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English III |
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Huckleberry Finn
by Mark Twain
-- Ernest Hemingway
Perhaps the most banned book in America, "The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn" stands as a remarkable hallmark of Local Color
literature and indeed the American literary novel. On the surface,
it is the story of a boy named Huckleberry Finn who fakes his own
death to escape his drunken father. With his new found freedom, he
and the escaped slave, Jim, sail on a raft northward up the
Mississippi to set Jim free.
Beneath the surface, lay many levels of sophisticated humor,
irony, and symbolism. This novel is as much a social commentary as
it is an entertaining story. While frequently criticized for its use
of the word "nigger", "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is
essentially an abolitionist novel that champions a boy who revolts
against social norms and even risks his own life to get Jim to
freedom.
As is the case with many Local Color stories, it is the
characters themselves that give the story its depth, complexity, and
humor. From the upper crust to the crumbs of society, Twain spares
nobody in his sometimes vicious attack on social classes. One of the
primary reasons this book was so ground breaking was its original use
of diction and dialect. For this reason, the words you read from the
character's mouths are not corrected by the author, but instead
presented as they are heard. This simply literary device brings each
of the characters to a vivid, believable level.
Huck Finn Chapter Summaries : Use this to record your summaries of each chapter as you read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
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