Classic Novel for English Literature Student
The Hope of Freedom: The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn
The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn is a sequel to
The Adventure of Tom Sawyer, written by American author Mark Twain and
published in February 1885 in the US. The book is set in the 19th century,
precisely when slavery was still going on in South America. Along the way, Huck
Finn will present descriptions of the people and areas along the Mississippi
River from a first-person perspective.
The book is well-known among writers and critics
for its use of abusive language and racial epithets reserved for blacks. Even
so, this book is famous for contributing to changing the direction of
children's literature in the United States.
In brief, this novel tells the story of Huck Finn was
adopted by the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson. His life became more civilized,
and he even went to Sunday School. When he got used to it, his father showed up
and pulled him back to homeless life. He again felt the blows and lashes from
his father. Finally, Huck tricks everyone with a fake death plan. He escaped in
a canoe and went to Jackson Island. Unexpectedly, Huck actually meets Miss
Watson's slave, Jim. Jim also ran away because he was about to be sold to the
South. They finally go on a journey to achieve the freedom they dream of.
Huck and Jim went through many trials. They were once almost discovered, separated by storms and fog, nearly killed in a feud between two families, until the arrival of two men who claimed to be King and Duke. The two con artists get Jim sold, so Huck must find a thousand ways to save him from slavery. Fortunately, he was not alone this time because there was Tom Sawyer to help him. At the end of the story, Jim reveals to Huck that his father is dead. Jim saw his corpse when they found the floating house. After all the problems were over, Huck ran away from the Phelps family home because he wanted a free life without anyone being managed.
After read
Indeed, this book is a novel of its time. Mark
Twain successfully raises the topic of racism and identity crisis through the
point of view of a white boy, Huck. This novel has also received a lot of
criticism because of the use of the word 'nigger' which is too sensitive and
racist. However, for foreign readers who may not understand the long history
between whites and blacks, the term is quite realistic to describe slaves in
the book.
Regarding the storyline, maybe at the beginning,
you will think Huck's life tends to be ordinary, ridiculous, and sad. However,
the more you read, the more Huck and Jim's adventures make you unable to stop
turning to the next page. There are many moments where Huck is wholly cornered,
and we, as readers, are also curious about what he will do. With all the
difficulties and problems experienced by Huck Finn, the reader can conclude
that he is a clever and cunning boy. Unfortunately, all of this is somewhat
tainted by the appearance of Tom Sawyer and his crazy plans that actually make
him look stupid. Huck knew it was a waste of time and effort, but he followed
Tom's words. This is contrary to his behavior when he faces all his problems
alone.
Mark Twain used several dialects in his sequel to
distinguish the characters. There are four dialects spoken in this novel which
are Missouri Negro, backwoods Southwestern, the ordinary Pike Country, and
modified Pike Country. Among these dialects, Missouri Negro became the most
challenging dialect to read and understand. This dialect has the strongest
accent, with the words being truncated and letters dropped. The people who
spoke this dialect were Jim and other slaves. Here's one example of the
Missouri Negro dialect spoken by Jim.
“How you
gwyne to git ‘m? You can’t slip up on um en grab um; en how’s a body gwyne to
hit um wid a rock? How could a body do it in de night? En I warn’t gwyne to
show mysef on de bank in de daytime.”
For a foreigner who makes English a native
language, reading books with many dialects like that is quite challenging. An
English dictionary should help you understand the text. Unfortunately, not all
words or phrases are already available in the dictionary. Some readers may drop
this book after messing around with various dialects.
Besides racism and identity crisis, one moral in
this classic novel still relates today. If you pay attention to Huck's thoughts
at the beginning and end of this novel, you can conclude that not everyone is
happy to have a pretty good life. Many feel imprisoned and constrained, so they
choose to live freely.
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