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pandabearsfly 's review for:
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
by Mark Twain
This book is so weird! I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that. According to the book jacket, Huck's adventure is a "metaphoric voyage through his own soul," and that theme is one constant as Huck travels through a bunch of states and meets an extensive cast of characters.
Jim is there the entire time, but he's a passive character. While Huck is the narrator and the agent of his own story, Jim is a mash-up of black stereotypes. He's trusting, giving, obedient, and a little clueless; he's there to serve the white characters' story. He's even willing to comply with Tom's inane demands, which was where my suspension of disbelief ended. Tom treats Jim's freedom as part of a game, and who would put up with that? (As inconsiderate as Tom is in the later chapters, I couldn't hold back some dark chuckles. He's dead convinced of the need for "morality!")
The book's ending is too convenient: it's hard believing that a contemporary southern family would accept a black man with open arms. And again, the ending focuses on Huck's development, not Jim's rights and dignity. That left a sour taste in my mouth, but it's an important reminder that racial progress needs to be reflected in our stories, not just our policies. Who gets to speak? Who gets to be seen? Those are questions I'll be thinking about.
Side note: This and other stories can be uncomfortable to read, but that's part of the point. Books are there to challenge and to educate. I'm rattled when people try to ban a book because they don't like its language or ideas; that's like putting a band-aid on a gaping wound. Yes, marginalized peoples' stories need to be amplified, but there's room for Mark Twain. His rendition of a boy and slave's story is so telling of his era. That era isn't something we can afford to forget.
Jim is there the entire time, but he's a passive character. While Huck is the narrator and the agent of his own story, Jim is a mash-up of black stereotypes. He's trusting, giving, obedient, and a little clueless; he's there to serve the white characters' story. He's even willing to comply with Tom's inane demands, which was where my suspension of disbelief ended. Tom treats Jim's freedom as part of a game, and who would put up with that? (As inconsiderate as Tom is in the later chapters, I couldn't hold back some dark chuckles. He's dead convinced of the need for "morality!")
The book's ending is too convenient: it's hard believing that a contemporary southern family would accept a black man with open arms. And again, the ending focuses on Huck's development, not Jim's rights and dignity. That left a sour taste in my mouth, but it's an important reminder that racial progress needs to be reflected in our stories, not just our policies. Who gets to speak? Who gets to be seen? Those are questions I'll be thinking about.
Side note: This and other stories can be uncomfortable to read, but that's part of the point. Books are there to challenge and to educate. I'm rattled when people try to ban a book because they don't like its language or ideas; that's like putting a band-aid on a gaping wound. Yes, marginalized peoples' stories need to be amplified, but there's room for Mark Twain. His rendition of a boy and slave's story is so telling of his era. That era isn't something we can afford to forget.