Impact+of+Huck+Finn+on+American+Literature

 How Huckleberry Finn Influenced American Literature  Kendra Stromsness Samuel Clemens’ novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, has been states to be “the best book we’ve had”, quoted by Ernest Hemmingway, in the history of literature. Hemmingway further states, “All American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since (Mailer, Norman).” The book has been through major controversies over the explicit language that degrades Black Americans and Indians, and has been banned from school shelves in different states. “The whole book [is] more suited to the slums than to intelligent, respectable people,” states The Boston Transcript Library Committee (Culture Shock). If Clemens’ novel is so corrupting, why are so many American authors influenced by his work?

Clemens’ has influenced authors such as Thomas Wolfe, Erskine Caldwell, and William Faulkner (Mark Twain) through his re-enactment of the southern culture by using language, characters, and settings. He detains the realistic American culture and expresses his concerns and beliefs of American behavior through satiric and critical remarks. Huckleberry Finn is referred to as the “Great American Novel” (Mark Twain-Wikipedia) due to its impact on society and literature as a whole. Huck Finn, the narrator, didn’t express his opinions in a civilized manner as Emerson and Thoreau had written theirs; however, expressed his thoughts just as any other man would. The difference between Clemens’ novel and other author’s writings is Clemens’ relates to the dialect and culture of society while other writers use proper grammar and avoid using offensive subjects. By doing so Clemens’ novel has been the basis of all other American novels and continues to impact writers.

In conclusion Clemens’ novel Huckleberry Finn impacts American literature through relating language, characters and settings from the modern era. Though the novel may seem offensive by using degrading language, the novel isn’t intended to apply harm but to show society’s actions. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has influenced American literature by relating characters to real people and dialects to their appropriate era, and will continue to influence American writers as long as his novel isn’t removed from the shelves. home

--Kendra