The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Mississippi River

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain (1884)

The sequel to the Adventures of Tom Sawyer, follow his friend, Huck Finn, whom had last found a pile of money, but was struggling to adjust to “sivilized” life.  Now Huck’s drunkard father has returned to make a play for the money, and soon Huck sneaks away and escape.  As his traveling companion is Jim, a slave who is running away because he didn’t want be sold off.  The two of them escape and travel down the river on a raft, intending to slip away, find a port, and catch a boat north.  While the plot follows their adventures, the book is really about the people they meet on their journey, and Mr. Twain has written a harsh view of the south.  The strangeness begins on the river – when a house floats by, and then the adventure really begins when they encounter some thieves on a wrecked steamship.  They encounter two feuding families – the  Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons – and are joined by two swindlers who claim to be royalty.  Tom Saywer makes a re-appearance, and there are some mistaken identities before all is sorted out.

Perhaps this book was better read in its time, it presents an alternative (satirically critical) viewpoint of the south in the late 1800s, but for an enjoyable read, I personally preferred the Adventures of Tom Sawyer.