Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Paper Summary:

In this essay the writer notes that today, an author might be hard pressed to portray an adolescent boy with a penchant for mischief and adventure as being the most important, insightful and objective spokesman for an entire generation. The writer points out that in his masterpiece, 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn', Mark Twain, accomplished just that. This paper provides an overview of Twain's 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn', followed by an analysis of the book's philosophical message. A summary of the research and important findings are provided in the conclusion. The writer concludes that American students will likely be reading and writing about Huckleberry Finn as long as the United States endures, because it represents an important commentary on the nation's colorful but sometimes-violent and cruel history.

Outline:
Review and Analysis
Background and Overview
Historical and Biographical Factors
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Huck is the unfortunate but stalwart offspring of the town drunk; although Huck remains uneducated, superstitious, and sometimes credulous, he also has some street smarts that help him overcome adversity, a natural amiability and a degree of compassionate tolerance that was clearly the exception rather than the rule during this period in American history. These worthy qualities help him intuitively discern the right decisions concerning the important issues of the day that tended to elude even his adult counterparts. Following a series of increasingly violent encounters with his drunken father and being locked up in their log cabin, Huck decides that life on his own had to be better (or at least not as bad) and, together with his companion, the runaway slave "Jim," takes a long and frequently interrupted voyage floating on a raft down the Mississippi River."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bercovitch, S. (1999). What's funny about Huckleberry Finn. New England Review, 20(1), 8.
• Champion, L. (1991). Critical response to Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
• Durway, J. D. (2005, April). Huck and Jim on the river. Appleseeds, 7(8), 24.
• Mensh, E., & Mensh, H. (2000). Black, white, and Huckleberry Finn: Re-imagining the American dream. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press.
• Twain, Mark. (2007). In Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved January 22, 2007, from Encyclopaedia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-7470.

More papers on Adventures of Huckleberry Finn:

• Analytical Essay # 6308 : "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn": Character Analysis"
• Analytical Essay # 57709 : "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"
• Book Review # 104246 : "Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"

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