I like how the book starts by picking up where the perilous adventures another one of Twain’s books left off,The Adventures of Tom Sawyer ends. Personally, I read Tom Sawyer when I was in middle school so it was nice to revisit some of the characters after all this time This is smart of Mark Twain because to really get and understand Huck Finn, you have to have read Tom Sawyer. In my opinion, it is necessary for you to read Tom Sawyer so you really know what is going on and aren’t lost the whole time.

Huck Finn is living with a lady called Widow Douglas as his dad is the town drunk and has gone M.I.A. She makes Huck be tidy and clean, wear nice clothes, and go to school which Huckleberry does not like all that much. He just wants to put back on his old dirty clothes and go back out and adventure. So, He sneaks out of the house one night with Tom Sawyer and some other friends to go out and get away from the adults and do their own rebellious things. The next day, Huck Finn’s father shows up out of nowhere. He wants something huch has, but Huck keeps denying having it and says everything he heard is a lie. He ends up kidnapping Huckleberry and forcing him to come along to a cabin up the river. He keeps Huck there for a while and makes regular trips back into town to stock up on food and whiskey to supply his alcoholism. The plot continues as Huck tries to escape, getting into more adventures and mischief in the process.  Mark Twain does a good job of keeping you on the edge of your seat, wondering if Huck Finn will be even be able to escape, actually escape, or get caught trying to escape by his father. 

Huck Finn changes throughout the book as time goes on. He starts of as a very superstitious and uneducated boy. He also is very naive as he has been in a small town his whole life. But while Huck is out on his adventures, he sees what the world really is—deadly altercations and crimes fueled by pure greed and disregard for other people. This forces Huck to grow up sooner than he would like. It is a bit sad to see this young boy with an alcoholic father have to grow up so fast, but i think it really helps with his character development as a person and makes him less naive and more knowledgeable about the real world. 

This book is sort of the dream lifestyle of a young boy in the time period. Every young boy wanted to go off on their own and be some sort of outcast by choice and do their own thing like a cowboy or a super mysterious vigilante. Huck’s life is full of adventure where he, himself, eventually goes off to live on his own and survive on his own. The life of adventure and survival on your own against all the odds. This aspect of the book makes it very fun and interesting to read because there is always something new happening. It kept my attention and I was fully invested in the book the whole time I wa reading it, I suggest you read it too.