Final Eng IOP

8/6/2019 Final Eng IOP

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Examining the River in terms of Symbolism in "The Adventures of HuckleberryFinn"

BACKGROUND INFO

French and Spanish explorers are known as the first Europeans to colonizealong the river basin (1500s-1600s)Was a main trade route for fur tradersControl over the Mississippi allowed the U.S. To continue their westwardexpansion.

Through his writings, Mark Twain made the Mississippi River ahousehold word.

ROLE OF MISSISSIPPI RIVER IN HUCK FINN

The Mississippi River plays a very important Role in the Novel Huck Finn.The entire Novel revolves around Huck Finn and Jim floating down theriver on a raftHuck and Jim begin their Journey at St. Petersburg, Missouri, a FictionalTown based on Hannibal. Their plan is to raft down the Mississippi toCairo, Illinois and then take a steam boat to Ohio.

Symbolism, is when something remains what it is while at the same time becoming something else is an enticing technique that authors frequently utilize tostimulate and connect with their audience. This practice not only fascinates thereaders but also forces them to look more deeply into the message of the novelrather than what is apparent. In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, theauthor Mark Twain uses symbolism to portray many different concepts. The ideasof freedom, tranquility and comfort are the mindset and outlooks signified by theraft, the Mississippi River and the events that occurred on both.

Huckleberry Finn and Jim are without a doubt the happiest and most a peace whenfloating down the river on their raft. However, the river has a much deeper meaning than just a compilation of water. It almost goes to an extent of having itsown personality and character traits. The river offers a place for the two characters,Huck and Jim, to escape from everybody and even everything in society and leavesthem with a feeling of ease. In the middle section of Huckleberry Finn, the river


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takes on more of a concrete meaning and will be discussed more in the paragraphsthat follows.

Before investigating exactly the roles that the Mississippi river played in thissection of the novel, I decided to get a dictionary definition of river beforecontinuing. However, I believe this may sound very simple but it may indeed clear up controversies or confusions found later on in the presentation. The definition of a river is simply a natural wide flow of fresh water across the land into the sea, alake, or another river. I found this definition to be rather what I had intended anddecided to now find how the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn usedthe river in the context as a whole but more importantly as symbolism in themiddles sections of Chapters 16-31.

The majority of symbolism in regards to the river is found in Chapter 18 when

Huck and Jim return to their raft after an adventure in which they get caught upwith a feud between the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons. Huck believes thathe had never felt easy till the raft was two mile below there and out in the middleof the Mississippi. This quotation shows exactly how Huck feels in regards to theriver in this case the Mississippi and its ability to portray a peaceful mind-set. Theriver in this context shows a more peaceful setting than that of society. As theauthor shows, the river and its society is calm and the land and its society istroublesome in a variety of different aspects.

I found another quote rather similar and close in context to the first that showsexactly the river in regards to a peaceful and serene aspect. Huck and Jim also after escaping from the feud on land believes that there warnt no home like a raft after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft dont. You feelmighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft. This continues to argue the pointthat the river is a place of freedom from the terrible situations found on land. Asstated in the quotation, the river was a home where Jim and Huck could relax, feelcomfortable, and generally be at ease. This was very easy to comprehend as areader but to envision a home as the river or even a raft on a river does notnecessarily coincide with ideals of a picturesque home.

In Chapter 19, we continue to view exactly why Huck felt the river was so peacefulthrough the various descriptions offered about by the author. The author in thischapter seems to make his words flow like a river and generally captivate theaudience to a point in which they feel the calmness of the river as well. Huck

begins by telling that sometimes we would have that whole river all to ourselvesfor the longest time. Yonder was the banks and the islands, across the water; and


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maybe a spark or twoon a raft or a scow, you know; and maybe you could hear afiddle or a song coming over from one of them crafts. This particular quotation

brings an individual into the story to almost picture the aspects described by theauthor. In reading this quotation, you can just literally sense the flowing of theriver and the peaceful sounds that were outlined. This not only outlines thecalmness of nature but the ability for freedom. The freedom is portrayed in theability to do as one pleases when and wherever they decide to do so.

The last and most prominent example of the river symbolizing peace, calmness,and freedom was the ability of Huck and Jim to when they wanted lit the pipes,and dangle their legs in the water and talk about all kinds of things. The mostsurprising aspect was when Huck stated that we was always naked, day and night.This continues to portray the theme of peace, calmness, and freedom that is givento the characters by the river. The most obvious is that because the river was so

peaceful and calm that it led to their freedom to do as they please without the barriers given by society on land.

Even though the river can be considered as a god that provides freedom and peacefor Huck and Jim, Several times throughout the novel, the river plays theantagonist in trying to end the journey to freedom. For this reason, the river could

be regarded as a character. At one point in the novel, the unforgiving river separates the two and leaves Huck feeling lonesome out in [the] fog by[himself], in the night (Twain 79). The stiff current pushes them past Cairo andaway from freedom. It is evident how the river creates the conflict in the novel.

These events allow the reader to see how much respect the Mississippi demandsand its godlike force becomes clear. This is why Huck never has an unkind word tosay about the monstrous big river[that was] sometimes a mile and a half wide(Twain 109). It is hard to imagine the enormity of this mighty river until one hasactually seen it.

In a perfect world, all of nature would gain the respect Huck gives to the MightyMississippi River in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ; a title most deserving of this gargantuan river that guides our protagonist along his journey, just as Godguides the lives of many. Freedom cannot cause problems, one would say butthis is clearly not the case in Huck Finn.The river may be carrying Jim and Huck to freedom, but on the way, it creates afew obstacles. First, they encounter the burglars/potential-murderers on the


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steamboat. While theyre onboard, their own raft washes away down river. Dealingwith that whole debacle is challenge number one. Next, the river carries Huck ashore, where he has that moral crisis over stealing Jim. The rivers fog makesthem miss the mouth of the Ohio River; their raft gets split in half by yet another steamboat; Huck has to witness that Grangerford-Shepherdson bloodbath; theDuke and the Dauphin create lots of drama and sell Jim back into slavery.If Huck and Jim going to be free, theyve got to take care of themselves or as theWidow Douglas would probably chide , With freedom comes responsibility.

When reading this part of the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Ifound that Huck and Jim were set in a period of society that was or can be labeledas somewhat hypocritical, judgmental, and hostile. However, the characters have

one escape that being the Mississippi River. The river is a quiet and peaceful placewhere Huck and Jim can revert to any time to examine any predicament they mightfind themselves in. The natural flow of the river and its calmness causes deepthoughts, which shows how unnatural the collective thought of society can be. Weactually see Huck grow up having the river as a place for solitude and thought,where he can participate at times and other times sit back and watch. The ideas of nature, peace, and freedom, are presented in the form of the river where Huck andJim go to think. The river is a very important part of the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, because it shows that the river signifies calmness, peace, andfreedom for both characters. Huckleberry Finn is actually struggling to findhimself in regards to his freedom to be an individual created by his own morals andnot societies and Jim is essentially looking for freedom from slavery. It isessentially through the river that we see each character grow and realize thecapability they each possess.

Today the Mississippi River would not represent freedom, but something that all people strive and desire for, success. Everyone today wants to succeed in their lives by studying, working hard, and becoming the influential people of the world.Yes, freedom is wonderful thing but since a majority of people take this priceless

gift for granted, they think success is better. Both freedom and success areimportant elements in life that go hand in hand. If one has no freedom how willthey succeed? This is a question that people should consider the next time theytake freedom for granted.


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