Huck is a great sidekick, I think, but he lacks the onion-layers to be a strong leading character. This book is also more difficult to read because speed-reading really isn't an option with the way Jim speaks. Sometimes I get so bogged down, I have to read out loud to make sense of it!
I've just gotten to the point where Huck decides that the duke really isn't a duke at all. Huck Finn also lacks and interesting plot. (We discussed in class that Tom Sawyer arguably lacks plot as well but TS has WAY more of a plot that HF, what with the love story between Tom and Becky and the murder of Dr. Robinson.) Maybe it's the fact that HF is written in first person that makes it less interesting. I'd rather hear MT's commentary than Huck's thoughts.
I should clarify that I don't DISLIKE Huck Finn by any means. It's entertaining and fun and Jim's thick dialect adds depth. Hopefully it will pick up soon!
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ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you, I enjoyed Tom Sawyer more than Huck Finn. I was really drawn into Tom Sawyer and was able to laugh about the day-to-day adventures and activities he encountered. Although neither story had an actual plot, I felt that Tom Sawyer flowed better than Huck Finn.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that Jim's dialog was hard to read and I had to read and re-read in order to understand what he was trying to say. It became distracting at times. I liked that Tom Sawyer was written to show adults their inner child. It reminded me of things from my childhood, which made it more personal to read and get into.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who enjoyed Tom more!
--Chelsie
I have to disagree with you as to who I like more...I'm on Team Huck. But I really can see your reasons why you came to that conclusion.
ReplyDeleteI think I came to like Huck more BECAUSE there aren't any of the other side stories going on, or maybe because Huck is that jaded little boy who makes you want to just fix everything for him *sigh*
I too have to read a lot of it outloud and thus get made fun of for sounding like a crazy person...but I think it adds more life to an otherwise more difficult (I agree) read.
Chelsie - You're definitely not alone! I could probably enjoy HF more if I wasn't on a deadline because it's not something I can speed read - thanks to the dialog - and maybe if I was reading it leisurely out in my hammock over the summer I would enjoy it more. In fact, I might just have to try that over the summer!
ReplyDeleteMollie - I really like the character of Huck better than Tom after our class discussions but I still like the BOOK TS better than HF. I suppose that's because Tom was knocked off his pedestal for me in HF; he's basically cruel at the end!
Hi Katie-Rose,
ReplyDeleteI must admit that in the Tom/Huck debate, I have usually come down on the side of Huck. There's a great deal more seriousness in his book, and I have always enjoyed listening to his voice (I admit Jim is a lot harder to listen to). Both are really interesting books, and quite different books. But I must say that in Reading Tom Sawyer this year I saw a lot more depth than I had in previous readings. I usually viewed Tom as an enjoyable book MT wrote as a celebration of boyhood, but there's more to it than that. I also have to say that I like the Tom in the novel Tom Sawyer a lot more than the Tom in the novel Huck Finn. I could do without the final third of Huck's book. Great post. dw