River Symbolism In Huckleberry Finn

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The Mississippi River is the superior vena cava. The river flows 2,350 miles from Lake Itasca, through the continental United States, until it reaches its endpoint at the Gulf of Mexico ("Mississippi River Facts.”) The “Ol' Man River" runs like a central vein through the heart of America, unifying cheerful boatman and children and anyone else who comes in contact with its muddy waters. Considering “Old Blue’s” prominence in American culture, the river is often used as a central theme and major symbol in works of American Literature; an example being in Mark Twain’s picaresque novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the river comes to represent tranquility and freedom, while the shore beside it symbolizes …show more content…
In one scene Jim worries about his children back at home, and Huck observes, “I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their’n” (Twain 117). Huck describes Jim having normal human emotions that are comparable to those of a White man. The acceptance of a Black man regardless of the color his skin is almost unheard of in the world of the 1880s where Blacks are considered unintelligent animals. Huck’s epiphany on the river demonstrates his mentality of acceptance that differs from the rest of society. The Mississippi river also presents an opportunity of freedom for Huck and Jim. When Huck and Jim run from the King and Duke, the two adventurers for a moment believe that they are free from the oily grip of human nature. Huck states, “So, in two seconds, away we went, a sliding down the river, and it did seem so good to be free again and all by ourselves on the big river and nobody to bother us” (Twain 155). Distance from the fraudulent King and Duke makes Huck almost instantly feel free again; but separation from corruption is not the only way in which Huck and Jim are free. On the river Huck is mentally free from society’s expectations and abuse, while Jim is physically free from the people who enslaved him. The river symbolizes the mentality of acceptance and freedom, qualities that separate Huck and Jim from the rest of
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