The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (Novel Review)

Summary

The story begins in St. Petersburg, Misouri, on the shore of the Mississippi river. There are two young man, Thomas Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Huckleberry Finn was living with the Widow Douglas and her sister Miss Witson. During his life with them, he always feel downcast. Huck raised his spirit when Tom helps him to escape Jim (Miss Witson slave) to meet up with his gang. Huck’s life is changed when Pap (his father) reappearance. Huck is arrested and moved to backwoods cabin when he blocked Pap to get his fortune. One day, when Huck was in his detention, he is fake his own murder and sets off down the Mississippi river.

In his travel down the Mississippi river, he is accompanied by Jim who runaway from Miss Watson. Jim was trying to make his way to Cairo, Illinois, and Ohio, so he can buy his family’s freedom. In the their trip, Jim was sharing his life story to Huck that make Huck has change his opinion about people, slavery, and life. Then, they were took a rest in a cavern on a hill on Jackson’s island to wait out a storm. One night, they found a raft, and they used it to travel down the Mississippi river. In their voyage, they found a floating house. Entering one room, Jim is got a man lying dead on the floor, shot in the back. Jim refuses to let Huck see the man’s face.

To know the latest news, Huck dressed as a girl and goes into town. He entered a woman’s house and asked her to give opinions about the murder. She said that people believe that Pap has killed his son. On the other hand, who can found Jim. He or she will be given $300 as a reward. Then Huck return to Jim and told him about the news.

After that, Huck is given shelter by Grangerfords family who engaged blood feud in 30 years with Shepherdsons family. The conflict was got the climax when Sophia Grangerfords elopes with Harney Shepherdsons. After Huck described how he narrowly avoids his own death in a gunfight in the curch, he back to Jim and the raft and together fleeing farther south on the Mississippi river.

In the next further down the river, Jim and Huck get two swindlres who join on the raft. They are a thirty olds man who introduces himself as a son of Bridgewater’s Duke and a seventy olds man who claimed that he is the Lost Dauphin, the son of Louis XVI and rightful King of France. Then, one day they arrive in a town and the two swindlres advertise The Royal Nonesuch (a three-night engagement of a play). On the afternoon, the first performance is about the Boggs’ murder by Colonel Sherburn. One of townspeople who called Buck Harkness cried out that Sherbern should be lynched. In the third night of The Royal Nonesuch, when the townspeople are ready to take their revenge, the Duke and the King skipped the town and continue their down the river together with Jim and Huck.

After that, the King takes advantage to sell Jim for forty dollars, but Huck rejects the advice and told him that he want to help Jim to get freedom. Jim is being held at the plantation of Tom Sawyer’s aunt and uncle. Then he told the household about two swindlres in their raft, so the townspeople are ready to captured two swindlres. After that, Tom develops an elaborate plan to free Jim. During the resulting pursuit of the gang who planning to steal Jim, Tom is shot in the leg. Jim is betraid by the doctor to a passing skiff and Jim is captured while sleeping and returned to the Phelps family.

After Jim’s recapture. Tom announces that Jim is a free man. Miss Watson died two months earlier. Jim tell Huck that Huck’s father has been dead (he was the dead man that they found in the floating house) and Huck return to St. Petersburg and declare that he is a quite glad to be done writing his story, and despite Sally’s plan to adopt and sivilize him, Huck intends to flee west to Indian Territory.

Characters and Their Characteristics

1. Huckleberry Finn, the protagonist and narrator of the novel. Huck is thoughtful, intelligent, and willing to come to his own conclusions about important matters.
2. Thomas Tom Sawyer, Huck’s friend who together with Huck in the earlier adventures (The Adventures of Tom Sawyer). Tom is imaginative, dominating, and given to wild plans taken from the plots of adventure novels.
3. The Widow Douglas, Huck has been placed under the guardianship of her. She is somewhat gentler in her beliefs and has more patience with the mischievous Huck.
4. Miss Watson, the Widow Douglas’ sister who live together with her and Huck. She is the most prominent representative of the hypocritical religious and ethical values.
5. Pap, the Huck’s father, a shiftless man, an abusive parent and drunkard.
6. Jim, Miss Watson’s slave. He is superstitious and occasinally sentimental, but he is also intelligent, and practical.
7. A woman, she is a woman in the town whom Huck asked her opinion about the murder.
8. Buck Grangerfords, agood person. He becomes friends with Huck.
9. Sophia Grangerfords and Harney Shepherdsons, two person from the different family who have a conflict. They are elopes to get their wilingness.
10. The Duke, a thirty olds man, the swindler man who introduces himself as the Bridgewater’s Duke.
11. The King, a seventy olds man, the swindler man who claims as Lost Dauphin, the son of Louis XVI.
12. Boggs, a drunk. A person who had killed by Colonel Sherburn in the first performance of The Royal Nonesuch.
13. Colonel Sherburn, a person who killed Boggs in the first performance of The Royal Nonesuch.
14. Buck Harkness, a person who suggested the townspeople to give Colonel Sherburn a true judgement.
15. Silas and Sally Phelps, Tom Sawyer’s aunt and uncle whom Huck coincidentally encounters in his search for Jim after the con men have sold him.
16. Aunt Polly, Tom Sawyer’s aunt. She appears at the end of the novel and properly identifies Huck.

Settings (Places and Times)

1. Places
1. St. Petersburg, Misouri, the shore of the Mississippi river.
2. The Mississippi river.
3. The Jackson’s island.
4. A cavern on a hill on Jackson’s island.
5. A raft.
6. Some towns.
7. The woman’s house.
8. A curch.
9. A tunnels.
10. A skiff.

2. Times

The time setting of this novel was in 1835 and 1845.

Impressing/Interesting Part

The most interesting part for me is when Jim runaway from Miss Watson to get his family’s freedom. It’s show us that although Jim is a slave, he has a hoping to be a free man. And also his efforts to get his freedom is very big.

Theme

The theme of this novel (The adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain) is about freedom. Jim is a slave who want to get freedom for his life and his family.

Moral Values

The moral values of this novel are:

1. In modern times when we are not allowed to act arbitrarily towards others, especially to people who have lower status than us.
2. Do not perform acts of fraud, as this will adversely impact the person who deceived and deceiving people. On the other hand even if covered, this action will eventually be known as well.

Comments

This novel is very good, because the story is about the human’s life. Huck on his way with Jim shows a friendship that is so meaningful. Seen when Huck wanted to help Jim in getting freedom for Jim and his family. Behavior in showing that in this novel is shown a relationship of friendship is so strong between Huck and Jim. And until the end of this novel presents an exciting adventure in search of freedom to Jim and his family.