 Written as a sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is often called the great American novel. In the book, Huck Finn steals away from both the civilizing influence of the widow Douglas and his alcoholic father, Pap. By and by, he joins up with Jim, an escaped slave, and they make their way down the Mississippi River. Along the way, they encounter steamships, rival clans, swindlers, and murder.