The Mississippi River plays a pivotal role in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. While the novel is often categorized as Realist, the romanticism and mythic quality of the river are essential to its main characters’ journey downriver. The river acts as an escape for Huck and Jim from society’s oppressive institutions, allowing them freedom and exploration that is otherwise denied to them. In addition, Huck finds solace on the raft floating downstream where he can contemplate life away from civilization; thus providing a space for him to reconcile his conscience with his desire for freedom (Twain 1884).
On a symbolic level, the Mississippi River serves as a metaphor for uncertainty and danger intertwined with hope and renewal. As they navigate their way downstream along “the big river” (Twain 1884), Huck and Jim encounter various obstacles such as storms, treacherous currents, hungry wolves hunting along the banks, or deceptive swindlers hoping to take advantage of them. Thus representing some of life’s fears while also showcasing examples of human kindness such as when they encountered generous families offering food or help with broken rafts (Twain 1884).
Ultimately, it is through this romanticized vision of beauty found within nature that Twain hopes readers will discover what truly matters in life–a reminder that true fulfillment can only be attained by rejecting conventionality which has been imposed upon us by society. He reinforces this message when Tom Sawyer states: “It don’t make no difference how foolish it is…it’s mighty funny all the same” (Twain 1884). This illustrates Twain’s Romantic idea that there are higher truths beyond what we are told by our culture; something innate that cannot be explained rationally but must be experienced directly in order to empathize with one another on a deeper level – much like entrusting oneself blindly onto ‘the big river’.
stating, “I don’t want to be a writer. It’s stupid. It’s a stupid waste of time.” Chris responds, “That’s your dad talking.” Chris notes that Gordie is repressing his American dream because his father does not want him to be a writer. He then states that he wishes he was Gordie’s father because if he were, Gordie would not be considering taking shop courses instead of his college courses. Chris acts as a father figure to Gordie, who finds comfort and solace in his friends following his brother’s death. He resents the idea of taking college courses because he knows that it will isolate him from his friends, leaving him completely alone. When the boys finally make camp for the night and go to bed, Gordie is awoken by a nightmare of his father telling him “it should’ve been you” referring to Denny’s death.
Chris’ American dream is to prove wrong the people that believe he will ultimately end up bad because of his family. When Gordie mentions that Chris could take college courses too, he states that no one would let him because they all think of him as “one of those lowlife Chamber kids.” He then explains how upset he was at being suspended from school. Chris was suspended because he stole the school’s milk money, not because he wanted to, but because he was expected to. When he became guilty and tried returning the money, his teacher used it to buy herself a new suit. He explains to Gordie that even if he tried to tell someone that story, they wouldn’t believe him because he’s nothing more than a kid brother to Eyeball Chambers. Deep down, Chris is a good kid whose dream is to succeed in life. His American dream is to make the adults in his life see him not as a punk, but as the intelligent, caring, boy that he is.
One of the most important scenes in the film occurs when the four boys reach a bridge. They must decide whether to cross the bridge or walk an extra five miles to go around the bridge. This entire film represents the journey of childhood into adulthood, thus making the train tracks a symbol of the journey from one stage of life to another. The bridge, as well as the tracks in general, demonstrate that the path towards adulthood can be adventurous, dangerous, and downright scary. When the boys are about halfway across the tracks, a train comes along, forcing them to run. In this instance, the train symbolizes the trauma that the boys have experienced that have ultimately forced them to grow up quicker than average boys their age.
When the boys get close to finding the body, they again are forced to make a decision regarding the direction they take. They can either walk the train tracks or cross a field into a forest and ultimately decide to walk through the field. By choosing this path rather than the tracks, this shows that the boys desire to make their own destinies rather than follow the path that has already been paved for them by their family members, community members, and society itself. When the boys finally find the dead body, Gordie decides that they will not take credit for finding it, as that is not the way to prove themselves to their community. They report the body anonymously and return back home. Gordie and Chris say goodbye to the other boys a
