My first impression of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn that I knew it was going to be boring because last summer I'd read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, which I thought was boring. The book did live up to my expectations and didn't keep me interested 99.9% of the time, but it did reinforce a very important message to me, and maybe the other readers as well. The message I got, and what I've come to believe as the theme of the book is that you can't judge a book by it's cover.
I know this expression is way overused but there are many times during this story that shows how important it is to judge a person by who they are rather than what they look like. One example where Huck judges someone by their inside is when he says that Jim is "white on the inside" because Jim shows worry for Tom after he gets shot. Although that is a pretty racist comment, I believe that Huck meant that Jim is good on the inside. The reason he used "white" instead of "good" is because society has taught him to believe that white is good and black is bad. Had Huck judged Jim on the color of his skin and the rules of society, Jim would have never been freed.
Another example of the theme being portrayed in the story is when Tom enters the book and shows how much more mature and good Huck is than him, and other boys of their age. Most people, during that time period, would most likely believe that because Tom's family is wealthy, or at least well off, he would have been raised better and would be a better kid, and that because Huck is poor, he would be a bad kid. This proves to be untrue and again, conveys the theme that you can't judge a book by it's cover. This may sound cheesy or over thought but I truly believe( even if I didn't like the book) that this was the message Mark Twain intended for the book.(And based on the message at the beginning of the book, I don't think he really cares whether I liked the book or not.)
