Ms. Foley 2014 Intro. To Huck Finn

The Author: Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens Born November 30, 1835 Died April 21, 1910 Raised in Hannibal, MO (hometown of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn) Apprenticed as a printer/typesetter Worked as riverboat pilot on the Mississippi

The Author: Mark Twain The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was published in 1876. Its sequel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published in 1885 and has been called “the Great American Novel.” Through his marriage to Olivia Langdon in 1870, Twain met abolitionists including Harriet Beecher Stowe and Frederick Douglas. His family resided in Hartford, Connecticut

The Author: Mark Twain Known primarily as a humorist, mid-career Twain began focusing more on societal criticism. He was the first author to write in “American” dialect. Huck Finn is one of the most challenged novels taught in the American school system for is use of the “N” word, but it is also seen by many as crucial to an understanding of American Literary canon.

The Novel: Huck Finn The character Huckleberry Finn first appeared in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Huck is a poor, uneducated white boy who lives alone with his abusive, alcoholic father, “Pap.” At the end of Tom Sawyer, Huck has come into a lot of money through his adventures with Tom, and the Widow Douglas has “adopted” him.

The Novel: Huck Finn Huck is a social outcast who often see the hypocrisies of his society and offers surprising insight about them. The novel is told in 1st person and is written entirely in a Southern American vernacular. The plot follows Huck as he travels down the Mississippi River with the runaway slave, Jim. Jim and Huck meet many colorful characters and form an unlikely friendship.

A few things to ponder… Why would Twain choose to write the novel in vernacular? Why would Twain choose uneducated Huck as the narrator of this story? Is the use of the “N” word necessary or racist? How do you handle situations when you have to choose between what you know is right and what society says is right?