FREE ESSAY ON SYMBOLISM IN THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN

SYMBOLISM IN THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN

The Symbolism in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Freedom is a wonderful thing; it is a quality of life that many people cannot describe.
According to the Webster's Dictionary the word freedom is defined as "…the state of
being at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint…"
Unfortunately almost everybody today takes his or her freedom for granted. In the novel,
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, two people set out on a journey, up the Mississippi,
to find precious freedom. The story is focused on the two main characters, Huckleberry
Finn and Jim. Huck is an adolescent from the south. He was an impolite orphan taken in by
a strict widow named Mrs. Douglas. The widow tried relentlessly to improve Huck's
behavior. Jim is slave owned by the widow. In the beginning Jim and Huck seemed to have
nothing in common, but when they met, it looked like they were trying to find the same
thing. Throughout the book both Huck and Jim search for a beacon of light to guide them
in their lives.
Huck is a symbol of the adolescence of today. He was looking for the answers of life.
While on the river, Huck learned how to make intelligent decisions and to trust his gut
instinct because of all the different temptations and bad influences he came across. Many
teens learn how to make the correct decisions in life by going with their gut instinct.
They learned how to do this because of experience. One of the most important things Huck
discovered on the journey up the river was himself. Before his adventure he could not
speak for himself, he did not know what he wanted. This too is another important secret
of life that teens discover, themselves. After Huck's adventures on the river Aunt Sally
adopts him. She adopts him because Huck still needs guidance and still does not fully
understand life. Teens are still taken care of by parents because they too need guidance
and knowledge about life.
Jim is a symbol of some of the adults of today. Jim cannot move up in the stepladder of
life because he is bounded by his slavery. The only way for Jim to break free from
slavery is to escape from his owner. Today slavery does not exist; but there are still
adults wanting to strive for more than what they have. Some of them do not have the
skills or the money to move upward in the standard of life, but still find other ways to
get there.
The Mississippi River was the place where Huck and Jim's adventures took place. This was
where they had the best times of their lives. On the river neither Jim nor Huck was
bounded by anything, they were free. The Mississippi River symbolized the freedom both of
them were looking for. Huck was free in the sense that he found out some of the secrets
of life and Jim was free because he no longer was a slave. The Mississippi also led them
to where they needed to be in that point in their lives. Jim was brought to free land and
Huck was brought to Aunt Sally for more guidance in life. Today the Mississippi River
would not represent freedom, but something that all people strive and desire for,
success. Everyone today wants to succeed in their lives by studying, working hard, and
becoming the influential people of the world.
Yes, freedom is wonderful thing but since a majority of people take this priceless gift
for granted, they think success is better. Both freedom and success are important
elements in life that go hand in hand. If one has no freedom how will they succeed? This
is a question that people should consider the next time they take freedom for granted.