"and [Jim] would always call me honey, and pet me and do everything he could think of for me, and how good he always was."
Huck mentions at one point that he and Jim are often naked while alone together.
Angst? What Angst?: Huck's reaction to finding out his father and Miss Watson had died a while ago was either unmentioned or nonexistent.
Ending Fatigue: The story comes to a grinding halt once Jim gets locked in the smokehouse - in part because Tom Sawyer, once he finally shows up, seems to be trying to take the book away from Huck.
Even Better Sequel: While The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is still a good book, Huck Finn is widely considered better. The former is full of Age-Appropriate Angst and misadventures of the Antebellum South in the 1840s. The latter is a condemnation of slavery and a powerful message about standing up for what you believe in. Huckleberry is regularly taught in schools, while Sawyer is generally just regarded as a famous kids' book.
Everyone is Jesus in Purgatory: An attempted defiance by the author in his preface, saying anyone attempting to find a plot would be shot. It hasn't stopped generations of scholars from analyzing the heck out of this book.
Fair for Its Day: It's now considered by some to be racist, but is actually a satirical work condemning slavery. It's seen as racist for the outdated terms (the n-word being commonly used, whether intended badly or not) but it was radical then. And while Jim is portrayed as being ignorant (being Black at that time, he had not received any sort of formal education; Huck has a hard time explaining how it is that French people don't speak English) he is by no means stupid. In fact, he's generally the smartest guy in the room (or on the raft, as the case may be).
Genius Bonus: Prior to the American Civil War, the United States did not have a unified money supply. As such, cash printed in big cities was easier to pay with. On his journey, Huck has to pay a person in cash for a favor. It is accepted without a hitch because the cash was printed in New Orleans, and New Orleans is described as having some of the most reliable currency available. Not a strong case of Shown Their Work because Twain knew this tidbit first hand.
Miss Watson, the Widow Douglas's sister, tells Huck about the "bad place," and Huck, bored to tears, tells her he wishes he were there. She scolds him for saying that, and then tells him she lives her life so as to be taken into The Good Place.
Whole essays have been written on what may or may not exist between Huck and Jim—most famous being "Come Back on the Raft Agin, Huck Honey."
Tom and Huck, especially with the line "I wanted him and me to be together"
I Am Not Shazam: At no point in the novel is Huck's companion ever called "Nigger Jim"—that came from various descriptions and ties-in to the book shortly after its publication, most notably by Ernest Hemingway.
Iron Woobie: Huck is utterly penniless, gets kidnapped by his abusive and alcoholic father, is nearly stabbed by said father, almost gets shot during a feud, has a run in with a homicidal gang of robbers and falls into the company of con men, among other things. Throughout all of this, he's infectiously cheerful, playful and heartbreakingly unaware of the Crapsack World surrounding him.
Misaimed Fandom: Inverted. Sometimes condemned as an unironic endorsement of Civil War-era racism due to its extremely liberal use of the n-word and its somewhat stereotypical portrayal of Jim, despite the fact that the book's primary message is to criticize slavery as inhumane, and that Jim actually subverts many of the contemporary Uncle Tomfoolery stereotypes. Tellingly of the book's true intent, Huck, believing that even God is prejudiced against his black friend, renounces all hope of Heaven for The Power of Friendship.
Moral Event Horizon: After coming close to crossing it during the previous chapters by trying to steal Peter Wilks’ inheritance, the Duke and King cross it when they turn on Huck and sell Jim off to the Phelps family. It’s quite satisfying when they are Tarred And Feathered the next and last time we see them.
One-Scene Wonder: The book has quite a few memorable characters who only appear very briefly, but the best example of this has to be Colonel Sherburn, who gives a spectacular "The Reason You Suck" Speechto an angry mob, and despite being a cold-blooded murderer, he remains an impressive figure.
Overshadowed by Controversy: The novel is undoubtedly a classic, but it's also very well-known for the numerous times it has been banned for its persistent use of the n-word. Those who have actuallyread the novel know that the slave character, Jim, is actually the smartest character in the story, and as demonstrated by Huck's Big Damn Heroes moment to save Jim from capture despite honestly believing he will go to Hell for it, but that Jim is worth Hell, the novel ultimately condemns racism and slavery. Modern book-banners are growing less and less shy about this being the real reason they’d like to keep it out of children’s hands.
Signature Scene: Huck's refusal to rat Jim out, even defiantly declaring "All right, then, I'll go to hell," is considered to be one of the most powerful moments in not just the book, but American literature as a whole.
The free use of the n-word throughout the story has put the novel in the crosshairs of many modern parents in spite of the novel's anti-slavery message.
Beatings, whether at school or at home, were quite common, and Huck even states that his back doesn't mind anymore.
