The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn Symbolism Essay Example For Students

The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn Symbolism Essay Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novelabout a young boys coming of age in the Missouri of the mid-1800s. Themain character, Huckleberry Finn, spends much time in the novel floatingdown the Mississippi River on a raft with a runaway slave named Jim. Before he does so, however, Huck spends some time in the fictional town ofSt. Petersburg where a number of people attempt to influence him. Before the novel begins, Huck Finn has led a life of absolutefreedom. His drunken and often missing father has never paid muchattention to him; his mother is dead and so, when the novel begins, Huck isnot used to following any rules. The books opening finds Huck living withthe Widow Douglas and her sister, Miss Watson. Both women are fairly oldand are really somewhat incapable of raising a rebellious boy like HuckFinn. Nevertheless, they attempt to make Huck into what they believe willbe a better boy. Specifically, they attempt, as Huck says, to sivilizehim. This process includes making Huck go to school, teaching him variousreligious facts, and making him act in a way that the women find sociallyacceptable. Huck, who has never had to follow many rules in his life,finds the demands the women place upon him constraining and the life withthem lonely. As a result, soon after he first moves in with them, he runsaway. He soon comes back, but, even though he becomes somewhat comfortablewit h his new life as the months go by, Huck never really enjoys the life ofmanners, religion, and education that the Widow and her sister impose uponhim. We will write a custom essay on The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn Symbolism specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Huck believes he will find some freedom with Tom Sawyer. Tomis a boy of Hucks age who promises Huck and other boys of the town a lifeof adventure. Huck is eager to join Tom Sawyers Gang because he feelsthat doing so will allow him to escape the somewhat boring life he leadswith the Widow Douglas. Unfortunately, such an escape does not occur. TomSawyer promises muchrobbing stages, murdering and ransoming people,kidnaping beautiful womenbut none of this comes to pass. Huck finds outtoo late that Toms adventures are imaginary: that raiding a caravan ofA-rabs really means terrorizing young children on a Sunday school picnic,that stolen joolry is nothing more than turnips or rocks. Huck isdisappointed that the adventures Tom promises are not real and so, alongwith the other members, he resigns from the gang. Another person who tries to get Huckleberry Finn to change isPap, Hucks father. Pap is one of the most astonishing figures in all ofAmerican literature as he is completely antisocial and wishes to undo allof the civilizing effects that the Widow and Miss Watson have attempted toinstill in Huck. Pap is a mess: he is unshaven; his hair is uncut andhangs like vines in front of his face; his skin, Huck says, is white like afishs belly or like a tree toads. Paps savage appearance reflects hisfeelings as he demands that Huck quit school, stop reading, and avoidchurch. Huck is able to stay away from Pap for a while, but Pap kidnapsHuck three or four months after Huck starts to live with the Widow andtakes him to a lonely cabin deep in the Missouri woods. Here, Huck enjoys,once again, the freedom that he had prior to the beginning of the book. Hecan smoke, laze around, swear, and, in general, do what he wants to do. .u49a81686ea76164fca64af14a3535626 , .u49a81686ea76164fca64af14a3535626 .postImageUrl , .u49a81686ea76164fca64af14a3535626 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u49a81686ea76164fca64af14a3535626 , .u49a81686ea76164fca64af14a3535626:hover , .u49a81686ea76164fca64af14a3535626:visited , .u49a81686ea76164fca64af14a3535626:active { border:0!important; } .u49a81686ea76164fca64af14a3535626 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u49a81686ea76164fca64af14a3535626 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u49a81686ea76164fca64af14a3535626:active , .u49a81686ea76164fca64af14a3535626:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u49a81686ea76164fca64af14a3535626 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u49a81686ea76164fca64af14a3535626 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u49a81686ea76164fca64af14a3535626 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u49a81686ea76164fca64af14a3535626 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u49a81686ea76164fca64af14a3535626:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u49a81686ea76164fca64af14a3535626 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u49a81686ea76164fca64af14a3535626 .u49a81686ea76164fca64af14a3535626-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u49a81686ea76164fca64af14a3535626:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Atomic Bomb - 20 pages EssayHowever, as he did with the Widow and with Tom, Huck begins to becomedissatisfied with this life. Pap is too handy with the hickory and Hucksoon realizes that he will have to escape from the cabin if he wishes toremain alive. As a result of his concern, Huck makes it appear as if he iskilled in the cabin while Pap is away, and leaves to go to a remote islandin the Mississippi River, Jacksons Island. It is after he leaves his fathers cabin that Huck joins yetanother important influence in his life: Miss Watsons slave, Jim. Priorto Hucks leaving, Jim has been a minor character in the novelhe has beenshown being fooled by Tom Sawyer and telling Hucks fortune. Huck findsJim on Jacksons Island because the slave has run awayhe has overheard aconversation that he will soon be sold to New Orleans. Soon after joiningJim on Jacksons Island, Huck begins to realize that Jim has more talentsand intelligence than Huck has been aware of. Jim knows all kinds ofsigns about the future, peoples personalities, and weather forecasting. Huck finds this kind of information necessary as he and Jim drift down theMississippi on a raft. As important, Huck feels a comfort with Jim that hehas not felt with the other major characters in the novel. With Jim, Huckcan enjoy the best aspects of his earlier influences. As does the Widow,Jim allows Huck security, but Jim is not as confining as is the Widow. Like Tom Sawyer, Jim is intelligent but his intelligence is not asintimidating or as imaginary as is Toms. As does Pap, Jim allows Huckfreedom, but he does it in a loving, rather than an uncaring, fashion. Thus, early, in their relationship on Jacksons Island, Huck says to Jim,This is nice. I wouldnt want to be nowhere else but here. This feelingis in marked contrast with Hucks feelings concerning other people in theearly part of the novel where he always is uncomfortable and wishes toleave them. At the conclusion of chapter 11 in The Adventures ofHuckleberry Finn, Huck and Jim are forced to leave Jacksons Island becauseHuck discovers that people are looking for the runaway slave. Prior toleaving, Huck tells Jim, Theyre after us. Clearly, the people are afterJim, but Huck has already identified with Jim and has begun to care forhim. This stated empathy shows that the two outcasts will have asuccessful and rewarding friendship as they drift down the river as thenovel continues. