Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (Pen Name of Samuel Clemens)
Key Details
- Genre: fiction
- Sub-Genres: classic, coming-of-age, satire
- Publication Date: 1884 (UK); 1885 (US)
- Pages: 362
- Themes: freedom, morality, race, hypocrisy, friendship
- Accolades: Often called the “Great American Novel,” one of the most taught novels in school, as well as one of the most banned books (for race relations and profanity)
My Rating
I read Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in high school, and I enjoyed how it blended adventure with American history and a more youthful reading level that didn’t overwhelm me. In many ways, it felt like a more realistic portrayal of racism and slavery than I got from my history classes.
Gilmore Girls Episodes
Learn where this book on the Gilmore Girls reading list was referenced:
| Season 1, Episode 1 (“Pilot”) | Mentioned in Stars Hollow High class |
| Season 2, Episode 5 (“Nick & Nora/Sid & Nancy”) | Lorelai mentions it at Luke’s Diner to Taylor. |
| Season 2, Episode 18 (“Back in the Saddle Again”) | Lorelai and Rory discuss Twain writing in the margins. |
| Season 3, Episode 22 (“Those are Strings, Pinocchio”) | Rory mentions it in her graduation speech. |
| Season 7, Episode 20 (“Lorelai? Lorelai?”) | Rory says that Twain’s work as a steamboat pilot influenced this book. |
| A Year in the Life: Winter | Lorelai says she was looking for a prequel. |
Best Quote
“We said there warn’t no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don’t. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft.”
Book Review
Description
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn follows young Huckleberry “Huck” Finn as he escapes his abusive father and journeys down the Mississippi River with Jim, an enslaved man seeking freedom. Along the way, Huck and Jim encounter con men, feuding families, and the hypocrisy of pre–Civil War Southern society.
Why It Matters on Gilmore Girls
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a classic so culturally iconic that it was the first book referenced on the show and both Gilmore Girls, Lorelai and Rory, mention it.
In fact, Lorelai mentions it more than Rory. However, it was so important to Rory that she included it in her Chilton graduation speech.
The many references may be may be a nod to the fact that showrunner Amy Sherman-Palladino created the concept of the show when visiting Mark Twain’s Connecticut home.
Who It’s Best For
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a classic book for classic readers, as well as students. It can be easily consumed at a high school reading level and beyond. It also works well for those who want a more immersive historical account of slavery in America.
Reading Tips
- Pair it with 2024’s James by Percival Everett, which won the 2024 Kirkus Prize, the National Book Award for Fiction, and the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. It relays Jim’s account of the story.
- Or, pair it with The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, which was published later (1876), but acts as a prequel. Huck is Tom’s friend in the novel, acting as a “realistic” foil to Tom’s “romantic” personality.
- Watch Disney’s 1993 The Adventures of Huck Finn (trailer below), starring Elijah Wood and Courtney B. Vance. Note that this is a children’s movie and thus portrays the story more lightly and focuses on adventure versus racism.
- Engage with Everett Henry’s art map (below), “The adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the book by Mark Twain: Mississippi River.” Cleveland, Ohio: Harris-Intertype Corp, 1850.
Frequently Asked Questions
American author Ernest Hemingway said, ““All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called [Adventures of] Huckleberry Finn.” He saw it as the starting point of a uniquely American literature, rooted in realism and spoken in a truly American voice.
The first book referenced in the Pilot of Gilmore Girls (Season 1, Episode 1) is Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which is referenced in a Stars Hollow High School class. This may be a nod to the fact that showrunner Amy Sherman-Palladino created the concept of the show when visiting Mark Twain’s Connecticut home.
In Season 3, Episode 22 (“Those are Strings, Pinocchio”), Rory says in her graduation speech that she “sailed a raft with Huck and Jim.” In Season 7, Episode 20 (“Lorelai? Lorelai?”), Rory says, “Well, Mark Twain had to work as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi before he became a successful writer. And if he’d never had that experience, he never would have written Huckleberry Finn.”
In Season 2, Episode 5 (“Nick & Nora/Sid & Nancy”). Lorelai says to Taylor, “Planning on burning a little Huck Finn after lunch, Taylor?” In Season 2, Episode 18 (“Back in the Saddle Again”), Lorelai hypothesizes that Twain wrote in the margins, “Pilot a steamboat, write Huckleberry Finn?” In Netflix’s A Year in the Life: Winter, Lorelai says, “I thought there’d be something fun in there. You know, like a treasure map. Or the prequel to Huckleberry Finn where Huck is a Klan leader and terrified of water.”
Related Books to Read Next
If you liked Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, read these books next:
