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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn discussion guide: Home
Discussion questions, readalikes and more.
Articles, Interviews, and Reviews
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Huckleberry Finn, Alive at 100New York Times Book Review
Dec. 9, 1984 -
Celebrating the Genius of "Huckleberry Finn"L.A. Times
Nov. 14, 2010 -
10 Facts About the Adventures of Huckleberry Finnmental_floss
Nov. 5, 2014
Also by Mark Twain
Mark Twain was extremely prolific, and wrote far too many books to link here. Here are a few of the more famous ones. For a full list, click here.
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The Gilded Age by First published in 1873, The Gilded Age is both a biting satire and a revealing portrait of post-Civil War America-an age of corruption when crooked land speculators, ruthless bankers, and dishonest politicians voraciously took advantage of the nation's peacetime optimism.
ISBN: 9780140439205 -
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by
ISBN: 9780439099400 -
The Prince and the Pauper by Tom Canty and Edward Tudor could have been identical twins. Their birthdays match, their faces match, but there the likeness stops. For Edward is a prince, heir to King Henry VIII, whilst Tom is a miserable pauper. But when fate intervenes, Edward is thrown out of the palace in rags, leaving ignorant Tom to play the part of a royal prince.
ISBN: 9780140436693 -
Pudd'nhead Wilson by At the beginning of Pudd'nhead Wilson a young slave woman, fearing for her infant's son's life, exchanges her light-skinned child with her master's.
ISBN: 9780553211580 -
Mark Twain by
ISBN: 9780940450257
Videos about The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Discussion Questions
- In his introduction, John Seelye notes that the premise of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is highly unrealistic (p. xiii). Is it? If so, how might that affect one’s reading of the novel? Does it matter?
- Can Huck—who chafes at being “sivilized” and indeed questions any rule or orthodoxy from church to good manners—be said to have a belief system? How do his beliefs, and his understanding of them, evolve over the course of his adventures?
- Tom accuses Huck of being “ignorant,” and Huck clearly feels his own “wickedness” and lack of education, especially compared to his friend, who is “well brung up.” What does Huck have that Tom does not?
- Why does the practical-minded Huck admire Tom’s way of doing things? How is Tom’s influence felt even when he is not present? Why does Huck see through the duke and the king immediately but still trust Tom? What might he have learned from his time with the two “frauds” about jokes and tricks?
- When Huck and Tom plot to help Jim escape from the Phelpses, they have not only different ideas of how to bring about the release but also different motives. How are they different and what do they tell us about each boy?
- How can we characterize the relationship between Huck and Jim? Does Huck ever view Jim as an equal, and vice versa?
- Why does Jim not tell Huck about his father? Is this comparable to Tom’s withholding the information that Jim has been freed?
- What is the point of the “Notice” at the beginning of the book? Is it a challenge to the reader? Despite its warning, can we say that the novel indeed has a “plot,” a “motive,” and a “moral (questions from Penguin Randomhouse)
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Recommended Reading
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Gulliver's Travels by Gulliver's Travels describes the four voyages of Lemuel Gulliver, a ship's surgeon. In Lilliput he discovers a world in miniature; towering over the people and their city, he is able to view their society from the viewpoint of a god. However, in Brobdingnag, a land of giants, tiny Gulliver himself comes under observation, exhibited as a curiosity at markets and fairs.
ISBN: 9780141439495 -
Robinson Crusoe by Shipwrecked on a deserted island, Robinson Crusoe has a solitary existence trying to survive from day-to-day by using the things that nature puts at his disposal. Many grim years pass, full of despair and danger, but Robinson always manages to confront his difficulties and survive.
ISBN: 9780894719974