TrishaWehrle

Character and the River in Huck Finn

After reading The Adventures of Huck Finn written by Mark Twain aka Samuel Clemens, and having class discussions on the novel, many ideas were floating around in my head. Many of the blogs that I read also sparked ideas and interesting points to ponder. Melissa Haggs and Erin Manko both brought out important points in the story that I agree and disagree with. Here is what I had to say after doing some futher research to support my claims.

One of the main things that I wanted to research was the symbolism that teh river took on in the novel because it caused a somewhat heated debate in class and I disagreed with Melissa's point of view from her class presentation (no offense Melissa) :). She thought that the river symbolized a peaceful escape from the crazy society Huck is running from. She also says that the river has "its own personality and character traits." I disagree that the river is an escape from the crazy society because there are many examples when the river is anything but peaceful, like when Huck and Jim see a dead body floating down the river in the house boat as a result of a violent act. Although Hucks seems to enjoy his ride down the Mississippi because it is an adventure, the trip is not peaceful because he has to worry that at any moment he could get caught and be sent back to either live with his father or Miss Watson, both situations being very appalling.

I find it very much more likely that the river is a symbol is Huck's coming of age. Through every trial and tribulation on the river, Huck learns a lesson or overcomes some kind of obstacle. He is faced with moral dilemmas and is forced to act couragesously at times to test his ability to enter young manhood. "On the river and along its banks, Huck and Jim witness life and death, tragedy and comedy, strife and peace". . . and " by the end of the journey, teh river will have served as the vehicle for Huck's development to maturity." Tom starts out the novel bearing the indestructable teenager mentality. He goes on daring adventures and pulls crazy stunts without even considering the bad things that could happen to him. He begs Jim to go onto the origically thought of abandoned boat to ransack it, without thinking that there could be someone already there and not happy with them trying to steal their goods. Huck is irrational and spontaneous at the beginning but by the end, he learns lessons that could possibly change his view on life.

As the river takes him to his final destination, the plantation of his friend Tom's family, he realizes how precious life is when he almost loses his best friend Tom due to a gun shot. His long travels has taken him not only on a journey through the southlands, but also on a journey of life lessons. At the beginning and throughout the novel Huck seems fascinated by death. He very proudly fakes his own death and during the one scene he pushes through the crowd to look in the window at the dead man on the floor.

Another point that I would like to discuss is something that Erin Manko mentioned in her presentation. She thought that Huck was friends with Jim because he had good morals and was a smart boy. She seemed to say that even though Huck was young and did not have the best schooling, he understood the deeper meaning of life and overcame prejudices. I do not think that Huck was as much smart as he followed his free will. His free spirit allowed him to go against societal norms and befriend Jim because he liked him, not because he was trying to overcome the horrors of slavery and change the world.