Book 1- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

When I first heard I was going to read Huck Finn, I didn't think I would like it. During the first few chapter, I was confused with the dialogue. I also did not like the characteration of Huck Finn. He seemed an immature child, which I don't really care for. Then once I saw Huck change from the immature boy to a stong friend and man, I grewe to like. After that, I found it impossible to put it down. My favorite parts of Huck Finn were the characters In Huck Finn, Twain uses the dialogue, characters, and symbolisim to create a rich book filled with adventure and excitement in Pre-Civil War South.
The dialogues used in Huck Finn may have been hard to understand at the beginning for me, it made it realistic for the time period. Once I understood each dialogue, it gave me a glimpse into the time period. The way Jim talked was completely different from how Huck talked. That may show the difference in exposure. Due to Huck hearing on way of speaking, he learned to talk that way, and Jim was exposed to another accent and learned to talk with that accent. This makes it really realistic because back before the Civil War, the african american slaves had there own accent and the way of talking different from other whites. This makes very believable characters, which is what I think Mark Tewain wanted to portray that. It also helps create a view of African Americans and Whites back then as well. Jim's way of speaking makes him seem unintellegent while Huck seems to appear intellegent through his dialogue. Back then in the 19th century, American White population believed the black slaves to be beneath them and not as smart as them. I think that due to Twain growing around that envoirment, he portrayed Jim that way because that is what he believed.
I also liked the characters that Twain portrayed. Even minor characters were very well developed, and all characters were easily relatable. I saw myself relating to Tom Sawyer even though he was only mentioned in the beginning and the end of the story. He was troublesome and always wanted his plans to be over complicate his plans. I always try to overcomplicate plans and it always got me into trouble, just like Tom. Tom's personality also shows the differences in Huck Finn's character. In the end when trying to save Jim, Huck goes more of a simple plan, but can be as troublesome as Tom. This shows that Tom's relationship with Huck show that even though there can be difference in morals, peronality, etc., they can still be friends. I also like the relationship between Jim and Huck. I saw a true friendship that would survive all bounds. Many people have friendships like that and can relate to surviving all conflicts, like Huck and Jim, and they still had a great friend. I also liked to hate the character of Huck's father. It showed me that there are people so uncaring that they would beat the living daylights out of their children, and only care about his interests. In fact, at the end when it was revealed he was the dead many in the floating house, I didn't feel sorry for him. I believed he got what he deserved because of his actions.
Mark Twain's use of symbolisim made the book rich in figurative language as well as themes being presented. One symbol is when Huck trys to fool Jim, but ends up getting Jim bitten by a rattlesnake. This symbolizes a theme of every action has its consequences. Another symbol in Huck Finn is the feud of the Grangerfords and the Shepardsons. I believe that it means that revenge creates unrequireed deaths, and are extremely foolish. Another bit of symbolism in Huck Finn is the characters, "The Duke" and "The Dauphin". They probally symbolize the people you should probally avoid: the cheats and the con-men. Even though there were more symbolisim in Huck Finn, but those examples really stood out for me.
Although I didn't think I would like Huck Finn, it was a book filled with round characters, great symbolisim, and a wonderful use of dialogue made me rethink that idea. Twain's round characters kept me entertained and they made me relate the characters to people in my life. I also learned lessons from the various themes shown in the symbolism in various chapters. Finally, I enjoyed the different interactions of the characters, and I saw the true meaning of friendship from the relationship Huck had with both Jim and Tom. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is cleary a great classic novel for all ages.