Huck Finn Experience

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

I read Huck Finn before in 11^th grade in my AP Lang class.

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?

The first time I read Huck Finn, it was one of my favorite novels. I thought that it was one of the best adventure stories I had ever read, and Mark Twain made the characters seem real. I did read the entire novel, but I also used Sparknotes to help in my understanding of some of the imagery used by Twain. However, at this point, I only remember the basic plot from my first reading.

4. If you were assigned to read Huck Finn in a previous class, either here or in high school, how did your class as a whole react to the novel?  Why do you think your instructor assigned the novel?  How did he or she try to “teach” the novel?

My class as a whole appreciated the novel, but some students were quick to criticize the grammar used by both Huck and Jim. I think that they missed the point of the novel though, which I remember pointing out at the time. As for why my teacher assigned the novel, it was required reading at my school. I think that this is because of the satirical nature of the novel in such a dark time in American history. I am from Florida, which was a state very apt to owning and trafficking slaves. So, it made sense for us to read a book that was poignant about our state’s history.

5. If you were required to read Huck Finn in a previous class, what sort of assignments were you required to complete, and what exactly did you do during the classes when

Huck Finn was being discussed.

After the novel, we were required to write a literary analysis paper discussing how Huck and Jim’s relationship developed over the course of the novel. In my paper, I remember writing about the father-son dynamic between the two, and how that was so outrageous in that time period. When the book was being discussed, we talked a lot about the nature of the book and the message it contains that is so controversial.

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

I believe that Huck Finn is controversial not only because of its vulgar language, but also because it pokes fun at a time in American history that is so frowned upon today. In modern day culture, it seems that we would rather not associate our country with such cruel treatment of humans, and this novel paints such a poor picture of humanity as a whole.

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

Huck Finn is one of the greatest novels in American history, and just for that it should continue to be taught in college classrooms. However, there is also a lot of merit to analyzing the story, because it is still relevant. We may not rely on slave labor, but we do still have stereotypes about each minority in modern culture. This is relevant in college, especially at a place like TCU where 95% of African Americans are athletes, and a large portion of the school is white.

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?

Huck seems to be overly relaxed about the situation with Jim. Sure, it is probably a product of his upbringing making him feel worthless; but, in this time period, there is no way that Huck does not turn around and bring Jim back. I think this also points to the thought that the storyline is not realistic. Not just floating down the river, but the situations the two run in to. The odds of Huck ending up at Aunt Polly’s house are very slim, as well as the odds of Tom showing up right after Huck gets there. The lack of realistic value to the novel might prove to be problematic for some people. However, I think that Twain does such an amazing job at painting the picture of Huck and Jim that whatever they get themselves in to seems realistic to me.