Overview:
Published in England in the year 1884 and in the United States in the year 1885, “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” is a novel written by famous American author Mark Twain. It is regarded as the first work of American literature to be written in vernacular and to be heavily influenced by local regionalism. Known for the colorful description of locals living alongside the river, Mississippi, the story is written in first person singular and is narrated by the character, “Huckleberry Finn”.
The novel was widely appreciated when it was released and is considered to be a sequel of the other famous Twain novel, “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”. Literary critics have studied this novel extensively as it is also known to be a controversial book because of its widespread use of the racially abusive word “nigger”.
Summary of the Plot:
Huck’s story begins in the fictional town of St. Petersburg on the banks of the river Mississippi in the year 1835. The two characters, Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer have landed themselves significant amount of money because of their joint adventures depicted in the “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”. Huck lives with a woman called Widow Douglas and her sister Miss Watson, both of who attempt to civilize him. Huck respects their attempts and intentions but doesn’t wish to become civilized. Therefore, with some help from his friend, Tom Sawyer, he escapes from the house only to land into the hands of his drunkard father. His father takes him to the backwoods and keeps him under house arrest. Irritated and unhappy, Huck escapes from the confines of his father’s house and heads down the banks of the Mississippi. Rest of the novel describes the various adventures Huck encounters and how he heads west to the “Indian Territory” at the end of his adventures.
Controversies and Challenges:
As mentioned before, the novel has implemented the use of the racially abusive word, “nigger”, in numerous instances. Various experts all over the world have questioned whether the novel is racist or anti-racist. In the 1990’s, this novel was one of the most challenged book in the United States.
