Huckleberry Finn River Symbolism Essay

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

In this section, insight into the character of Jim is portrayed. Jim comes across as sincere and trustworthy. The loyalty of Jim and Huck to each other begins to be seen. An example of Jim’s loyalty is seen when Jim is overjoyed to find Huck is still alive after they are separated in the fog. During this section, it begins to be apparent that Jim would be willing to sacrifice to be sure that Huck is safe but Huck does not yet return those feelings. During this section, Huck’s moral dilemma about helping a slave escape begins to surface. The fact that the relationship is strengthening is revealed when Huck lies about having smallpox on their raft in order to prevent Jim from being caught as a slave. Huck again assumes several identities during this section, which reveal much about him. On the raft, Huck is very mature and responsible. He becomes the son of a

     Life on the river was also good at first, but it also became tiresome for Huck. He liked the sense of freedom that he had while he was on the river with Jim, he didn't have to go to school nor did he have any rules that he had to live by. He didn't have to worry about what his father was going to do to him. However the river still set limits on their freedom, Jim and Huck were only able to travel at night because they were afraid of Jim being found and whenever they would stop for the day, they would have to cover up the raft with leaves and foliage. Huck did not like having to be the one that would have to go look for food and water for them, he never had to be responsible until this time and, he didn't like having to use such precautions so that Jim would not be found. Huck could have made life easier for himself and turned Jim in, but he looked at him as a friend not as a fugitive slave.

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

As huck and Jim move towards south, the duke and the prince invade the raft, and huck and Jim should pay longer on land. Although the stream continues to supply a refuge from bother, it usually just affects the exchange of 1 dangerous scenario for one more. Every escape exists within the larger context of a continuing drift southward, toward the geographic area and entrenched slavery. during this transition from idyllic go back to supply of peril, the stream mirrors the difficult state of the South. As huck and Jim’s journey progresses, the river, that once appeared a paradise and a supply of freedom, becomes just a short-run suggests that of escape that yet pushes huck and Jim ever additional toward danger and destruction.

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

There are few reasons why this quote is important for this book. The first reason why it is important is because; it shows what raft represents for Jim and Huck: it represents freedom, of equality, of hope. Huck and Jim builds up friendship on the raft, in 1835-1845 there were severe racism in the society but, because Jim and Huck are removed from social constraints they were able to build friendship. Secondly, it shows how Huck feels toward civilized life: Huck is much more at ease when he is removed from societal rules and structures. On the raft, ideas of morality and rules do not exist, which makes Huck’s life much more delightful.

Huck's relationship with Jim also progressed on the river (which symbolizes that natural world and freedom from society) but stagnates on the shore (which represents mainstream society). Huck and Jim engage in all their bonding on the river, where they can forget the difference in their races - but when Huck goes out on shore, he is obligated to tie Jim up and leave him behind. Only on the river, free of the corrupting influence of society, are Huck and Jim free to express their true selves.

If Huck was at home, he would be subject to his father’s abuse, but the raft creates freedom for Huck to do as he pleases while protecting him from the society he lives in. Furthermore, on the raft, Huck and Jim have to talk and develop a friendship. Huck learns to love Jim and exclaims, “poor Jim” when he the king sold Jim into slavery (Twain 196). While on the raft, Huck and Jim develop a friendship learn to love each other. The raft provides a way to create a safe place for Jim and Huck to do become friends and protects them from the American society and standards of a white male and a black male being friends. Huck and Jim are free to become friends without critics all because of the raft. When off the raft, Huck faces difficulties. The first incident of Huck getting off the raft is to look at a wrecked steamship. Huck gets off the raft, goes on the boat, and looks around. When realizing the boat has a gang threatening murder, he tries to leave, but he gets “shut up on a wreck with such a gang” (Twain 66). He is stuck on the boat with thieves threatening murder and has no way to transportation. After searching, Huck finds the raft and escapes the boat. When Huck is off the raft, Huck sees the

Jim ran away from the custody of Mary Warren in hopes of escaping the town. Huck bonds well with Jim because he has more moral similarity with Jim than he does with white society. Jim is black and an uneducated slave. Despite the deisadvantages, he remains intelligent and a good role model for Huck. Jim spreads many messages to Huck, but one of the main ones is to be thankful for what you have; “It lays in de way Sollerum was raised. You take a man dat’s got on’y one or two chillen; is dat man gwyne be wasteful o’chillen? No he ain’t; he can’t ‘ford it. He know how to value ‘em,” (Twain 78). Jim is talking about the Great King Soloman and how greedy he is, and then proceeds to describe another person who does not have much in life but cherishes what they do have. Huck develops a deep relationship with Jim when they are isolated on a raft; “For what you want, above all things, on a raft, is for everybody to be satisfied, and feel right and kind towards the others,” (Twain 125).The solitude of the raft allows Jim and Huck to escape society. Even as other characters in the book invade the peacefulness of the raft with society’s evils, Huck’s close friendship with Jim prevails. Huck’s natural instinct is to protect his friend rather than turn in the runaway slave. Jim represents the goodness of society, and he brings out Huck’s best

Furthermore, the novel illustrates the unrestricted freedom the river provides through the connection with nature, independence from slavery, and the pair’s relationship. After escaping the clutches of the restrictive lifestyle of Miss Watson and the violent relationship with his father, Huck seeks refuge in the waters surrounding himself with nature, considering it as his home as he proclaims, “...there warn’t no home like the raft…Other places feel so cramped and smothery, but a raft don't. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft” (Twain 117). As Jim escapes from civilization towards life on the raft where open friendship and freedom that the river provides overcome prejudice against racism and slavery, he grows as an individual as he declares risking his life and freedom for Huck, “my heart wuz mos’' broke bekase you wuz los’, en I didn' k'yer no mo'

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.

To many readers, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is known as the “Great American Novel”. It tells a story about a young boy and an escaped slave who develop an unlikely friendship while traveling down the Mississippi River. Twain explores many American literature themes in his writing. Three themes that appear frequently throughout the novel are freedom, nature, and individual conscience.