Huck Finn and the connection with the river
Huck Finn and the connection with the riverThe book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twain, could easily have been titled The River of Adventure, or Voyage Down The River, because the river plays many roles throughout much of the story. The river is not just a method of travel; the river provides the two main characters a means of escape. Their voyage is a quest for freedom; not only for Jim, but also for Huckleberry. Huck struggles with the thought that societal beliefs has had an impact on his life . His close friendship with Jim, a slave, is Huck’s way of breaking away from those traditional societal beliefs. It is just one of the many steps Huck takes in his attempt to break away from all of society. During the voyage
down the river, Huck must deal with actions, words and emotions that challenge him to a self-analysis that he is not aware of until the end of the novel.
The river separates Huck and Jim from society, but it does not completely remove them from what he and Jim are actually trying to escape from. Huck is always aware that the separation from himself and society is not complete, and his acceptance of this fact becomes part of the maturing process that he goes through during the voyage. The river does allow Huck some measure of freedom in the beginning of his trip. But as soon as he and Jim accidently meet, they find themselves being twisted and turned down stairways of inevitability, as if fate had a firm grip on both of them. Their limited liberty compels them to go out of their way to avoid others. Thus, they are forced to travel the river only at night and to hide during the day. This is not the freedom Huck had envisioned when he first set off on his great voyage. Huck has to constantly think of lies to tell nearby boatmen or anyone else they might run into on the river. During the trip, Huckleberry runs into a woman and has to make up a story of his identity. “Sarah Mary Williams. Sarah’s my first name. Some calls me Sarah, some calls me Mary.” (65)
Another role the river plays is its peacefulness. It gives Huck the feeling that he is free of the society he is trying to escape. Huck mentions one particular time, when he and Jim watched the sunrise, that there was ‘not a sound, anywheres — perfectly still — just like the whole world was asleep.’ Huck likes these quiet moments, which could lastdays at a time. At one point, Huck says, “Two or three days and nights went by; I reckon I might say they swum by, they slid along so quiet and smooth and lovely”(96). On...
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