TheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn

__**The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn**__

Publishing information Was first published in 1884. Author was Mark Twain.

__Plot Overview__ __The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn__ is said to be one of the greatest american works ever published. The story takes place mostly along the Mississippi river, during the early 1800s. Mark Twain starts __Huckleberry Finn__ by useing __The Adventures of Tom Sawyer__ as a reference, continuing on the idea of Tom and Huck finding some robbers gold in a cave. Huck's money was then given to the judge of the town for safe keeping. After summairzeing events that happened in __The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,__ the story begins.

Huck had been adopted by a woman by the of name Widow Douglas. He was upset with the new life style of cleanliness, manners, church, and school he had to have with Mrs. Douglas. After living with Widow Douglas for a few months, Huck's drunk father, Pap, returns for Hucks gold. Pap takes his case to court saying that he is the legal guadian of Huck and should have access to Huck's gold. Mrs. Widow trys to get legal custody of Huck, but fails. Eventually Pap steals Huck from Mrs. Widow and holds Huck in a cabin. Huck finally decides to escape from the cabin and fakes his own death. He hides out on Jackson's Island where he encounters Jim, a slave that escaped from Mrs. Watson, because she was selling him to a plantation down the river where he would be seperated from his wife and kids.

Huck and Jim end up teaming up, and a storm ends up coming and causeing the Mississippi river flood. Jim and Huck spy a raft and they go cature it. Huck and Jim eventually have to leave the island because a women on shore tells them about seeing smoke coming from the island and that townspeople are going to go check it out. They start heading down the river, with a plan to head down to the mouth of the Ohio River and then proceed up river by steamboat.

Huck and Jim travel for a while past St. Louis, and meet some robers and are able to steal some loot. One night though Huck and Jim are seperated because a steamboat hits their raft. Huck ends up at the Grangerfords, a family that is in a family fued with the Shepherdsons. After a few days the families get into a gun battle, and a couple of people get shot. During this gun fight Huck sees Jim and they take off down the river again.

Huck and Jim eventually meet two scam artists, and they stay with them awhile riping people off. The two scam artist do alot of awful things but the wrost thing they did was sell Jim to someone saying he is an escaped slave. Huck finds out where Jim was located and decided to go save him. Jim is located at Silas and Sally Phelps, which are Tom's aunt and uncle. Tom was suppose to visit them the excat day Huck was going to save Jim, and they mistake Huck for Tom. Tom ends up showing up though and Huck has to explain what is going on. Tom pretends to be his own little brother, Sid. Huck and Tom end up making up a plan to free Jim, it works and when they are running away Tom gets shot in the leg. Huck says that Tom needs to see a doctor so Jim sacrifices his freedom to help Tom. The next morning after Toms leg is taken care of, he revels that Jim is a free man, that Mrs. Watson freed him on her death bed. After all this Tom's Aunt says she wants to adopt Huck, but Huck tells her no and that he thinks he is going to go out west. __Symbols & Themes__ Two themes in __Huck Finn__ are slavery and friendship.

__Period and/ or Style__ This story takes place around the early 1800s, when slavery was a big issue. The style of this book is adventure and about matureing.

__Critical response__ When __Huck Finn__ first came out people critized it being to vulgor because of Huck smoking and drinking. Also about him haveing bad language. It also wasn't really accepted and not as popular as it is today. Today __Huck Finn__ is considered an American masterpiece, and is accepted worldwide. Schools now have required kids read __Huck Finn__ in class, and discuss it. Today the only thing really critized is the racism toward Jim and the use of the "N" word.

__Awards and/ or literary importance__ Book of the Year Award