Huckleberry Finn River Analysis

Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn shows the development of a young boy named Huck Finn. We see Huck develop in character, attitude and maturity as he goes on his adventure down the Mississippi River. This is displayed through his search for freedom from civilization and it's beliefs and through his personal observations of a corrupt and immoral society. Most importantly, we are in Huck's head as he goes through his confusion over his supposedly immoral behavior and his acceptance that he will “go to hell” as he conquers his social beliefs.

Twain's understanding of the river was not very strong at first. He understand change of perspective of the river throughout his journey. At first Twain’s view of the river was beautiful and alluring but as time went by he started seeing it was boring and old. In the first paragraph of the story, the author uses an analogy to show how he felt about the river. “And it was a book to be read once and thrown aside for it had a new story to tell everyday.” This analogy shows Twain’s point of view on the river at this time. The Mississippi River in his eyes at this time is positive, and he enjoys the time he gets to spend on the river while doing his job. As Mark Twain’s time on the river he changes how he views it from being negative to

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, uses various concrete objects, such as rivers, to symbolize a diverse range of feelings, emotions, and even actions. The ultimate symbol in the novel is the Mississippi River. Rivers often

Huckleberry Finn is also lifted into great literary status by Twain’s compelling use of symbolism. An example of this symbolism is the Mississippi River. Throughout the novel, the river symbolizes life’s journey and, eventually, Huck’s natural integrity. It represents a place of ease and safety for both Huck and Jim. There is a major difference between their life on the river and their life on the land. On the river, life for Huck is peaceful and easy yet not without its dangers, whilst life on the land is most often cruel, demanding, and deceitful. Another example is how life on the raft is a paradox because, even

"Muddy Mississippi." "Ol' Man watercourse." "Proud Mary." Those are other names for it. The Mississippi would possibly could be a national image; it's positively a majorly vital symbol for Huckleberry Finn. It represents freedom and possibility—but conjointly, maybe, the issues of a drifting life.

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn the river and the shore are both used as symbols in Twain’s social critique of America at his time. Throughout the story, Huck and Jim often find themselves sailing away on the river or sitting on the shore. There is evidence in the novel that the flowing, lively river could represent freedom where the shore seems to be linked to to the static nature of conformity. Twain shows how the river is a free place for all, for example, on the river Huck finds himself trusting Jim and creating a friendship with him, a relationship that was highly unlikely in the time period because the upper-middle class were often the ones to own slaves. Since Huck is connected to the realm of the middle class, Twain is making a comment on slavery, by allowing two people from different racial backgrounds to be friends friends he breaks the social rules that divides white from black, and shows that race does not matter. In The Great Gatsby, The Valley of Ashes between the East and West Egg also symbolizes the difference in social

In the sense that the river is also a path that Huck can choose of proceeding with his journey or putting a stop to it and returning home as well as, turning Jim in as a runaway slave. This option is established in the 31st chapter in the novel when Huck confronts his options for his journey, and in the end, betrays himself that tells him to turn around and stop what he is doing. This being incorporated into the story would display to those few Southern’s at the time that assisted some blacks in their escape from the South to persuade them to continue with their choice to aid those blacks to their freedom just as Huck did with

Mark Twain's novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is based on a young boy's coming of age in Missouri in the mid-1800s. The adventures Huck Finn gets into while floating down the Mississippi River depict many serious issues that occur on the shores of civilization, better known as society. As these events following the Civil War are told through the young eyes of Huckleberry Finn, he unknowingly develops morally from the influences surrounding him on his journey to freedom and in the end, becomes a mature individual.

Two people taking a trip down a river, is rarely thought of as anything more than just an adventure. Mark Twain, however, uses his novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, to explore and makes fun of many problems facing American society. Huck, the main character, is considered a boy who is under pressure to conform to the aspects of society. Jim, who comes along with Huck, is a runaway slave seeking freedom from the world that has been denied it to him for so long. Throughout the entire novel Twain uses satire to show problems with society.

