In the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, we are presented with a hero, Huckleberry Finn. This, however, is not your normal hero. Huck doesn't gun down thousands of terrioists, or run to his Huckmobile when a 'H' flashes onto the sky. On the contrary, Huck is a true, all american, regular guy who is thrown into a situation that changes him into our hero. Where as most characters would not be able to handle the events that happen, Huck works his way through using only his wits. Mark Twain has created a new kind of hero that is not perfect by any means, but has his own set of characterestics.

First, Huck is a very inteligent and down to earth individual. He has enough common sense to figure his way out of almost anything. He is witty enough to be able to pass for a female when he needs information. Whenever Huck needed a plan, he always came up with one. It wasn't the most elegant or complex plan, but it got the job done. He is even able to trick the King and Duke, the con artists of con artists, into trusting him. Huck has plenty of smarts, he just doesn't realize or accept it. He is always wishing for Tom Sawyer to be there because he thinks Tom is better than him.

Huck is also a very loyal person. If he said he would do something, he would follow through with it. All through the book Huck is helping Jim get to freedom. Although he has a few moments of guilt, he stays with Jim till the end. Even when the King and Duke join their party, he helps them out. Then later, he helps out Mary Jane and her sisters when the King and Duke try to steal money from them. Towards the end he follows Tom Sawyers plan to the dot, even though it is silly and over-complex. However, he didn't remain loyal to his own identity.

The final quality, and main flaw in Huck's character, was his acceptance of himself. Throughout the novel, Huck pretends to be several different people. He pretends to be everyone, from a woman, to Tom Sawyer. But he doesn't ever use his own identity. Huck also doesn't have much self confedience. He is always wishing that Tom Sawyer was there to help him. However, at the end, we finally see Huck accepting his true self when he discovers that Tom isn't any better that he is. Accepting onesself was a major point Mark Twain was trying to convey in his novels.

Mark Twain has created quite a character within his book. Huckleberry Finn is a complex and imperfect hero that we can all relate to. From being loyal to friends and strangers alike, to understanding onesself, Huck is shown to be a great human. We are also shown Huck's flaws which makes him all the more real. And at the center of the novel, Huck finds that we are all the same, no matter the race or skin color. Twain has showed us a true hero, and a great role model.