Here we go again!  This week, I’m discussing how I read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain in tenth grade.  

My class had to read this book for English towards the end of the year, and I was honestly tired of all of the books we had read up to this point because this was definitely one of the more reading-heavy English courses I’ve ever taken.  The worst part was I felt like I wasn’t learning anything because my teacher NEVER got off of her chair.  Instead, my classmates and I walked into class every day only to find a Google Classroom assignment about the reading waiting for us when we walked into the room.  

Anyway, by this point in the year, I had practically stopped putting as much effort into the class, especially because I was so absorbed with studying for AP exams.  

That being said, when the time came for the two-day test on this book, I was anything but prepared.  Huck Finn is one of the two assigned novels throughout high school that I never finished.  

In fact, I didn’t even finish the Sparknotes in time for the test.  But, hey, at least I tried.

The night before, I tried to catch up on the reading; I genuinely did.  The efforts weren’t fruitless, however.  I still managed to gain understanding of the author’s purpose.  

Twain’s novel takes place in a post-Civil War Southern setting in which Huckleberry Finn, a young white boy who is constantly taught how to behave in order to be “civilized,” fakes his own death to escape his abusive, drunken father.  

On the other hand, Jim, a slave of Miss Watson, Huck’s adoptive mother (who took care of him until his biological father came back to town to declare custody over him), also escapes after he hears that Miss Watson considers selling him to another plantation-owner.  

When they eventually run into each other, Huck and Jim decide to travel together as a pair as they attempt to remain undetected in their escape.

Through the well-written satire, Twain effectively demonstrates the hypocrisy behind slavery and the complex morals operating in the white-dominated South.  

For example, as the whites take pride in being “civilized” and “morally-right,” the town judge still declares that Huck’s abusive father, Pap, has “rights” to Huck due to their biological relation, even though living with Pap is a threat to Huck’s well-being.  Twain illustrates this specific example to mirror the improper ethics of having rights to control slaves as “property.”  Throughout the novel, Huck encounters several white individuals who all turn out to have questionable morals, which generally turn out to have prejudiced roots.

Overall, the book was very interesting to read. (I might even try to finish it some time).  

However, there was so much other homework that, in my opinion, was more important.  

So, unsurprisingly, on the morning of Day 1 of my two-day test, I attempted to cram in the rest of the Sparknotes.  Despite my efforts, I was trying so hard to actually comprehend the storyline that I knew I wasn’t going to finish in time.  Instead, I had one of my friends tell me the remaining of the story.  

I could barely retain what occurred during the third quarter of the book, particularly with the conmen who claimed to be dukes or whatever, but I am beyond thankful I remembered the part about Tom Sawyer’s bizarre plan to help Huck free Jim from his aunt and uncle, Silas and Sally Phelps, who had Jim held hostage.  

To be honest, I don’t even remember why this was such a pivotal moment, but once Jim is freed, Tom gets shot in the leg, and Jim risks his freedom to go and make sure Tom is okay.  (My guess is that this probably holds significance because it highlights Jim’s humanity, contradicting the objectifying image of black slaves).

Why do I care about this part though?  Because part one of my English test consisted of four free response questions about the novel, and I used this example to answer every. Single. Question.  

At this point in the year, I had become fairly skilled at bs-ing my assignments for the class, and that part of the book is exactly what got me an A on the test.  Quite honestly, I didn’t deserve that high of a grade, but it was pleasing to see that I managed to make the most out of my situation.

That night, I finished the rest of the Sparknotes for Day 2 of the test.  Needless to say, that part was a breeze once I comprehensively read a summary of what was going on in the novel.  I chose not to finish the book again because there was still too much work to do in other classes, but everything worked out well in the end, so I had little regrets.

Anyhow, even though I didn’t finish the novel, Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn proved to be a highly impressive novel.  Since my English course related to AP U.S. History, we discussed the historical relevance of the novel.  I always found it interesting that following its publication, many libraries viewed the novel as ignorant for its portrayal of Southern culture, so they banned the book, which brought more attention to the novel and increased its popularity.  Through the controversy that Huck Finn sparked, Twain was able to effectively communicate his message, and he still does so today.  Overall, I rate Huck Finn as a 7/10.