact on the reader. Simply speaking, we know that it would not be ethical to call people the "n" word. As far as the portrayal of racism in the treatment of the slave Jim, I believe we need to all remember that this books "voice" is that of a fourteen year old. How did you see the world at that age? I would argue that Huck does in fact wrestle with complicated feelings about the right and wrongness of what to do about Jim. To suggest that Huck should have a complete metaporphasis of character would go against the history of the book.


Others, including me, I think are more likely to see this book in a different light. Living in South Dakota, where I can pretty resonably say I have not been exposed to much racisim, I do not recognize racism in Twain's novel. I recognize a the transition between boy and man, as well as the begining of self-accualization. As a reader, we may hope that this book concludes in a specific way, but ultimately we are mearly along for the reader. We may be ready to add up all the injustice we notice throughout the book and make a decision to change, but Huck may not.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Chapters 15-22

This section has some downright confusing things happening throughout. First, we follow Huck and Jim further down the river. A great fog causes them to separate and spend hours whooping trying to track one another's movements. Huck is confronted with the fact that Jim genuinely cares about his whereabouts after he tries to trick Jim into thinking that their separation was just a dream. Then they are separated once again, when a boat rams them causing Huck to wind up on shore with the Grangerfords, a family with a vendetta against the Shepherdson family for reasons unknown. After a shootout, Huck leaves the Granderfords and reconnects with Jim. Not long after, Jim and Huck meet two deceitful characters, the Duke and the Dauphin. But the part that most confused me was the murder of the town drunk and Sherburn's speech that follows.

Sherburn's speech is one of the most profound statements on human nature in the entire book. He attacks the cowardice of the crowd and behavior of his fellow citizens. Like Huck, we are moved by his speech but confused. After all, he just killed a man in cold-blood!

Even though this section is confusing, it leads me to believe a very important fact about human kind. We are all incredibly imperfect. A murderer can cannot society's flaws just as easy as a paster can preach about brotherly love. 

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Chapters 6-14

My absolute favorite chapter in this book is by far the chapter in which Huck dresses up like a girl. I like to imagine that if had seen him I also would have been able to see through his clever costume.  

One thing I have observed throughout this entire book is that Huck is an incredibly last liar. When confronted with sticky situations, he is always capable of creating a semi-plausible scenario that either absolves him instantly from trouble or covers a mistake from his initial lie. I do not have this ability. Once, when I was caught decorating a basement for a friends surprise party, my only explanation for my presence in that basement was "it was raining." Huck seems to have developed this initial talent through interactions with his father. I recall his quick explanation to why his clothes were wet after finding the canoe. What does this say about him as a character? It leads me to assume  he does not often feel comfortable with the truth. It will be interesting to see if he continues to smudge the truth throughout the rest of the book, or if he confronts reality.