The ideology of the raft and what it comes to represent also supports the increasing role of the river. Huck and Jim together on the raft seem to symbolise the concept of equality and brotherhood. The raft becomes the centre of moral debate, a place for discussing their views on stealing and immoral elements as a whole. Their resolution to abandon the proposal of stealing represents an attempt to resolve moral and practical concerns, ‘so we talked it over all one night, drifting along the river, trying to make up our minds whether to drop the watermelons, or the cantelopes..’ Huck is slowly moving from one characteristic, immoral, to another, moral. This moving of characteristics mirrors the movement of the raft slowly going downwards. The robbers on the steamboat is a reminder that the two characters are not safe from the problems that concerned then at home, prince ply cruelty, violence and the authority of any white adult. Huck’s actions to try and resolve the situation illustrate his learning and increasingly maturity as they travel.
The arrival of the Duke and the Dauphin with the re-emergence of Jim on the raft stresses the shifting power dynamics between black and white as they continue to travel further down the river. The arrival of two more characters reminds Huck and Jim of their weaknesses, as the duo are free, white and adult who have more power in the sense that, at any moment, they could be given over to their owners. Therefore, despite Huck saying, ‘there warn’t no home like a raft, after all,’ the outside world and its evils, which they try to escape, have now re-emerged and established a firm place on the river. The more Hick and Jim travel down the river, the Mississippi becomes a source of anxiety and fear rather than freedom, a channel toward the Southern American ‘heart of darkness.’
The river is also interlinked with one of its primary themes within the novel, the conflict between the ‘natural life,’ and civilisation. Huck represents natural life through his desire to escape the civilisized life, ‘Aunt Sally she’s going to adopt me and sivlise me, and I can’t stand it. I been there before,’ his uncivilised ways and his freedom of spirit, ‘I got into my old rags and my sugar-hogshead again, and was free and satisfied.’ As a result of Huck’s upbringing and lack of authority, he grew a strong sense of resistance to anything that might ‘sivilize’ him, for example the conflicts with the widow Douglas in the first chapter. This theme is reoccurring throughout Twain’s novel suggesting that the uncivilised way of life is superior; drawing on the idea’s of Jean- Jacques Rousseau and his belief that civilisation corrupts rather than improves human beings. The civilised aspects of the novel are predominantly negative, especially concerning the social commentary of the people and places along the Mississippi in the south. Therefore, the emphasis placed on the contrasting river and shore scenes suggest that to find American democratic ideals, one should return to nature. To reiterate this view, Twain uses precise descriptions of Huck’s literal moving away from the shore, suggesting he’s moving beyond the stagnant and often unprincipled laws of organisation, as suggested in the following quote, ‘I tramped off in a hurry for the crick..red-hot to jump aboard and get out of that awful country.’
Mark Twain’s cleverly uses the river as a crucial symbol of freedom to emphasise the necessity of nature within the novel and society in general. It provides Huck and Jim with an escape from civilization and the increasing restrictions of society. The usage of this symbol has an enormous significance to the story’s plot and structure. As the twosome begin their travels down the river, it moves freely, gracefully and smoothly, whilst remaining it face-pace, igniting the essential sense of suspense. This in turn represents the characters feelings, free from the confines of society and the ability to rapidly alter their views and attitudes towards each other. However, images of civilisation are frequently mentioned along the sides of the river, even though their mission is to escape it,’ that was the town, you know – and slid by, about a half a mile out.’ This inability to break away from the land and the society, which it represents, suggests that one can no longer fully be free from civilisation, unless constant movement away from it is fulfilled. Jim in particular, sees the river as his means of freedom, as his life, more than any in the novel, has been the most restricted through slavery. issues of slavery go here
The raft appears to be one of sovernity, which Huck and Jim take pleasure in. However, the reality of the outside world is a constant reminder, physically invading the raft and hampering the quest for liberty. The floods, criminals and various other obstacles obstruct their path to freedom, in particular, the Ohio River, when a dense dark fog blocked their view, which is stressed in Huck’s comments and fear, ‘ I see the fog closing down, and it made me so sick and scared I couldn’t budge.’ Thus portraying the river as not idyllic, proving that it is not always on the characters side. Twain’s reason for doing this could be to stress the harsh realities if life and human struggle, whether it is race, society or nature.
The river’s role is mostly a positive one, especially concerning Huck and his improved personality and mentality. He escapes physically from his abusive father and mentally; he’s able to escape things that trouble him. The river is what Huck aspires to, suggesting that the river is a mirror image of what Huck, at least in the short term, wants to be and do with his life. Moreover, the unruliness and civility of the river exist together in unity, similar to his personality. Huck and Jim’s reliance on one another, especially after the meeting with Mrs. Loftus, increases as a result of the necessity to escape, so in turn, it suggests brotherhood between them, illustrating their view that each other is equal. (Mention sum thing about how this improves him as a person, he has the ‘north’ view, suggesting the better view)
The river has a large role in the contents of the novel, with themes branching from the river, acting, as a basis for all that is important. However, the river also seems to have a significant role in the novel’s style and structure, as the river is the setting for the entire story. Huck and the river appear to exist together in a state of equilibrium, portraying them to be part of nature’s intention. The river as a structural element connects all the crucial events within the novel. The river takes the character and the reader from one scene to another, smoothly, connecting the movement of the river with the movement of the novel itself. This structure therefore, allows the story to be organised, sets the mood of the scene depending on the ‘mood’ of the river and adds excitement, as the movement of the fast and free-flowing waters, gives the sense of not knowing where it will take them in the story. In addition, Huck’s authentic language associates him with nature, particularly the river and all that is spontaneous and genuine.
Although the river’s influence within the novel is a strong one, other elements must be considered, such as racism and loss of innocence. For Ernest Hemingway to remark that ‘All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain,’ and T.S. Eliot declaring it a ‘masterpiece,’ there must be themes with more role and importance than the river. Although the river is a great prop within the novel and without it, the adventures of Huck would not have been as exciting and as enjoyable for the reader, the story involves social issues entwined with each other making the role of the river seem less important. The NAACP paper stated that the novel, ’accurately portrays a time in history – the nineteenth century – and one of its evils, slavery,’ and because of this sensitive issue, the book was banned in 1885, emphasising the fact that slavery is one of its major themes. However, without the river, the issue of slavery would not have been made possible, as Jim escapes on the raft searching for physically freedom, with Huck symbolizing the changing opinion of society’s view on race.
In conclusion, the river clearly has a precise role in the novel and has been considered by many as being a character itself, with its connection with Huck and its importance structurally and morally. Critics have marvelled over the significance of the river, such as T.S. Eliot calling the Mississippi the ‘River God,’ and Marx declaring it an Eden, a place where brotherhood can really be practiced. Also, the idea that the river has a maternal symbolism, acting as a constraint in his turbulent life, loving it, and in return, it acts like a mother, protecting, teaching and nurturing. Freedom, a haven, the raft being a tacit code, which could be Huck’s conscience, journey of self-discovery, and many more are what the river can be and what it means to the reader. The diversity of the river and its numerous meanings, makes its role and importance dependent on how the reader interpretates it. I am of the opinion that, without the river, the novel would be lacking its energy, youthfulness and symbolic depth, resulting most probably in something far different from it being one of America’s greatest literature pieces.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 9, p55
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Chapter8, p46
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 12, p70
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 18. p 118
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 43 p 281
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 1 p11
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Chapter18 p 117
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 20 p 128
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Chapter 15 p 85