Since the early days of our country, the Mississippi River has been recognized as a central icon to the American way of life, as it is portrayed in the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain. This great river connects the values of the North with the culture of the South. It is essentially the culmination of many of the rivers of the United States. No river has contributed more to the economic and social growth of the United States than the Mississippi River. In the pre-Civil War days of our country, this river represented "a way out" for Southern slaves. The Mississippi was one of the few geographical pathways that connected the North and the South, freedom and slavery. Mark Twain bases his novel around this idea of the Mississippi River being the path to freedom. In his novel, Mark Twain introduces the reader to the young Huckleberry Finn and his traveling companion and slave, Jim. Both Huckleberry and Jim are seeking freedom, whether it was from Huck's "sivilized" lifestyle, or from Jim's enslavement by Huck's guardian. However, despite differences in the freedom they desired, both Huck and Jim hope to gain their liberty by means of the Mississippi River.

Mark Twain chose the Mississippi River to be the central icon in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. However, his depiction of the river was due largely in part to his own life experiences. Mark Twain was born and raised as a "river boy." He was a steamboat pilot, and his experiences in these years on the river are reflected in his writing. Mark Twain's name has become synonymous with the Mississippi River. He even chose his pseudonym (which was Mark Twain, his real name being Samuel Clemens) because of his life on the river. Mark Twain is a term used to describe the depth of water in the river. In the later days of his writing career, he wrote a book entitled Life on the Mississippi, which discussed just how big of an influence the Mississippi River had on him.

While Huck's idea of freedom is based on recreation, to Jim, freedom is a lifestyle. This novel takes place before the Civil War, when slavery was legal in the Southern states. The Mississippi River was one the few landmarks that connected the Northern States to the Southern States, consequently connecting slavery and freedom. With the threat of being sold down South at hand, Jim decided that he would search for freedom by means of the Mississippi River. The river was his only hope to begin a new life. At the point in the

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Approximate Word count = 869
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)