Huck Finn's Teachings

This class marks my second experience with Mark Twain's adventurous Huck Finn. The first time, however, was an experience filled with frustration and eventual surrender.  I was only in 5th grade at the time, and I found it nearly impossible to understand what was going on because of Jim's dialect.  I only finished the first three or for chapters before deciding that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was not a book relevant to today’s time, and that I would just stick to easy-to-read books like Harry Potter.

This time around was a far better experience, though Jim was still difficult to understand. I made a goal of reading a set portion of the book before bed each night, and stuck to it mighty well.  Reading the book was great for me because it briefly took me out of my world of computers and math homework and air conditioned buildings, and into a world of exploration and nature.  Almost every night I would go to bed thinking about how different of a life Huck and I have.

To name a few things:

-I spend almost all day everyday "book learning" on a set schedule. 

-I have a convenient place to get unlimited amounts of pre-cooked food.

-I travel less than two miles a day.

-I depend entirely on modern technology and civilization.

The list could be endless, but to put it short, Huck's life is the antithesis of the life of a modern day college student.

Mark Twain left me longing for Huck's life. I think that many people share this longing for a more simple and natural life; a life where survival and adventure are one's only responsibilities. There are many occurrences in everyday life that prove this very longing. People love to go pitch a tent in the forest as an escape from the artificial world, even if for only a night. Study breaks for me often include going outside to "clear" my head.  We build shelters of brick and stone to shelter us from nature, but always incorporate windows into the design.

Alas, despite our longing for nature, few sane people would give of their spot in civilization for a comparable life to ole' Huck Finn. It is a fascinating love-hate relationship we humans have with the world.  I think Huck Finn had a unique view of how the world worked.  Huck didn’t quite understand how people could live a civilized life.  Huck understood the world in sensory way.  Some may say that this is primitive and simple minded.  While I can’t completely disagree with this, I believe that Huck represents an important part of human nature that can’t be ignored.  Sometimes we get so bogged down in our books and their accompanying philosophies and sciences that we forget our basic senses. Learning through experience is somewhat of a rarity on a college campus, but an unavoidable necessity in life. That is what I believe Huck Finn has to teach us.