Essay Database

The narrator (later identified as Huckleberry Finn) begins Chapter One by stating that the reader may know of him from another book, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by "Mr. Mark Twain," but it "ain't t no matter" if you have not. According to Huck, Twain mostly told the truth, with some "stretchers" thrown in, though everyone--except Tom's Aunt Polly, the widow, and maybe Mary--lies once in a while. The other book ended with Tom and …

…interest, in Huckleberry Finn. Both Huck and Tom, in their own ways, delight in the dirty language and pranks that adults shun. On the whole, though, Huck's separation from the world of adults and their "civilization" is more complete, and more serious. Still, throughout the novel, Huck maintains some admiration for Tom's romantic adventures, and often wonders what he would do in certain situations. Thus, Huck's character has some connection to Tom's less desirable traits.