Links

A fascinating website that you might find useful is “Mark Twain in His Times,” maintained by Professor Stephen Railton at the University of Virginia. There you’ll find a lot of information about Twain (Sam Clemens) himself, as well as the historical contexts surrounding the publication of the novel. Some other interesting sites include The Mark Twain House & Museum in Hartford, Connecticut and PBS’s website devoted to Ken Burns’s documentary about Twain.

The ending…

Many critics have complained about the so-called “evasion episode” at the end of Huck Finn. Does Tom’s return undermine any development that Huck has experienced as a character? Many readers find it frustrating that Huck fails to stand up to Tom’s increasingly idiotic “plans” to free Jim. Given Huck’s dramatic decision to “go to hell” rather than turn Jim in, it seems strange that he won’t just help Jim escape, instead of going along with Tom. What explanation do you have for this?

Huck Finn

What do you think has made this novel so compelling to readers, even while it has always attracted such controversy? What (if any) elements of the novel do you respond to as readers?