Adventures of Huck Finn: Land vs. Water
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: River vs. Land In the novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain throws the curious yet innocent mind of Huck Finn out into a very hypocritical, judgmental, and hostile world, yet Huck has one escape--the Mississippi River constantly flowing nearby. Here nature is presented as a thought provoking environment when experienced alone. The river is quiet and peaceful place where Huck can revert to examine any predicament he might find himself in. The natural flowing and calm of the river causes this deep-thought, showing how unnatural the collective thought of a society can be. Huck is at a point in his life where opinions are formed, and by growing on the river, Huck can stand back from society and form his own. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn teaches an important lesson, one that shows the importance of the self in the maturing process. We see Huck grow up by having the river as a place of solitude and thought, where he is able to participate in society at times, and also sit back !and observe society. Nature, peace, and logic are presented in the form of the river where Huck goes to think. In Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the river plays many roles and holds a
"(103) So, even as the river provides peace, freedom, and escape, its presence looms ominously throughout the journey. "(96) 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. Huck becomes more attached to the raft and his companion every time he returns to the peacefulness and harmony of the raft from land, 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. It provides the two characters a means of escape. "(97) Huck becomes so engrossed in the good !moments that he forgets how they have to constantly be on the watch for others on the river. 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. For Huck and Jim, the benefits of their detachment from land society and its evils seems to greatly outweigh the perils of remaining on the river. 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. "(96) He resents the objectives and beliefs and the so-called "civilized" people of the society around him. No matter which way one is inclined to believe, the river does hold some higher role than just water and mud; it is the center for most of the story. Huck has to constantly think of new stories to tell nearby boatsmen or anyone else who might intrude on their concord. prominent theme throughout much of the story. Huck senses this truth when he mentions how "other places feel so cramped and smothery, but a raft don't. Although the river allows them some measure of freedom at once, only the moment when they set foot on Jackson's Island or the raft do they have a chance to practice that idea of brotherhood to which they are so devoted.
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