English classes in some schools throughout the United States do not have The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain on their lists for their reading curriculum. Parents and/or grandparents whose ancestors have lived their lives as slaves refuse to allow their children/grandchildren to read the novel because of the use of the "n" word over 200 times. However, because they only think about that one word, they don't know that the book actually portrays many important themes. Three meaningful subjects are explored in friendship, religion, and heroism that are still relevant today. In the book, Twain shows the readers a great kind of friendship that takes place between a slave and a young white boy. After Huck, the white boy, runs away from his father, he runs into Jim, the slave, and both of them set out on a journey towards their freedom. As they float along the river on their raft, Jim represents a selfless, compassionate father figure who cares for Huck and tells Huck that …show more content…
After Huck and Jim are knocked into the river by a steamboat and separated, Huck goes ashore and come across the Grangerford family, who happens to be in a big feud with the Shepherdson family. One Sunday, all the people attend church, the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons bringing their guns. "[It is] pretty ornery preaching - all about brotherly love, and such-like tiresomeness; but everybody [says] it was a good [sermon and has] such a powerful lot to say about faith, and good works, and free grace, and preforeordestination..." (Twain 101). This shows that certain people, like the Grangerfords and Shepherdons, are not true to their faith. They don't practice what they've been preached, and they don't act like Christians even though they say are. Although the two rival families go to church and worship God, they still tend to try to kill one another at a time every once in a while and forget the goodness of "brotherly