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Huckleberry Finn


            The Symbolic Significance of the River.
             Throughout the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain it is made apparent that the river has much more symbolic significance in the story than the reader may realize at first. In the novel Huck is traveling down the river on a raft to escape and gain freedom from his father's abuse and lack of love. He is also trying to get away from his life in general as he feels he has nobody and would be better off on his own. A large portion of the novel is dedicated to describing Huck and Jim ( Miss Watson's runaway help) floating on the raft and the adventures they encounter on the river. The river can be seen as symbolizing many different things in the novel. Some of the most evident symbols that the river stands for are Huck's personality and his life as a whole. .
             In the novel Huck seems to have a personality in which his conscious is torn between good and evil. A part of himself desires to be bad and to do things even though he knows they are wrong, while the other parts of him desire to do good and do what is right. The river symbolizes this aspect of Huck's personality through the different changes of the river's appearance. At certain times in the story Huck talks about how beautiful, peaceful, and calm the river is. This illustrates the side of Huck's personality that desires to do good, to be polite and calm, and to do the right thing. When the river is described by Huck as ".stormy, and all so mysterious-like."(77) it demonstrates Huck's bad side that wants to steal, get into trouble, and cause mischief. The changes in the river's appearance from bright and beautiful to dark and scary stand as a symbol of good versus evil in the conscience part of Huck's personality.
             Possibly the most prominent symbol which the river stands for in the novel is Huck's life. Huck is a drifter in life and has no real destination or goal for the future.


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