Expert: RYHE BGERT34T - 10/17/2008

Question
I need help badly! I'm a college student and we are required to read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn but what I have read so far is so boring that I've actually fallen asleep while reading and if I don't do good this semester and get my GPA up then my financial aid will quit paying my tuition and I will have to drop out. How can I get through reading Huckleberry Finn and not fall asleep and how can I keep myself motivated while reading this?

Answer
Hi

That is a very interesting question you pose.

Actually, that is a problem with most of us. Most of these earlier novels are quite bulky and they seemingly meander. And as the people of that period had lesser distractions than us they could afford to spend so much time on each novel.

A good way of getting through books like Huck Finn or David Copperfield (another bulky book) is to sit back and enjoy, and try to get ourselves to get into the mood of that period. Of course, that is a lot easier said than done.

Another way is to break the book into chunks; and with a novel like Huck Finn that is pretty easy, as the book is a series of incidents.

Another thing you might do is look at the novel as a contemporary work. Most of the issues that are depicted in the novel are still relevant -- though they might not be as obvious or as blatant as they were then. Racism was a major issue even in the 1970s -- as is brought out by the 'bussing' incidents, and even now we have stray incidents. And the gender questions that the novel poses -- when Huck dons a female disguise -- are prevalent even today. As an  example, you just have to look at Tennis: 5 sets for men, and 3 for women, showing that we still don't consider the female on par with the male.

You can also look at how satire is used by Twain, from the 'advertisement' at the beginning of the novel to Tom's notions of 'adventure', and you can draw similarities with the modern age.

By keeping your mind active, and thinking about the novel and analyzing it while you are reading it, you would keep yourself from getting bored.

At the end of the day, it is a question of motivation. And, as you have pointed out, you have more than enough reason to read the novel.

However, I would suggest that you don't put too much pressure on yourself, and try to enjoy the book as you would enjoy an RPG  or a long movie like Titanic -- by relaxing. Don't keep telling yourself that you need to read it, and that it is 'work' that you are doing, and before you know it the book would charm you.

Happy Reading!