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Similarities Between Huck Finn And Walden

Decent Essays

Freedom is an inalienable right according to the Declaration of Independence. But it’s only inalienable to those of a certain age, race and gender. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Walden share a similar premise about seeking and gaining freedom but go about it very differently. Freedom in Huckleberry Finn comes about through running away, making good friends and having many adventures. Freedom in Walden happens when Thoreau is secluded in nature for an extended period of time to be self reflective. Huckleberry Finn is an adolescent and Thoreau is an adult.
As an adolescent, I would rather be with friends -- new or old -- on a similar adventure as Jim and Huckleberry Finn down the Mississippi because of freedom it represents and the encounters with people and situations along the way. Thoreau’s seclusion for years on a pond in the woods means he’s alone with nothing but his thoughts to develop personal philosophies on freedom. Both books are statements on the society at the time and on how to best find yourself at different life stages.
Huckleberry Finn is running away from an abusive parent and started off his adventure alone, but soon finds Jim who is a runaway slave of Miss Watson’s. They continue their journeys together and become friends and will do anything to protect each other. Along the way, when they are together they come across two people in need of help. “Just as I was passing a place where a kind of a cowpath crossed the crick, here comes a couple of

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