Throughout the novel, the Mississippi River represents for Huck and Jim a sense of freedom--not just a physical sense of freedom but a deeper freedom that has broken their obligations to live up to the expectations of those in the outside world. The river gave them a chance to genuinely explore who they were apart from the "sivilized" society imposed by those back home. The Mississippi forced them to make decisions that would further chisel away all the domesticated cladding that was hiding their true nature. Not only did it free Huck from the authoritarian Miss Watson, but it also revealed to the reader the compassion, intelligence, and utter humanity within Jim.
However, the river is not just a place of soul searching; it is also a place of solace and solitude. Huck describes the river as having, "nothing to hear nor nothing to see--just solid lonesomeness." Because it was so imperative for Huck and Jim to hide from the outside world, it forced them to grow closer to each other and to rely deeply on the friendship that had formed between the two. This friendship can be seen in Jim's response to the separation in the fog when he states that his, "heart wuz mos' broke bekase you [Huck] wuz los'." When Jim and Huck are on land, this deep friendship is in some ways truncated because of the pressure to conform to mainstream society.
It is apart from the river when Huck regresses back to dictating his actions in order to live to the standards of others--namely Tom Sawyer. Huck states that, "Tom told me what his plan was, and I see in a minute it was worth fifteen of mine for style, and would make Jim just as free a man as mine would, and maybe get us all killed besides. So I was satisfied, and said we would waltz in on it." It is away from this flow of freedom that Huck becomes sucked back into living his life based upon the feelings of others. After all is said and done, Huck ultimately chooses to leave this "sivilized" society in order to make choices on his own and to carry on the spirit of the Mississippi. He says, "But I reckon I got to light out for the territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she’s going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can’t stand it. I been there before." Huck understands the pressures that were placed on him and his willingness to give into those pressures. He constantly yearned for the freedom and individuality that ran so deep and wide along the depths of the Mississippi.
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I have often wondered whether Huck can truly escape society’s hold on him and on his belief system. The river does provide a place of solace and solitude away from civilization that enables Huck and Jim to grow closer. However, civilization in the form of the King and Duke does infiltrate Huck and Jim’s safe haven. During the time that the King and Duke travel on the raft, Huck must lie about his relationship with the Jim; Huck must claim that Jim is his slave. Huck and Jim seems to grow apart as Huck gets sucked the many schemes invented by the King and Duke. Huck is also less truthful; though Huck knows that the King and Duke are frauds, he chooses not to tell Jim. Huck says, “What was the use to tell Jim these warn’t kings and dukes? It wouldn’t a done no good.” Even on the river, Huck and Jim cannot escape the corrupt society, which is represented in the King and the Duke.
In the end, Jim and Huck are not able to return to life on the river; they are pulled back into society. Jim and Huck chooses to save Tom than to return to carefree life on the river. Jim says, “Well, den, dis is de way it look to me, Huck. Ef it wuz him that ’uz bein’ sot free, en on er de boys wuz to git shot, would he say, ‘Go on en save me, nommine ’bout a doctor f’r to save his one?’ Is dat like Mars Tom Sawyer? Would he say dat? You bet he wouldn’t! Well, den, is Jim gywne to say it? No, sah—I doan’ budge a step out’n dis place, ’dout a doctor; not if its forty years!” Perhaps Twain is trying to say is that one cannot run away from society. Though parts of a society may be corrupt and immoral, one must develop strong moral beliefs and stick to them in order to survive in such a society.
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