In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain, through the character Huck, tells the story of a young boy's coming of age amidst the conflicts and constraints of mid-1800s society. A recurring theme throughout the novel is the conflict between society and the individual. As Twain developed the plot he was able to to weave in his criticism of society. The idyllic life on the raft contrasts sharply with the deceit, greed, and prejudice found on the shores of the Mississippi. For Huck and Jim, the River serves as a refuge from the crippling values of the "dry land of civilization".

The river embodies the freedom for which Huck and Jim were searching. These two runaways - one a slave, the other an uneducated, and defiant boy - attempt to build a sanctuary from civilization upon their raft. It is here on the river that they can experience what it is like to be truly free from the expectations of society. Huck longs for nothing more than an escape from the harsh cruelties of "sivilization" so he "lit out...and was free and satisfied"(Twain). The river offers Huck refuge from a society so corrupt, that it would place a young boy in the hands of a drunken and abusive father. On the rive

Both his experiences on the river and the events he witnesses on the "shore of civilization", greatly influence Huck's moral development. At a certain point in the story Huck considers turning Jim in. Eventually he goes as far as to risk his life for Jim:"And got to thinking of our trip down the river; and I see Jim before me, all the

In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain throws the curious yet innocent mind of Huck Finn out into a very hypocritical, judgmental, and hostile world, yet Huck has one escape--the Mississippi River constantly flowing nearby. Huckleberry Finn was able to rise above the rest of society. As a young boy, he learned many things about the cruel world, and what freedom really means. Huck will never accept "civilization" and he will always go back to the safety of the

Mississippi River. Mark Twain contrasted the values of the shore and the river in a way which positively portrayed the river values and the lives of Huck and Jim, and negatively and often satirically, portrayed the values of rural Southern United States. Twain gave freedom to Huck and Jim and showed that all races of humans share like feelings and should all be treated as equals. Throughout the book Huck contends with the influence of society's values and in the end makes a decision to embrace that of equality.

r Huck is finally able to be himself. He is free to make his own choices and form his own opinions. Jim, a slave, is not even considered as a real person, but as property, yet he was free, while on the raf

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1044
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)