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Symbolism Essay Example For Students The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Symbolism Essay The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: SymbolismQuestions1. Compare and Contrast Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Although Tom and Hucklberry Finn have many things in common and are verygood friends, they also live a life of two totally different lifestyles. Tom,who is a dreamer, lives a life out of romantic novels, and can be amusing andexasperating at the same time. He lives a life out of drama and brings out hisimagination in a realistic way. He is amusing when showing his understanding ofwhat he has read and he loves to replay what has happened He is a leader and isidolized by many including Huck. We will write a custom essay on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Symbolism specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Huck, much different than Tom, does not engage in the fantasies that Tomdoes and has little interest in them. He is more interested in what ishappening right now and what is going on in his life in the present. He isalways practical and natural, exhibiting good common sense except in rareepisodes like the part about the snake bite. He sees Toms wide reading andvivid imagination as something that sets him on top of himself. He often thinksabout how Tom would have enjoyed doing some difficult feet that he has justperformed. Although he gets annoyed by Toms daydreams sometimes he goes alongwith them because he believes that Tom is someone that is on top of him. 2.Huck Finns relationship with Jim changes as the story progresses. Analyzehow and why the relationship changes, supporting your answer with at least threeexamples from the story. Jim, a slave owned by Miss Watson, is a very interesting character inthe book. He seems like a person who is filled with superstitions but laterdown the river we learn about his fine attributes like his unselfishness and hislove for Huck. Because he is more than a stereotypical slave, Huck and Jimthroughout the book develop a very loyal friendship and become very good friends. Jim, who acts like a father figure towards Huck because no one else is therefor him., is important to the plot because he gives Huck a reason to travel onthe river. Because Jim is a runaway slave, it is necessary for Huck to keepquiet in times like for instance when Huck lies to them men about him being inthe raft, instead telling them that his ill pap is in the raft. Huck doeswhatever he can to keep his word that he will not tell on Jim. When Huck hears that Jim is jubilant at the thought of escape, and alsothat Jim plans to steal is necessary, his own children out of slavery, he ishorrified at this and shocked at his own part in such an immoral undertaking. Not only a plot device, Jim is also the person who brings Huck to a series ofimportant moral decisions throughout the book.. As they travel more and moreinto the their adventure, you can see a stronger and stronger bond growingbetween the two. They rely on each other and are both an essential part totheir lives. 3. Analyze the significance of the Mississippi River in the novel. The Mississippi represents a place of good. Huck and Jim, find theirfreedom while traveling down the river. It is a pace where they do not have toworry about the evil of society. It is a place where they can drawback fromsociety and just relax.It was kind of solemn, drifting down the big river,laying on our backs looking at the starsAs they travel down the river,Huck and Jim develop a loyal friendship that is very great. The river is aplace out of society where the two can get away and enjoy their freedom. .uffcef0ab912d07325fb6bf20cb5c496b , .uffcef0ab912d07325fb6bf20cb5c496b .postImageUrl , .uffcef0ab912d07325fb6bf20cb5c496b .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uffcef0ab912d07325fb6bf20cb5c496b , .uffcef0ab912d07325fb6bf20cb5c496b:hover , .uffcef0ab912d07325fb6bf20cb5c496b:visited , .uffcef0ab912d07325fb6bf20cb5c496b:active { border:0!important; } .uffcef0ab912d07325fb6bf20cb5c496b .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uffcef0ab912d07325fb6bf20cb5c496b { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uffcef0ab912d07325fb6bf20cb5c496b:active , .uffcef0ab912d07325fb6bf20cb5c496b:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uffcef0ab912d07325fb6bf20cb5c496b .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uffcef0ab912d07325fb6bf20cb5c496b .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uffcef0ab912d07325fb6bf20cb5c496b .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uffcef0ab912d07325fb6bf20cb5c496b .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uffcef0ab912d07325fb6bf20cb5c496b:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uffcef0ab912d07325fb6bf20cb5c496b .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uffcef0ab912d07325fb6bf20cb5c496b .uffcef0ab912d07325fb6bf20cb5c496b-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uffcef0ab912d07325fb6bf20cb5c496b:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Acid Rain (1631 words) Essay4. By using examples from the plot and characters in The Adventures ofHuckleberry Finn, explain Mark Twains view of society and religion. The conflict between society and individual becomes a controlling themethroughout the novel. At first, Huck mentions how the Widow Douglas wants to civilize him, but in contrast, Huck wants to escape and be free andsatisfied. Huck encounters varying aspects, attitudes, and restrictions ofsociety and he much rather prefers his individual freedom. Even when livingwith his pap he enjoys it much better than living in regular society becausehe does not like living in regular schedules; going to school, waking up at thesame time. He prefers doing this out of the ordinary society. Huck Finn is an allegory about good and evil. Huck represents the forcesof good, and most of the people he meets represent evil. Society seems like aplace that is holding you back, and the river seems like a place where there areno worries. He sees all his freedom while his time on the river and enjoys itthere. The Mississippi River is a god that provides both beauty and terror. Huck represents makinds need to retreat from the real world and to take in thepleasures of religion.