Period Characters Characteristics Plot

 The tale takes place 1. Huckleberry “Huck” 1. Thoughtful,  Exposition – Huck

decades before the Finn Intelligent, White and
Civil War usually an outcast.
 The author wrote the 2. Jim 2. A black man, a
story between the mid runaway slave,
1880s practical and
intelligent.
3. Tom Sawyer 3. Huck’s imaginary
friend
4. Widow Douglas and 4. Two wealthy sisters
Miss Watson who adopted Huck.
5. Pap Finn 5. Huck’s father,
drunkard, violent.
 Rising Action – Jim
 Climax – Main
 Falling Action – Tom
living with Miss
Watson and Widow
Douglas got him
extremely bored and
left. Hucks reconciles
with Jim and helps
him. Huck’s view
changed and wanted
to treat Jim as a
normal human being
without the society’s
wicked racism. Pap
kidnaps Huck but
escapes faking his
death then went to
Jackson’s Island.
must escape Miss
Watson as he heards
that she wants to sell
him. Huck and Jim
teams up and
encounters many
antagonists including
the King and the
Duke. They must
overcome the plots of
the King and the
Duke. Huck must
overcome his
internalized thought
on race. Would he
help Jim or turn him
in? Man vs. Society:
according to society,
slavery is just and
turning Jim in is in
his Moral Obligation.
characters experience
epiphanies. Huck
decides that he is
willing to go to hell in
order to save Jim.
Sawyer shows up and
pretends to help. He
makes everything
 complicated. Huck
learns the truth about
his imaginary friend.
Jim is free and has
more humanity than
Tom Sawyer.
 Resolution – Jim is
free and Huck has
changed his view
about the society and
civilization. Huck has
had enough of
civilization and
people trying to
civilize him. The
story ends with him
wanting to travel
West.

Summary

The novel depicts Huckleberry Finn’s escape from his alcoholic and abusive father, as well as Huck’s
adventurous journey down the Mississippi River with runaway slave Jim. Huck flees his abusive father
and embarks on a long and frequently interrupted raft trip down the Mississippi River with his
companion, the runaway slave Jim. Throughout the journey, Huck meets a wide range of characters and
types, and the book vividly depicts almost every social class living on or near the river. As a result of
these encounters, Huck overcomes his racial prejudices and comes to respect and love Jim.

Recommendation

The book has good descriptions of the great river and the surrounding forests, and Huck's good nature and
unconscious humour pervade the entire work. However, one thread that runs through adventure after
adventure is that of human cruelty, which manifests itself in both individual acts and unthinking
acceptance of institutions such as slavery. Huck's natural goodness is constantly contrasted with the
effects of a corrupt society. The books is a good read and has lessons to be learned.