A Book Summary of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Huck is an adventurous boy, wild, mischievous, deceptive, a crook and a liar. He wanted to join Tom's gang of robbers. Huck was at first a non-caring type of kid, he didn't have a family that loved him, and he only had a deadbeat dad. He didn't have the comfort of a family like most kids. Tom was one of these kids that were well brought up, but Tom has many problems, and he has a very imaginative mind. Huck admires Tom greatly and wants to be just like him. "Here's Huck Finn, he ain't got no family." (p.11) "The Widow Douglas, she took me for her son, and allowed she would civilize me." (p.2) "I couldn't stand it no longer." (p.2) Huck didn't want to be civilized and so he eventually decided to run away.

When Huck realized that his Pap was coming, for his money, Huck gave it up so his Pap couldn't have it. Since Huck didn't give Pap the $6,000, Pap had gotten in a legal battle with him, but it didn't end up in Pap's favor. Pap had taken Huck to a cabin in the woods where he held Huck captive. "It was kind of lazy and jolly, laying off comfortable all day, smoking and fishing and no books nor study." (p.38) Huck wasn't very happy with living with his drunken father, so he made a plan so he could escape Pap. Huck is very creative and he came up with quite an incredible plan. He faked his own murder and ran off to Jackson Island. "Jackson's Island's the place." (p.51) While on the Island, he came upon Jim, which was a slave that had run away the same night of Huck's murder. "Jim this is nice." (p.74) Jim and Huck had decided to run off together because they were both friends.

Huck and Jim had gotten ran over by a steamboat one day while they were on their raft. This incident only strengthened their feelings for each other. "I was the best friend old Jim ever had in the world" (p.324) Huck knows that they will get into serious trouble if they get caught while on the run, so they had decided to travel only during the nighttime. Huck would constantly deceive people by being someone he's not and always lying for self-preservation. Huck had met the King and the Duke when they had sprang on him from the woods while Huck was coming ashore by his canoe.

Huck gets caught up in their schemes and it gets him and Jim into major trouble. Huck feels sorry for those he cons and when they conned Mary Jane, Huck told her the truth about their schemes. Huck normally wouldn't do this, but he felt sorry that they were taking advantage of her, so he tried to give her back the money that they had stole from her. The Duke and the King had been tarred and feathered for their actions, and Huck couldn't bear to see such a sight. Huck tried to warn them that trouble was coming for them, because he had developed sympathy for these two scoundrels, but he was too late.

Huck had reached the Phelp's farm and learned that Jim was being held prisoner. Jim was chained to the leg of the bed in a hut. Huck and Tom created a plan to save Jim. They spent a few days getting ready for Jim to make an escape in style. When they went through with their plan, Tom had gotten shot and Huck found a doctor to get Tom some help. Later, Tom told Huck the truth that Jim had been freed in Miss Watson's will when she died. "I would go to work and steal Jim out of slavery again" (p.324) Jim had gotten caught right after being freed from his prison. When Huck had changed as a person from this adventure he somewhat turns to his old ways. "I would take up wickedness again, which was in my line, being brung up to it." (p.324) "Jim, poor Jim." (p.326) "He ain't a bad nigger" (p.428)

From beginning to end Huck had changed as a person. "Huckleberry-what a mess you are always making." (p.21) "Pap he hadn't been seen for more than a year, and that was comfortable for me; I didn't want to see him no more." (p.16) Huck had started out as being a bad kid and ending up a good kind-hearted kid. He was Jim's friend that wanted to help Jim, but at first he didn't treat Jim with the utmost respect. By story's end he had a whole new respect for Jim. He usually would deceive people, but he lost that within him. "Aunt Sally she's going to adopt me and civilize me and I can't stand it. I been there before." (p.439)

Source: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Penguin Popular Classics) by Mark Twain. Book.