By reading this sensational novel, the reader is involved in the building of a character. Twain thoroughly explains the bold characteristics of the main characters by going into great detail. The literature strongly shows realism of place and language, memorable characters, and hatred of hypocrisy and oppression. According to the authors of Teaching Huck Finn without Regret, “The novel is a predominant symbol that ties together American Literature, and in its own right, of American history too.” Furthermore, it gives the present day readers an image of the history of slavery in a serious, yet humorous way. “Sometimes, though, Twain’s humor conceals nothing profound; it is simply comedy for comedy’s sake. This is another reason the book works. Teenagers’ television and movie choices testify to their love of silliness” (“Teaching”). When humor is scrutinized, it usually defeats the purpose. Twain shapes his humor pretty seriously--by making his jokes go to the root of human nature. It doesn’t matter what time period the book is read in. A reader born from the 1920s and a reader from the 2000s can interpret the text because the jokes included are