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heather_boo's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I’m self conscious giving a classic of American literature 3 stars. I found it interesting that I was actively seeking the satire, whereas when I read Swift I so easily get it. There’s a lot of narrative implausibility, and caricaturing but it isn’t hitting the mark for me. What shines about this book is the exact opposite. It’s the portrait of landscape of the American South. It’s the feeling that you’re floating down the Mississippi on a handmade raft with Huck and Jim. That’s where the story is strongest, but with other characters such as the king and duke and with Tom, it is exhausting. I’m glad I’ve experienced the book, and also glad that I don’t need to do it again.
varic3lla's review against another edition
4.0
Overall I enjoyed the novel and found Huck’s point of view very interesting because we could see the horrors of the antebellum south society through the eyes of a child. Through his journey, Huckleberry learns that the culture that he came from is flawed and the African American slaves that are so poorly treated should be considered equal even though they are different from the whites. The aspect of the novel that I enjoyed the most was Twain’s use of the southern color. The dialect and the anecdotes from the story are amusing and the main message of the novel is carried along with this humor. The thing that I did not enjoy about the novel was the use of such violence. For example the way the King and the Duke were treated after they were exposed as frauds. But the harsh nature of some of the passages in the novel shows the deeper sides that truly touch us. I would recommend the novel to anyone who wants to read the novel that started true American literature, a classic that brings a person back to simpler times but not to simpler problems.
The main conflict is man verses society. Huck is raised in the rough areas of the south and little is expected out of him until he is raised by the Widow. She tries to civilize him and provide him an education, because of this Huck’s father comes back wanted his son’s money and for Huck to not get an education. When Huck is kidnapper by his father he relearns his old “improper” way of life. Through this Huck realizes there is a prime and proper side to the world and the savage trying to survive, he does not want to be a part of either of these spheres so he runs away and decides to live on the river. While on his journey, and later accompanied by Jim a run away slave, Huck is isolated from society and realizes that its definitions of people does not only extend to white people and their ways of life. He realizes that African Americans are also people and not a piece of property or an animal for people to abuse. He realizes that the true value of human life comes from the individual and not the station of the person.
Mark Twain’s writing in Huckleberry Finn shows the movement from a highly formal to a style that includes for local color. “It would get around that Huck Finn helped a n- - - - - to get his freedom; and if I was ever to see anybody from that town again I’d be ready to get down and lick his boots for shame. That’s just the way: a person does a low-down thing, and then he don’t want to take no consequences of it”(Twain 212). This shows the local color of the South through many ways. One is pride, Hick is ashamed that his name maybe associated with freeing a slave. This would make him a person without pride, thus the comment of licking people’s boots for people’s pity and respect. The use of the n-word is considered derogatory to current standards but describes the mentality that whites faced towards black during early American society, the word shows the stance of Jim and Africans in Huck’s mind rather than a swear word. Lastly is the inverted sentences and vernacular, while more educated than Jim, Huck is not highly educated and shows the standing of a common person in the south and how they would express themselves. The use and phrasing of words sets the regional background but allows the read to be enveloped by the culture that existed in a certain period of time.
I believe the theme is that humanity is flawed so we treat each other poorly with out the though of consequence. This is mainly developed through the unique relationship that Huck and Jim develop, yet it is additionally seen else where in the story. It is seen in the feud between the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons. These two families have been fighting for generations, and there has never been a moment of peace. Buck, one of the Grangerfords, describes that the initial animosity between the two families is not longer remembered but the hatred that exists between the two families is the only thing that makes them want to kill one another and nothing else. The families can no longer remember their grudge but they are willing to continue hating one another in order to protect their pride and to see who is superior. There is no longer any point to the feud but anger is the only thing that pushes them forward. Buck said that the only way for the feud to resolve is that one family kills the rest of the other one. With such mindless bloodshed there is little though to future, just revenge.
The main conflict is man verses society. Huck is raised in the rough areas of the south and little is expected out of him until he is raised by the Widow. She tries to civilize him and provide him an education, because of this Huck’s father comes back wanted his son’s money and for Huck to not get an education. When Huck is kidnapper by his father he relearns his old “improper” way of life. Through this Huck realizes there is a prime and proper side to the world and the savage trying to survive, he does not want to be a part of either of these spheres so he runs away and decides to live on the river. While on his journey, and later accompanied by Jim a run away slave, Huck is isolated from society and realizes that its definitions of people does not only extend to white people and their ways of life. He realizes that African Americans are also people and not a piece of property or an animal for people to abuse. He realizes that the true value of human life comes from the individual and not the station of the person.
Mark Twain’s writing in Huckleberry Finn shows the movement from a highly formal to a style that includes for local color. “It would get around that Huck Finn helped a n- - - - - to get his freedom; and if I was ever to see anybody from that town again I’d be ready to get down and lick his boots for shame. That’s just the way: a person does a low-down thing, and then he don’t want to take no consequences of it”(Twain 212). This shows the local color of the South through many ways. One is pride, Hick is ashamed that his name maybe associated with freeing a slave. This would make him a person without pride, thus the comment of licking people’s boots for people’s pity and respect. The use of the n-word is considered derogatory to current standards but describes the mentality that whites faced towards black during early American society, the word shows the stance of Jim and Africans in Huck’s mind rather than a swear word. Lastly is the inverted sentences and vernacular, while more educated than Jim, Huck is not highly educated and shows the standing of a common person in the south and how they would express themselves. The use and phrasing of words sets the regional background but allows the read to be enveloped by the culture that existed in a certain period of time.
I believe the theme is that humanity is flawed so we treat each other poorly with out the though of consequence. This is mainly developed through the unique relationship that Huck and Jim develop, yet it is additionally seen else where in the story. It is seen in the feud between the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons. These two families have been fighting for generations, and there has never been a moment of peace. Buck, one of the Grangerfords, describes that the initial animosity between the two families is not longer remembered but the hatred that exists between the two families is the only thing that makes them want to kill one another and nothing else. The families can no longer remember their grudge but they are willing to continue hating one another in order to protect their pride and to see who is superior. There is no longer any point to the feud but anger is the only thing that pushes them forward. Buck said that the only way for the feud to resolve is that one family kills the rest of the other one. With such mindless bloodshed there is little though to future, just revenge.
cosireads's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
lestradez0's review against another edition
4.0
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a fantastic adventure book. Mark Twain best captures the theme of racism in the book. I love the stories covered, from "running away from the father" to "helping Jim to escape."
In the book, we can see that Finn has a lot of personas; he has different identities every time he leaves his canoe and only when he is back that he becomes who he really is, "Huckleberry Finn". It's the same with society nowadays, we always put on masks whenever we interact with other people because we are too scared of showing others who we really are due to fear of judgement or adverse consequences that follow. This may be caused by past trauma or any previous negative experience, which is sad because humans themselves cause these "trust issues"
Overall, this is a great book to read. It makes reading easier because English is not my first language so when I see grammatical errors (which are intended), I can kinda understand what the person is trying to say.
In the book, we can see that Finn has a lot of personas; he has different identities every time he leaves his canoe and only when he is back that he becomes who he really is, "Huckleberry Finn". It's the same with society nowadays, we always put on masks whenever we interact with other people because we are too scared of showing others who we really are due to fear of judgement or adverse consequences that follow. This may be caused by past trauma or any previous negative experience, which is sad because humans themselves cause these "trust issues"
Overall, this is a great book to read. It makes reading easier because English is not my first language so when I see grammatical errors (which are intended), I can kinda understand what the person is trying to say.
kylenobles's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
jessica22's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0