Huckleberry Finn
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn takes place in two worlds, life on the river, and life on the land. Life on the river is dreamlike and tranquil, while the life on land is corrupt and evil. Land values are greed, meanness, naivete, and arrogance. Huck ventures from the safety of this "womb" when he goes ashore, and must confront the wickedness of human society. The river values are peace, righteousness, and happiness. Nothing seems to go wrong on the river; if there is a problem it is just washed away. Life is pure. Huck and Jim's lives on their raft are full of good times and friendship. "Two or three days and nights went by; I reckon I say they swum by, they slid along so quiet and smooth and lovely." They don't have a care in the world on their raft. Huck and Jim smoke and laugh and have a good old time with each other. On the river blacks and whites come to love each other, a rarity at the time, and it is the river that brings them together. One would not find that kind of brotherly love on land. "Dah you goes, de ole true Huck; de o
n'y white gentleman dat ever kep' his promise to old Jim." In the opening of chapter 19, Huck describes a beautiful dawn over the water. The reader can picture the warm sun piercing the sky, awakening the cool river. The air is fresh with the scent of flowers, "Not a sound anywheres-perfectly still-just like the whole world was asleep..." The river is like a preserve from the outside world. On the river the land life and values are just a memory, like a bad dream, clouded by the river's tenderness. It is in this same chapter, ironically, that the King and Duke come aboard. They instantly offset the calm equilibrium of the raft. They kick Jim and Huck out of their beds, lie as often as breathe, drag Huck and Jim into their "schemes" and scams. They are greedy, and will cheat anyone no matter what the costs. This is a perfect example of land values disturbing the "ying and yang" of the river. But the balance of river life is not only upset by the King and Duke. Other examples are the raft being overrun by the steamboat and the incident on t
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 711
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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