Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been called the first modern American novel. Its strengths are found in numerous ways. The narrator, Huck Finn, is virtually unique in American literature: an uneducated, undisciplined poor boy who tells his story in his own unusual language. The novel was one of the first to use native dialects of the South and Mid-West, and Twain's use of colloquial language and humorous satire were also groundsbreaking at the time of its publication. The many underlying themes--including racism, slavery, human rights, prejudice and social consciousness--and symbolism separated it from other adventure novels, including its predecessor, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Sadly, the novel has been repressed and dismissed by many critics because of the flagrant use of one word--the "N" word--and it continues to be one of the most banned books in this nation. But most critics still agree with Ernest Hemingway, who probably described it best:
"All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huck Finn... There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since."
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