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The character of Huck is one of my heroes. Here's a kid who has such a great moral compass. He simply can't help but do what he thinks is right. At the turning point of the novel, he decides to help Jim even though he truly believes that he will go to Hell for it. He sacrifices his eternal soul to help Jim escape. That is why I admire Huck so. I look at myself and I realize I would more likely do the self-serving thing. There is one point where he goes into the sunken riverboat to rescue the doublecrossing crooks. I wouldn't have risked my neck for them. But he did it instinctively. He was a great little guy.

And Jim shows incredible affection and love for Huck. He pampers him. Jim was superstitious and in some ways ignorant, but he was older than Huck and treated him with tenderness and care. When they discover each other afetr having been separated, and are so happy to see each other, well, that part gets me misty eyed every time I read it.

It's a beautiful portrait not just of adventure, but of doing the right thing in spite of the times in which you live, of the better part of human nature. It is a wonderful book. Nothing against Little Black Sambo, but that's not even in the same ballpark--not even the same sport. Huck Finn is a brilliant book.

But hey, what do I know? That's just what it means to me.

At the turning point of the novel, he decides to help Jim even though he truly believes that he will go to Hell for it. He sacrifices his eternal soul to help Jim escape. That is why I admire Huck so. I look at myself and I realize I would more likely do the self-serving thing.

I feel the same way. Narrow-minded PC thought police can't see beyond the "N word", so they don't get the deeper meaning of what is one of the greatest novels ever written. These people are so stuck in the contemperary, that they don't understand that the novel totally supports the ideals they think they support. I can't help but to think that in the same time and place, they wouldn't be so liberal.

PS- I see by your handle that you've put considerable thought into the matter.