Huck Finn And The River
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.
As says Marx, "The very words with which Clemens launches Huck and Jim upon their voyage indicate that theirs in not a boy's lark but a quest for freedom" (338): a freedom "which [they] temporarily enjoy aboard the raft." (339) Although quite constrained in its capacity to provide freedom of movement, the raft affords ...
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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," as Marx says, and although "only on the raft do they have a chance to practice that idea of brotherhood to which they are so devoted," (342) this freedom is very limited in scope, 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 ...
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only a little kind of a low chuckle." (55) However, the more they venture onto shore, the more they appreciate being back on the raft. Says Trilling, "After every sally into the social life of the shore, [Huck] returns to the river with relief and thanksgiving; and at each return ... there is a hymn of praise of the [river's] beauty, mystery, and strength, and to [its] noble grandeur in contrast with the pettiness of men." (320) Huck becomes more attached to the raft and his companion every time he returns to the peacefulness and harmony of the raft, and at one point says that "it did feel so good to be free again and all by ourselves on the big river and nobody to bother us." (162) He ...
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"Huck Finn And The River." Essayworld.com. February 13, 2008. Accessed November 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Huck-Finn-And-The-River/78981.
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