Huckleberry fin 2
Huckleberry fin 2Huck Finn
In Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the river plays many roles and holds a prominent theme throughout much of the story. Huck and Jim seem to be happiest and most at peace when on the river. Although probably not to the point of having its own personality, the river has a deeper meaning than just water and mud. It provides the two characters a means of escape. Their voyage was a quest for freedom. Although quite constrained in its capacity to provide freedom of movement, the raft affords Huck and Jim a certain amount of freedom in actions, words, and emotions.
Freedom in this book specifically means freedom from society and its imperatives. Huck senses this truth when he mentions how other places feel so cramped and smothery, but a raft don't. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft. He resents the objectives and beliefs and the so-called "civilized" people of the society around him. He disbelieves what societal beliefs have been ingrained in his mind since his birth, which is shown by his close friendship with Jim, a runaway slave. The river is the only form of separation from this society which Huck has access to, but it still does not completely separate them from what they disbelieve in. Although the river allows them some measure of freedom at once, the moment they set foot on Jackson's Island or the raft and although only on the raft do they have a chance to practice that idea of brotherhood to which they are so devoted. This freedom is very limited and they must still go out of their way to avoid others, going down the river only at night and hiding during the day. Huck has to constantly think of new stories to tell nearby boatsmen or anyone else who might intrude on their concord.
Another appeal of the river is its peacefulness. Huck does not much seem to enjoy the company of other people, with the few exceptions of Jim, Tom Sawyer, and a couple of secondary characters such as Mary Jane Wilks. He likes to be free from the restrictions of others and be himself. He also seems to enjoy things quiet, which people do not tend to be. He mentions once when he and Jim anchor and watch the sun rise that there was "not a sound, anywheres -- perfectly still -- just like the whole world was asleep." With just himself and Jim on the raft, things surely would tend to be quiet more often than not because two people eventually run out of things to talk about, as opposed to the many mixed conversations of large company. He likes these quiet moments, which possibly last even days at a time, because 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...
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