Adventures of Huck Finn: A Portrait of Slavery

At the surface, Mark Twain's famed novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is a thrilling narrative told by a 13-year-old boy who embarks on a perilous journey down the formidable Mississippi River aboard a tiny wooden raft. The story's sensationalism sometimes makes Huck's journey seem unbelievable. Underneath, however, lies an authentic portrait of the institution of slavery in America during the 1850s. Although born and raised in Missouri, Twain vehemently opposed slavery. He witnessed the …

…was short-lived. In 1857, the Dred Scott Decision upheld the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Born into slavery in Virginia, Dred Scott lived in the North as a free man for 11 years and later returned to slavery upon re-entering the South. The United States Supreme Court determined that slaves were personal property and could never be free. It is conceivable that Jim suffered the same fate as Dred Scott and returned to slavery despite Miss Watson's will.