by Mark Twain, 1885
Finished 2/15/10 – the day I found out I needed a root canal!
Wonderful book!!!! Non-stop adventure!!!!
Huck escapes his drunk father, meets up with Jim on Jackson’s Island. They go down river on a raft and have many adventures, including running into 2 rapscallions, the King and the Duke, who swindle people terribly. Jim gets sold for $40 by them. They end up tarred and feathered and rode out on a rail. Huck finds where Jim is at, play acts as Tom Sawyer, and ends up meeting up with Tom Sawyer. Jim was being held prisoner at Tom Sawyer’s Aunt and Uncle way down river. Huck played along with Tom. rather than easily freeing Jim, Tom made it into quite a production! Tom ends up getting shot in the foot during the escape. Jim ends up a free man. The “Old Miss Watson died two months ago, and she was ashamed she was ever going to sell him down the river, and said so; and she set him free in her will.”
Tom fesses up to his Aunt Sally all the trouble he caused making Jim’s escape into such a huge production – stealing sheet, shirt, spoons, candles, grindstone; collecting rats and snakes (so Jim could have pets) and on and on.
Huck’s heart is so good and Jim is such a good and gentle man – very good that all ends well.