"Huck Finn Questionnaire"

*Have you read the novel –Huck Finn- before?  If so where and why?

This is my first time reading Huck Finn! I have never read this book before, nor was it required or suggested during my younger educational years. To be honest, I did not know very much about Huck Finn, besides that, he was friends with Tom Sawyer (yet I also know little about Tom too).  

*If you have not read Huck Finn before, surely you know something about the novel and character from references and allusions in popular culture.  What do you know about either the novel and/or character?

            To be honest, Huck Finn was not very popular or spoken about in Hawaii. We learned about the general basis of him, but never any details beyond that he was a young boy that had adventures with Tom Sawyer. My only prior memory in relation to Huck Finn is that I vaguely remember seeing a movie on ABC (or perhaps another television network), as I remember Tom painting a fence, and then Tom and Huck finding the money. Beyond that, I did not know anything about them. Hence, this was quite an interesting experience for me; my eyes have been opened!

*If you were assigned to read Huck Finn in a previous class, either here or in high school, how did your class as a whole react to the novel?  Why do you think your instructor assigned the novel?  How did he or she try to “teach” the novel?

            For this semester, it seems that our class had mixed reactions about the novel. Some students seemed to despise it, while others fancied it. I think that our instructor assigned this novel to give us the experience to be exposed to such a controversial book, to which we could read, analyze, and then formulate our own opinions. Our instructor taught us about this novel in an engaging way, to where he pointed out interesting symbols, incidents, and deeper meanings in the novel that made us – or at least me – stop and reconsider our preconceived notions about the book.

*If you were required to read Huck Finn in a previous class, what sort of assignments were you required to complete, and what exactly did you do during the classes when

Huck Finn was being discussed.

            Since I have no prior experience with this book, I will briefly summarize what we did in this class. We wrote blog responses to the novel. In class, we discussed the novel in context, but also analyzed the deeper meanings to the book, such as what is the book’s true meaning, and the controversial aspects of the novel’s storyline, and as a whole.

*Huck Finn is still one of the most controversial and most banned books in America.   

Why is it so controversial? 

            I think that it is very controversial because of the language (specifically the N-word), as well as the moral standards of the characters. Most, if not all, of the characters are racist to an extent, and the grotesque aspects of humanity are exposed. People cannot quite determine what the true meaning of the book is, nor can they fully decide who is “good”, and who is “bad”. With so much room for interpretation, it is no surprise it’s controversial; people cannot decide whose opinion is “right” and “wrong”.

*Is Huck Finn still relevant to you as college student today?   

Should it continue to be taught in college classrooms?

            As someone who is reading Huck Finn for the first time, I found it relevant, and quite intriguing. Although the book was an extreme challenge, I thought the content of the story and the underlying messages were indeed valuable. Most importantly, it caused me to think and do some introspection, which I value as a reader. This novel should continue to be taught in college classrooms, as I think in college, individuals are much more mature and prepared to really question the value and messages of the book critically and analytically, rather than brushing it off for what it is at face value.

*The general consensus among critics is that Huck Finn is a brilliant and powerful novel, but also a flawed and problematic novel.  What do you think might be flawed and/or problematic about the novel?

            The characters are quite problematic and flawed; because of this, I found myself frustrated at different points in the book. However, I also think that the characters, because of their flaws, become realistic and to an extent, relatable to a part of our self that we may not so openly identify with. Overall, though, the most problematic aspect of the book was the return of Tom and his pointless ploys towards the end of the novel. I feel that all that Huck achieved in terms of self-development to some extent regressed with the return of Tom. The huge moral development peak that Huck hit seemed to fall flat because of the ridiculous escapades toward the end that drew away from the deeper meanings that the book attempted to address. Why Mark Twain did this, we may never know.