Let us now turn our focus to Tom’s best friend and companion Huckleberry Finn, fondly known as Huck. Nobody knows Huck’s exact age; he is perhaps ‘thirteen or fourteen or along there’ as Twain puts it.
Huck leads the life of a destitute vagabond. He is the son of the town’s vagrant drunkard ‘Pap’ Finn, who beats up Huck as he pleases. He wears the clothes of full-grown men which he probably received as charity and lived on what others gave him. Huck lives a carefree life free from societal norms or rules, stealing watermelons and chickens, boats and cigars. But clever Huck calls his actions borrowing.
Huck is adopted by Widow Douglas after he finds a treasure. The story does not end there. In a turn of events, Pap kidnaps Huck, Huck escapes, fakes his death and camps alongside the Mississippi River with a runaway slave named Jim.
Huck and Jim share days of adventures, trying to escape two search parties looking for them. In the end, Jim is set free; Huck refuses to be adopted and goes to the West.
As we all know, the story of Huck is chronicled in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The book is noted for its colourful description of people and places along the Mississippi River. It was adapted for television and films several times.
Picture Credit : Google