America's Great River Road: The Mississippi River
             Since the early days of our country, the Mississippi River has been recognized as a central icon to the American way of life, as it is portrayed in the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain. This great river connects the values of the North with the culture of the South. It is essentially the culmination of many of the rivers of the United States. No river has contributed more to the economic and social growth of the United States than the Mississippi River. In the pre-Civil War days of our country, this river represented "a way out" for Southern slaves. The Mississippi was one of the few geographical pathways that connected the North and the South, freedom and slavery. Mark Twain bases his novel around this idea of the Mississippi River being the path to freedom. In his novel, Mark Twain introduces the reader to the young Huckleberry Finn and his traveling companion and slave, Jim. Both Huckleberry and Jim are seeking freedom, whether it was from Huck's "sivilized" lifestyle, or from Jim's enslavement by Huck's guardian. However, despite differences in the freedom they desired, both Huck and Jim hope to gain their liberty by means of the Mississippi River.
             Huckleberry Finn is a normal teenager of the pre-Civil War era. He is a wild, free- spirited boy who is constantly seeking disassociation from the "sivilization" of his guardians, Widow Douglas and Miss Watson. Miss Watson, being the stricter of the two, took it upon herself to ensure that Huck's childhood years were not wasted on smoking, running away, and stealing. Huck noted, "Miss Watson would say, 'Don't put your feet up there Huckleberry' and 'Don't scrunch up like that, Huckleberry- set up straight' and pretty soon she would say, 'Don't gap and stretch like that, Huckleberry- why don't you try to b...