With no interference from society, Huck is therefore able to humble himself to Jim and treat him in a way that opposes society’s expectations. After leaving the feud, Huck comes back to the safety of the raft and says to Jim, “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” (116). For Huck, the raft is a safe and secure spot; with Jim on the raft, Huck feels protected and that he has a dependable friend.
This lead Huck to search for others on the island as he soon realizes he was not alone. A few minutes into his search he discovers Jim, a simple and trusting runaway slave. After convincing Jim that he is not a ghost Huck was thoroughly surprised to find out that Jim had ran away because he found out that he would soon be sold into slavery down south. Even though Huck says that if people were to find out they “would call me a low-down Abolitionist and
Alex and Huck like to live in the wild because they know nature is powerful and can provide for all their needs. These protagonists choose to leave society behind because they want to leave the worldly things that corrupt society behind. Huck sees his father whose life is ruined because of drinking and he wants to forge a new life. Twain wrote, “Pap he hadn’t been seen for more than a year, and that was comfortable for me; I didn’t want to see him no more” (Twain 12). The readers can see Huck’s disdain for his father.
Everyone 's dream is to live without being told what to do, to go places without any rules, and to be able to live their life. Throughout Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck and Jim do not always have the privilege of freedom. As they enter on to Jackson 's Island, they are able to escape the dangers of the world that they are running from. Additionally, they discover a raft and become in control of their actions, which then allows them to have freedom they long for. Finally, they make it to the Mississippi River, which carries Jim and Huck through the rest of their physical and spiritual journey, where they become free at last.
In another lesson on their adventure on the Mississippi River was when Huck is approached by men with guns looking for runaway slaves, Huck is met with the perfect opportunity to turn in Jim. In this moment, Huck’s conscience is constantly reminding him that he knew Jim was “running for his freedom” from the beginning and he “could a-paddled ashore and told somebody” (Twain 138). However, Huck’s friendship with Jim leads him to decide to protect his friend – a decision based on what he thinks in his morals and conscience is right. In this instance, it is evident that Mark Twain’s message is expressed when Huck has learned that sometimes doing what society demands is not always right and following your own morals & conscience can result in making the right decision. In conclusion, the escape on the raft and Huck’s decisions in his adventure on the Mississippi River represent the Huck’s ultimate rejection and realization of society.
Contends Professor Gary Wiener in his book Understanding “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” that the river seems to be a relaxed environment that is away from society itself (77). Similarly, professor of English at the University of North Carolina, Everett Emerson, expresses a similar idea in his article “The Complexity of Huck’s character” in the anthology Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” that Huck and Jim can be normal or act like themselves on the river, long away from society’s judgement (67). Some people feel the need to be far away from civilization in order to have peace within themselves. The sole reason why people have vacation homes is so that they will be away from the pressures and stress they feel from other people back in reality. Some of the best memories that I had as a child was going to my family farm.
As seen in this passage, that identity is formed in his attempts to make moral evaluations that he believes are right, despite the pressures of ever-present societal codes. Here, Huck reveals an internal moral conflict he is having with helping Jim escape. On the one hand, he wants to tell Miss Watson of Jim’s location because aiding a slave means death to Huck. He believes his community will shun him in saying, “…and if I was ever to see anybody from that town again I’d be ready to get down and lick his boots for shame” (Twin 212). But the thought of the disgrace Jim would receive, too, casts a shadow over his own grief.
Having been raised with the clear distinction of race and the idea that there should be no “free nigger[s]” (Twain, 21), Huck and Jim’s relationship shows a remarkable transformation from a servant-master relationship to one that is less prejudiced, travelling having given Huck the opportunity to see Jim as a person, rather than a servant, and Jim given the freedom of expression. Most significant would be Huck’s willingness to see their cooperative effort as “we” (Twain, 60). Twain distinguishes the characters in the way they speak, but the fact that Jim’s voice is not silenced, him relating his story about his riches, “[he’s] ben rich wunst, and gwyne to be rich agin” (Twain, 35), and even arguing with Huck, “You answer me dat!” (Twain, 34) These instances present the maturity that Huck has undergone over the time spent travelling with Jim, and Jim’s growing confidence in
However, he is kidnapped by his father who mistreats him and confines him to a cabin along the river (Twain, 34). This situation is the basis of their fugitive lifestyle as Huck reunites with Jim, who is also escaping from his captivity. The two get the opportunity to share with each other and their bond is made even stronger as they are faced with similar aspects of living life while on the run. Their journey along the Mississippi River, through Illinois, Kentucky and Arkansas are full of adventure as they travel seeking their refuge place. Jim aspires to reach another southern state that is free of slavery practices and hopes to someday buy freedom for the rest of his family.
Due to racism and society’s constricting ways of being all alike with no diversity, life on the river, for Huck, gives him clarity and the opportunities he needs to mature and develop into a humane person. Most believed that they were able to become civilized through the comforts of the land but for Huck unlike everyone else it was from the wilderness and life on the