Celebrating Black History Month at the VCU Libraries
Reviewed by Monique Prince, Undergraduate Services Librarian
Although on its surface, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn might seem a simple tale of a slave and teenage boy rafting down the Mississippi River, its many layers have made this book one of the most challenged of all time. In the preface, Mark Twain warns the reader against analyzing the book too closely: "Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot."
Huckleberry Finn decides to fake his own death in order to escape his drunken father, and hides out on a deserted island. There, he encounters Jim, a runaway slave. They sail south on the Mississippi towards Cairo, where Jim will be able to head north and escape slavery. On the way they encounter crooks, family feuds, and even Huck's old friend Tom Sawyer. The serious undercurrent running throughout the book is Jim's status as a slave and Huck's moral response as he wrestles with his conscience. He was taught to believe that breaking the law (by harboring a slave) would lead to hell, but on the other hand, betraying his friendship with Jim is also wrong. Much has been speculated about Mark Twain's own views on the subject, as this book was written two decades after slavery was abolished. Judge for yourself as you read this timeless American classic.
