You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
5.22k reviews for:
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Case Study in Critical Controversy
Mark Twain, James D. Phelan, Gerald Graff
3.51 AVERAGE
5.22k reviews for:
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Case Study in Critical Controversy
Mark Twain, James D. Phelan, Gerald Graff
3.51 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Physical abuse, Alcohol
Minor: Gun violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I read this for school and didn't really enjoy it, but I wanted to read it again before reading James. Listening to the audiobook is WAY more enjoyable.
I read this in preparation for reading James, which I'm looking forward to. This is a masterful novel that serves as commentary on mans inhumanity to man, on the emptiness of religion and the blindness of social order all in the form of a boy's grand adventure. I realize that it would take an excellent teacher to help black (and white) students properly hear the abundant use of the word "nigger" throughout. But it seems quite clear that Twain is using that word both as it might have been heard in that time and place and to make a point. White people use the word liberally in the novel to preserve their own status and the social order and to deny the humanity of their black slaves and neighbors. Jim is the noble character here, quiet, intelligent and unassuming amidst the chaos and destruction of all of the other characters. An impressive novel.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Meh.
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
medium-paced
Hijinks with a side of satire.
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Mark Twain's Masterpiece, and probably rightfully so, is a great tale of friendship between Huckleberry Finn, a young boy from rural Missouri, and Jim, an escaped slave.
They're thrown together by accident as Huck tries to run from his abusive father, and Jim escapes after his owner threatens to sell him away from his family.
Their escape takes them to a raft on the Mississippi River. Their goal is to take the river down to Cairo, and then up the Ohio River to freedom. A series of adventures and encounters prevent them from doing that. The middle third of the novel deals with their travels with two fraudsters who pretend to be a Duke and the King of France. The final third of the novel reunites us with Tom Sawyer, the protagonist of Twain's other best known work.
The story is written in dialect, and is probably most easily understood when read aloud. Despite language that is now considered strongly racist, the moral center of this novel is Jim, Huck's friend and protector.
The story is rather episodic, but it's the great American Bildungsroman, as we see Huck learn lessons about loyalty, friendship, mercy, love, family, and justice. Despite believing he's a wretched moral failure, Huck demonstrates that he is brave, kind, loyal, and he inspires that in others.
The return of Tom Sawyer, and his take over of the last quarter of the book, goes on way too long. It feels like fan service and causes me to only give this excellent book four stars.
They're thrown together by accident as Huck tries to run from his abusive father, and Jim escapes after his owner threatens to sell him away from his family.
Their escape takes them to a raft on the Mississippi River. Their goal is to take the river down to Cairo, and then up the Ohio River to freedom. A series of adventures and encounters prevent them from doing that. The middle third of the novel deals with their travels with two fraudsters who pretend to be a Duke and the King of France. The final third of the novel reunites us with Tom Sawyer, the protagonist of Twain's other best known work.
The story is written in dialect, and is probably most easily understood when read aloud. Despite language that is now considered strongly racist, the moral center of this novel is Jim, Huck's friend and protector.
The story is rather episodic, but it's the great American Bildungsroman, as we see Huck learn lessons about loyalty, friendship, mercy, love, family, and justice. Despite believing he's a wretched moral failure, Huck demonstrates that he is brave, kind, loyal, and he inspires that in others.
The return of Tom Sawyer, and his take over of the last quarter of the book, goes on way too long. It feels like fan service and causes me to only give this excellent book four stars.