Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

While I enjoyed this novel by Mark Twain, I was left with many mixed feelings about it. Intellectually I knew it was Twain's purpose to write a satirical novel portraying the ridiculous nature of society with all its hypocrisies and absurdities, but on another level I was offended by the role he gave to Jim as a completely imbecilic, stereotypical southern slave. I felt as though Twain could have gone further in order to show Jim as a human being first, and then a slave. But perhaps that was just because the novel was a product of an era where blacks were always seen as inferior. I just expected more from a writer like Twain who so astutely conveyed the ills of society and was able to satirize the ridiculous nature of the men and women of his time. I kept waiting for Jim to be cast in a more favorable light, but was repeatedly let down.

Another thing that gave me mixed feelings was the total absurdity of every single character in the story. On the one hand I agree with Twain's portrayal of conventional society as absurd, but I had hoped to encounter at least one person of character and  dignity at least once and, again, I was let down. Every single character was deeply flawed in my opinion, and there was hardly a redeeming quality among the bunch.

I do think Twain did a great job using the river to tie the story together into a coherent novel. It neatly connected one adventure to the next giving the story a sense of consistency. I also liked how Twain used the river to add to the turmoil in the novel. Huck's inner turmoil while constantly battling what was right and what was wrong was amplified by the churning waters.

Through the character of Huck I was made to question my own sense of morality. His character also made me think about what we, as a society, do on a daily basis without regard for others and without first thinking about the implications of our actions. Also, how many of our actions are made because that's what "everyone" else is doing? Do we do what we do because it is moral and reputable, or are we following blindly?