Huck Finn Experience

1. Have you read the novel –Huck Finn- before?  If so where and why?

In the fifth grade, I was actively engaged in a program called Accelerated Reading. The program essentially encouraged kids to compete with each other by gaining points earned by taking quizzes about books. Being 300 pages long, Huck Finn was worth a large number of points, so I decided to give it a shot.  Long story short, I gave up within the first few chapters because I was incapable of understanding Jim's dialect.

2. If you have not read Huck Finn before, surely you know something about the novel and character from references and allusions in popular culture.  What do you know about either the novel and/or character?

I have not found many Huck Finn references in pop culture. The only thing I had gathered before reading the book was that it involved a boy and a slave floating down the Mississippi.

3. What was your response to reading Huck Finn, and what do you remember from your reading?  Also, did you actually read the whole novel, or just parts of it?  Did you read Cliff Notes or Monarch Notes instead?

Like I said earlier, I couldn't understand Jim's dialect and gave up on the book pretty early on in the plot.

Questions 4-5

N/A

6. Huck Finn is still one of the most controversial and most banned books in America.  Why is it so controversial? 

The book is controversial simply because it deals with once controversial issues, racism and slavery. However, it is odd to me that a society that strongly opposes racism would equally oppose an obviously anti-racist book.  I think that people make conclusions too early about the book because of its use of the “N word”.

7. Is Huck Finn still relevant to you as college student today?  Should it continue to be taught in college classrooms?

Huck Finn still has a small dosage of relevancy in today's society.  The book seems to accurately portray the state of racism in the 19th century.  For that, I believe that it has historic value. Also, Huck's struggle with morality is a timeless issue that will always be relevant.

8.  The general consensus among critics is that Huck Finn is a brilliant and powerful novel, but also a flawed and problematic novel.  What do you think might be flawed and/or problematic about the novel

The central theme of Huck Finn is Huck's coming of age experience.  This seems to be the focus of the first two thirds of the book. I believe, however, that Tom Sawyer's role in the plot distracts from this theme and takes away from the book.  What was the purpose of dragging on Tom's elaborate plot to free Jim? How did it relate to Huck's coming of age? I can't find an answer.