“He used to always whale me when he was sober and could get his hands on me; though I used to take to the woods most of the time when he was around “ (Twain 3). Huck’s father is so abusive that he cannot stay, and so he fakes his own death. Faking his death and fleeing to Jackson Island is the only thing Huck can do enable to save his own life from the dangers of Pap, and his way to escape from society. Huck finds that he is not the only inhabitant on Jackson Island, and he finds that the other inhabitant is Jim, Mrs. Watson’s slave. Jim tells Huck that he overheard Miss Watson discussing selling him for $800 to a slave trader who would take him to New Orleans, which would separate him from his family. Both Huck and Jim come to conclusion that the river is the only route they can take if they want to be free. “So in two seconds away we went a-sliding down the river, and it did seem so good to be free again and all by ourselves on the big river, and nobody to bother us. (Twain 29). The river represents freedom and it goes with the calm, steady flow,which Huck wishes to be. Huck uses the river as an escape to escape the norms of reality and society. Huck represents a boat that is floating down the river, but he is still being pointed to the direction others want him to go. Life on the shore is harder because a boat ,Huck, obviously doesn't belong on land. Huck is being forced to fit the standards of Pap,

Like the oppressive civilization Huck’s bound to, slavery confines Jim to his slave status. When given the dilemma of either running away or being sold off by his owner, Miss Watson, Jim chooses to run away: “I—I runoff…Ole missus…pecks on me all de time, en treats me pooty rough, but she awluz said she wouldn’ sell me down to Orleans” (Twain 43). The repressive civilization restricts both Jim and Huck’s freedom through Miss Watson’s reforms, Pap’s abusive relationship, and slavery prompting them to escape the confines of a ‘civilized’ society and to seek protection in the waters on the raft.

Life on the river for Huck and Jim is very peaceful. Jim built a snug wigwam to keep their belongings dry, they could just lay looking up at the sky, and they good weather. Huck says, “We catched fish and talked, and we took a swim now and then to keep off sleepiness” (Twain, 64). The river provided Huck and Jim many things, not only food, but also a way to escape. For Huck, the river provided him an escape from his life with his father and the Widow. For Jim, the river provided an escape from being a slave. On the river they were both free from their past lives. Mark Twain, in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, shows us how nature can offer an escape from society’s restrictions and evils. Even though nature has changed immensely since this book was written, it still provides an escape from society. In today’s world, nature can be utilized as a thinking place or as a place to recover from pain. There are many more themes that we can see in today’s society. Several themes of Huck Finn are still relevant today, including “Nature offers an escape from society’s restrictions and evils,” “People tend to act cruelly or irrationally in groups,” and “Discrimination causes pain and suffering for many people”.

Mark Twain also demonstrates how undesirable civilized society really is. Both Huck and Jim desire freedom, which greatly contrasts the existing civilization along the river. They both turn to nature to escape from the unprincipled ways of civilization. Huck wants to escape from both the proper, cultured behavior of Miss Watson and Widow Douglas and the tyranny of his father. Jim, on the other hand, hopes to escape from slavery and start a new life as a free man, hopefully with his own family eventually. Throughout the novel, the raft enables Huck and Jim to escape from the barbarism of their society to a place of serenity and peace, which is always on their raft, away from any other people. Through the duration of the story, Huck learns and does many things that would be contrary to the beliefs of society such as helping Jim

In �The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn�, the Mississippi River plays several roles and holds a prominent theme throughout much of the story as a whole. Huckleberry Finn and Jim are without a doubt the happiest and most a peace when floating down the river on their raft. However, the river has a much deeper meaning than just a compilation of water. It almost goes to an extent of having its own personality and character traits. The river offers a place for the two characters, Huck and Jim, to escape from everybody and even everything in society and leaves them with a feeling of ease. In the middle section of Huckleberry Finn, the river takes on more of a concrete meaning and will be discussed more so in the paragraphs that follows.

The Mississippi river is one of the most widely recognized symbols of freedom in the novel. It is used as a means of escape by both Huck Finn and Jim. The first time it is used as such is when Huck runs away from his father and the possibility of being forced back into society. Huck devised an elaborate scheme to escape via the river. He had a few close calls but when he saw his chance he took it: “I didn't lose no time. The next minute I was a-spinning down-stream soft, but quick, in the shade of the bank. I made two mile and a half, and then struck out a quarter of a mile or more toward the middle of the river,” (pg. 48).Without the aid of the river Huck’s departure