Huckleberry Finn - Why Its Good Literature

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twain is an archetype example of great American literature. Good literature consists of meaningful symbolism, clever satire, and a dynamic character.
Throughout the novel, Huck and Jim journey down the Mississippi River. Huck uses the river to avoid his drunken father and becoming civilized while Jim is escaping to the northern states to avoid being sold off to New Orleans. The Mississippi river comes to symbolize freedom, specifically the freedom in the South. When Huck and Jim are floating down the river in the raft, they become free and happy; Jim is not worried about being sold off and Huck does not fear Pap. “Next we slid into the river and had a swim, so as to freshen up and cool off…Not a sound anywheres - perfectly still- just like the whole world was asleep...so cool and fresh, and sweet to smell, on account of the woods and the flowers...and the song-birds..." (118-199). However the river also symbolizes the many obstacles to freedom that exists as Jim and Huck run into many problems while voyaging down the Mississippi. The river fogs up and they become split up, and they actually miss the town of Cairo so Jim is not able to take a ferry north to freedom. In addition in seems that every time Jim and Huck leave the river to go to shore and interact with society, freedom is a privilege unlike when they are on the river. So overall, Mark Twain was successful in writing a good piece of literature because he symbolized the attributes of freedom into the ways of the Mississippi river.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was not only a good piece of literature because of its symbolism, but Mark Twain’s clever use of satire also makes it a great example. The real meaning of this novel is not in plain text as one must decode the humor and irony to see what Twain is really saying about human weakness and society. For example, “Miss Watson she kept pecking at me, and it got tiresome and lonesome. By and by they fetched the niggers in and had prayers, and then everybody was off to bed” (13). If one were to just read the text it would not be known that Twain is actually using irony to satirize slavery. This is ironic as it notes Miss Watson’s religiousness, yet she owns slaves. Another example of Twain’s witty satire is “Next Sunday we all went to church…The men took their guns along… kept them between their knees or stood them handy against the wall. The Shepherdson’s done the same. It was pretty ornery preaching -- all about brotherly love, and such-like tiresomeness; but everybody said it was a good sermon…” (111). The Shepherdson and Grangerfords are feuding families in which they constantly want to kill one another. Ironically, they go to church with their guns and “enjoy” the sermon about brotherly love. Therefore, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a good literature because of Mark Twain’s clever, meaningful satire.
In unison with symbolism and satire, the dynamic character of Huckleberry Finn makes this novel an example of good literature. The most evident change Huck demonstrates is his views of racism and Jim. In the beginning Huck is not sure how he feels about Jim running away as from time to time he questions himself as to whether or not it is right that he is helping a runaway slave. However, as the novel progresses Huck experiences Jim true character and instead of writing a letter to Miss Watson to tell her where Jim is; he says “’All right, then, I’ll go to hell’” (207) (rather than betray Jim). Huck learns to erase society’s views on blacks and to base his judgment on the qualities of friendship. The dynamic character of Huck is a key reason for why the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a piece of good literature. Despite the fact that the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is considered a “banned book” in various locations throughout the country, it is still recognized as the epitome of classic American literature. Through the use of deep symbolism, clever satire, and a dynamic character, this novel will always be an example of good literature.