The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

On this date, in the year of our Lord 1885, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published under Samuel Langhorne Clemens' pen name, Mark Twain. This is not my favorite of Mr. Twain's works; rather, mine are as follows:
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Roughing It
Pudd'nhead Wilson


Many in our time would focus on the social issues entwined in Twain's writings. I will not. As a Christian, I would direct you to his worldview.
During his lifetime, Mr. Twain deliberately rejected God. Even in the work headlining today's entry, Clemens showed his own rebellion through the character of Huck Finn who: mocks prayer, sees all religious people as naive or hypocritical, and rejects traditional standards of right and wrong.
In the mid-1890's Clemens wrote, "Whoever has lived long enough to find out what life is, knows how deep a debt of gratitude we owe to Adam, the first great benefactor of our race. He brought death into the world." [While he does have his biblical facts straight,as a new widow, I can assure you that I wholeheartedly disagree with his attitude toward death!]
In The Mysterious Stranger, a work published six years after his death, Clemens unveiled his personal conclusion,"There is no God, no universe, no human race, no earthly life, no heaven, no hell. It is all a dream--a grotesque and foolish dream." [I say to you without any reservation that Samuel Clemons was WRONG! ...but he knows that now]

Are you wondering, then, why I enjoy reading Mark Twain's works? I believe he gifted those of us who came after him with insight of what life was like in 17th century American.,A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court being the exception. I would encourage you - have your young people read Twain...BUT...you read it first! Be ready to talk through the issues and opinions Twain expresses. His writing can be a valuable tool towards having frank discussions with your students. Take advantage of his enjoyable writing style. I promise, Twain will put a smile on your lips and a bring a chuckle out.

Bottom line in reading Samuel Clemons: that while his works, are individually often pleasant, together they reveal the sad history of a man's stubborn rebellion against his Creator God.