Huck, Is That You?

Huck Finn has never been hotter. More seriously, we can learn a lot from the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Even though the book is sometimes (and in my opinion, stupidly) considered controversial because of its use of the "N" word. The words used in this book are based on historical accuracy of the time, and when the book is taught that should be something that is explained.  Twain was a very open and non-prejudiced.  He often showed just how ignorant hate-filled language and derogatory terms can be.  Controversy aside, we can still learn some valuable lessons in the book. The developing friendship between a white boy (Huck) and a black slave (Jim) is the main driving force of this novel. It is this friendship that makes Huck’s decision of whether to help Jim escape slavery so difficult. Huck's ultimate choice pits him against everything he had previously known to be right. Huck makes several comments throughout the book that let us know how seriously he takes his friendships. He values loyalty most highly, and that leads him to stick with Jim (who proves his loyalty to Huck several times) to the end.

If we could all apply this lesson to our own lives, just think how much happier we could be.