Huck Finn

I’ve read this before.  It should be short, simple, and predominately a memory-jogger.  These thoughts of mine before starting the novel were unfortunately mistaken.  I was a fan of Huck Finn when I first read it in elementary school, but soon after I began reading this edition last week I realized that what I had read back then had been an abridged, easy-to-read, Disney-ified version of the surprisingly blatant portrayal of a young man’s journey down the Mississippi.

One thing that interested me about Huck was his inability to tell the truth.  He seems to be a pathological liar, and quite a good one, able to create elaborate aliases and convince average strangers to believe them.  His ability to lie gets him out of trouble several times, like when he convinced some men searching for slaves that his family had smallpox so they would stay away or when he is able to explain his Sarah Mary Williams mishap away without revealing his true self.  Huck’s preference for deception corresponds to his general disconnect from society’s traditional views of right and wrong.  Society conventionally disapproves of dishonesty, but Huck doesn’t seem to feel even slightly guilty for his perpetual deceit.

Since Huck is so detached from society, his enlightening expedition down the Mississippi seems similar to Candide’s bystander-like journey through his society.  Huck’s reactions to the illogical conventions of society function as Twain’s criticisms, similarly to Voltaire’s use of Candide’s experience to criticize 18^th century France.  One topic under Huck’s scrutiny is the seemingly silly acts required by society.  He disregarded sleeping in beds and bathing regularly, and didn’t understand at all the value society has placed upon religion.  He seemed to base his opinions on the concrete, on tangible gains and losses, but it’s interesting to compare how his expectations line up with what he observes.  For example, when Huck did something he expected was unlucky, like spilling salt, he quickly saw the parallel between that and an unfavorable event that happened soon after.  

Although it wasn’t the same simple tale that I remember from my childhood, I still found Huck’s adventure to be eye-opening and an intriguing glimpse into a strange society.