When it comes to pioneering of new ideas, fresh innovations and authenticity, Americans, regardless of validity, consider themselves to be on the top of the list. Fiercely proud and protective of their way of life, Americans value the ideals and principles that they feel is distinctively theirs, defined succinctly as the American Dream. The Dream emphasizes individualism, ambition, capitalism, productivity, freedom and democracy- the very keystones of American society. Every American individual who wishes to find success would do well to remember and adhere to these values; every American author who wishes to hold the right to be called an ‘American author’ would do well to harp on those time-honored American ideals. Such is the importance of the American Dream. Such is the importance of Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Why did Hemingway claim Huck Finn to be the most important of all American novels? Why is there so much relevance and controversy attached to this book, essentially a tale of freedom? The answer is this; it is a book about freedom on American soil. The connotations of this are plentiful. Huckleberry Finn is the narrative version of the pioneering spirit of Americans; the discovery of new frontiers and the breakdown of the old and the obsolete. It is also a story of equality and camaraderie- two things that are highly valued among Americans yet, at the same time, in direct contradiction to the original American values of individualism and capitalism.

One of the first major importances of this novel to Americans is the fact that it is set in America. It is one of the first pillars of American literature to have truthfully and realistically depicted America as America, a sign of the rising pride among the citizens of that great nation. Twain’s use of local dialects and accent, together with the various nuances and eccentricities of the different classes of American society, is a far cry from the works of his predecessors, whose major interest seemed to be not on American life, but on those of Europe. Twain did not look further than his own home on the Mississippi for inspiration; he did not feel the need to do so. For Mark Twain, life on American soil was just as fascinating and intriguing as anywhere else. This pioneering attitude of the author sets the tone for most other American writers that followed.

The same goes for the theme of freedom and equality that is so prominent in the book. Whether it is Huck trying to escape the shackles of civilization or Jim trying to escape the shackles of slavery, the key issue here is the importance of freedom to Americans. Twain highlights the wonders and pleasures of living a simple life on a raft, free from the fetters of ‘sivilisation’. On a deeper level, the book depicts the struggle among the Americans to free themselves from the old social norms of aristocracy and discrimination and the forging of their own identity as a free and democratic society, without the irrational rules and stratifications common at that time.

The reason Huck Finn is so highly important to Americans is plain to see. No other book so ‘accurately’ captures the American spirit. It is a literary work that still remains important and will do so for a long time to come, so much so that it has become an American institution.