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A short summary of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This free synopsis covers all the crucial plot points of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
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An in-depth examination of the events in The Adventures of...
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Read an in-depth analysis of Huckleberry “Huck” Finn. Tom...
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Shortly after being shunned by Becky, Tom accompanies Huckleberry Finn, the son of the town drunk, to the graveyard at night to try out a “cure” for warts. At the graveyard, they witness the murder of young Dr. Robinson by the Native-American “half-breed” Injun Joe.
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The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, novel by Mark Twain, published in 1876, that centres on a smart mischievous young boy living in a town along the Mississippi River. The satiric work is considered a classic of American literature, and it spawned the hugely successful sequel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884).
An orphan, Tom Sawyer lives with his Aunt Polly and half brother, Sid, in St. Petersburg, Missouri, on the Mississippi River; the fictional town is based on Hannibal, Missouri, where Twain grew up. The early chapters highlight Tom’s propensity for trouble. First he angers his aunt by eating jam, then he gets in a fight with another boy. As punishment for his various misdeeds, Aunt Polly orders him to whitewash the fence. However, Tom manages to convince other children that whitewashing is fun, and they end up giving him various items for a turn at the fence. Later in the book Tom goes to the cemetery with Huckleberry Finn, a vagabond whose father is a heavy drinker. The duo come across three grave robbers, including Injun Joe and Dr. Robinson. The two men get into a fight, and Injun Joe murders the doctor. Although Tom and Huckleberry promise never to tell anyone what they saw, Tom ultimately testifies against Injun Joe, who escapes.
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At one point, Tom, Huckleberry, and a third boy decide to run away from home and become pirates. While on an island in the Mississippi River, they discover that people think they have died. The three dramatically reappear during their funeral services. Tom and Huckleberry then decide to look for buried treasure in an abandoned house. The boys are forced to hide when Injun Joe and a partner arrive to bury their own treasure there. However, the two men then stumble upon a gold cache in the house and decide to hide it elsewhere. One night Huck follows them, hoping to find the gold. When he overhears their plan to attack the Widow Douglas, Huck gets help, and the crime is prevented.
Together with The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer changed the course of children’s literature in the United States as well as of American literature generally, presenting the first deeply felt portrayal of boyhood. While Tom Sawyer is sometimes overshadowed by the darker Huckleberry Finn, the former remains an enduring take on American childhood, known for its humour and morality. In addition, its main character is considered the epitome of the all-American boy, full of mischief but basically purehearted. Tom was also the focus of the sequels Tom Sawyer Abroad (1894) and Tom Sawyer, Detective (1896).
Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn have drawn criticism for their use of pejoratives to describe African Americans and Native Americans. In addition, the negative portrayal of Injun Joe in Tom Sawyer is also regarded as problematic by some. Bowdlerized versions of both works also proved controversial.
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Literature Notes. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Book Summary. Consisting of 43 chapters, the novel begins with Huck Finn introducing himself as someone readers might have heard of in the past.
Intro. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Summary. Next. Chapter 1. Literary devices: Genre. Mood. Setting. Style. Tone. View all. Huckleberry Finn introduces himself as a character from the book prequel to his own, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
The novel explores his various escapades, including treasure hunts, whitewashing a fence, and witnessing a murder. The narrative also features Tom’s romantic interest in Becky Thatcher and his friendship with Huckleberry Finn, a character who would be the subject of Twain’s 1885 adventure novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
The story is narrated by Huck Finn, a young boy seeking freedom from his abusive father, who escapes down the Mississippi River with Jim, a runaway slave. The novel explores themes of racism, empathy, and the societal constructs of the time, providing a critical commentary on the institution of slavery and the hypocrisy embedded in the moral ...
