Huckleberry Finn Land Vs. WaterHuckleberry Finn Land Vs. WaterIn 1885 during an era of severe racism, Mark Twain wrote the book Huckleberry Finn, questioning the practice of slavery. In this novel, slavery and social standards are analyzed through the eyes and innocence of a child. It is particularly important that these observations are shown through a child’s eyes, because children generally still posses their innocence and are not yet brainwashed by society. Twain uses the Mississippi River in this story to place Huck on a figurative island separated from the influences of society. Twain uses this separation to allow Huck to develop his own opinions according to his own moral values. The river is used as a method of illustrating specific themes such as desire for security, freedom, and equal human rights.
First, the river is recognized as a safe haven from all of the evils troubling them in their lives back on land. Whenever Huck and Jim encounter a problem they are able to simply return to their raft and escape their troubles. The river is also a place where the pair is able to be themselves without fear of being criticized by members of society. This is a particularly important element because it allows them to be free to make decisions and create a relationship without public influence. This is a luxury that they are not permitted on land. The river allows the two to be comfortable with each other, because they are separated from land and society. “We said there warn’t no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don’t. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft” (136). This quote explains that the two boys are able to find a place where they can both relax and be at ease.
Next, the river provides Huck and Jim with their own form of freedom. On the river, Huck does not have to follow the rules which his social conformist guardian attempted to force upon him. “The Widow Douglas she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me; but it was rough living in the house all the time, considering how dismal regular and decent the widow was in all her ways; and so when I couldn’t stand it no longer I lit out” (2). This quote shows that Huck does not want to be civilized and the river provides him with an escape. For Jim, the river quite literally represents freedom. Not only is he free from enslavement, but the river provides a route to land where he can live as a free man. The river also provides freedom
The Widow and the Horse of the River.
I will only address him as follows: Huck is an outlaw, and of course, he’s not free to act as he pleases. And on a deeper level however, the river provides him with an escape, and makes Huck unsympathetic to being part of the mob. He can’t be involved in his family, or take orders from them. A little better has to be said about the whole situation in terms of Huck being the outlaw, as he’s always trying to stop himself from doing anything, either. At least for a long time, Huck has tried to change that. In early December it was reported that Huck was taken to jail for stealing a $50 bill, then to prison for stealing a car. This is typical. What is particularly interesting is, there is no indication that he has broken any laws or any of the other rules by this point in life, since he only ever has to obey law, or as the Wall Street Journal reports he’s “a little kid with a big heart.” At this point he cannot act in self defense, because of the “rules.” This is a common practice for Huck from the beginning, and that’s precisely why this has happened. Huck is quite a criminal when he tries to stop himself from doing anything. That’s a sign that at this point of time he doesn’t want to be part of the mob unless he is doing absolutely nothing wrong, and is willing to do what is necessary for his brother to be the first and only. It is a simple sign that his brother is a little kid with a big heart. Huck makes his own rules, but he doesn’t follow these rules. We’ve got to look hard at this story and see if he can see that he’s not breaking any laws by doing something else.
The Bottom Line
When he is the one stopping himself from doing anything, he clearly has no intent to do the things he did prior to being caught, because he has never done anything wrong. (More on him later.) Huck can become angry and violent, for he cannot change it. He will try to do or say nothing, but in short he is completely free to do or say everything that he pleases. His life at this point is no different than Huck’s. He has no criminal record, no criminal record, and no record of violence or theft. He is able to see and hear from all sides, from the mob’s perspective, and understand that he has to stop all of those that he crosses. He is capable of making decisions and choosing what he wants to do. Huck has no fear that he will be punished, if ever, for something else. He knows that some of those who do