Mark Twain in his controversial novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written in 1883, describes the destructive power of hatred among neighbors and the greed that accompanies it. Through the hatred that is displayed between one another the negative characteristics that each person possesses seems to become more distinguishable. The actions that take place on the shore facilitate those of a hypocritical and demeaning behavior, while those on the river often seem to take on a tranquil manner. In Huckleberry Finn, contrasting settings serve to exemplify the differences that exist between the two settings of the shore and river. One setting, the shore, mirrors the qualities that most people tend to despise in one another. The other setting, the ongoing river, serves to represent all that people desire in life, independence and tranquility. These contrasting places in the novel represent the lives of real people, how society behaves in reality, and gives the reader an idea of life during the Civil War. .
The two settings, the river and the shore, differ in the atmosphere that surrounds each. For example, the main character of the novel, Huck, expresses his feelings on the independence that he feels on the river. "So, in two seconds, away we went, a sliding down the river, and it did seem so good to be free again and all by ourselves on the big river and nobody to bother us.""(Twain, 215) Huck loves to be on the river with his newfound friend Jim, no one there is trying to make him civilized, and he cannot help but to rejoice at this freedom. The river and its surroundings give those that are on it the feeling of independence and tranquility, because of the small amount of action that does take place there. Furthermore, Huck shares the feeling of tranquility that is felt on the river. "It was kind of solemn, drifting down the big still river, laying on our backs looking up at the stars, and we didn't' ever feel like talking loud, and it warn't often that we laughed, only a little kind of a low chuckle.