In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, the setting has a large influence Huckleberry Finn. The story takes place before the American Civil War, in about 1835-1845, and is about a kid, Huckleberry Finn who lives with his abusive father and a slave, Jim, who runs away from his owner. Twain uses the Mississippi River as one of the novel's most important symbolic figures to the stories plot. Both protagonists: Huckleberry Finn and Jim, start their journey together in St. Petersburg, Missouri. As time moves on Huck and Jim work there way down the river becoming closer and closer. Huck and Jim use the Mississippi River as their escape route from the challenges they both face in life. The river is not just …show more content…
Not only does the river represent freedom but the raft does as well. Without the raft, Huck and Jim don’t make anywhere, they’re stuck on Jackson Island. The first time in the story where Huck is creative and having fun is in chapter ten when Huck “killed him[rattle snake], and curled him up on the foot of Jim's blanket, ever so natural, thinking there'd be some fun when Jim found him there”(63). Another instance where one see’s Huck more relaxed is the dialogue between the two: “Jim, this is nice," I says. "I wouldn't want to be nowhere else but here. Pass me along another hunk of fish and some hot corn-bread”(60). This shows how comfortable Huck is being on the river with Jim. Not only did Huck become more relaxed, but as the novel progressed Huck's relationship with Jim grew stronger. In the beginning of the book Huck often called Jim “nigger”. Huck did not hate Jim but it was only a term commonly used to refer to blacks at the time. By the end of the book Huck would call Jim by his real name. This change in dialogue clearly shows how the relationship between Huck and Jim grows stronger during their adventures. By the end of the novel Huck risked his own life to free Jim in the final escape attempt.
Huck and Jim ended up going all the way down the river, striving for freedom. Huck was finally free, and no one can control him except for himself. Huck is “so glad to get away from the feuds, and so was Jim to get away from the swamp”(134). Huck was not the only one to escape from his problems but Jim escaped too; escaping from slavery, becoming a free, black man. Huck not only made it down the river but decided that he wanted to keep on with his adventures and head west because “Aunt Sally she's going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can't stand