In the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the Mississippi represents a path to freedom for Huck. The river makes him free because it is a world apart from society, a source for adventure, and gives Huck a place to escape. Huck feels free and relaxed while on the river. When he travels onto land he becomes spellbound and uncomfortable.
In Chapter 7, Huck escapes from his father's poundings and is on the raft thinking to himself, "you feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft." This thought is telling the reader that Huck has escaped his past and is ready to take on the future. To do this he turns to the river as a fresh source for freedom and adventure.
While on the river, Huck feels secure and as if he has a home on the Mississippi. He has a tendency to get in trouble when he travels to shore and needs a place to flee and feel secure. In chapter 18 page116, Huck has turned to the Mississippi again to get away from a bad experience with the Grangerfords. Huck thinks to himself, "I never felt easy till the raft was two mile below and out in the middle of the Mississippi." In this statement Huck is showing that after this experience, he feels back at home and protected, residing on the raft. .
While on the raft he has no worries and is very laidback. Huck no longer is concerned with his past or any other previous problems. In Chapter 12 page 64 and 65, Huck contemplates to himself, " It was kind of solemn, drifting down the big, still river, lying on our backs looking up at the stars." In this passage it is seen that Huck is separate from the surrounding areas and separate from civilization. Huck no longer has any conflicts of his own to be concerned about and can now lay back and enjoy his adventure.
Again and again he is escaping to the river to leave his problems behind. In Chapter 29 page 205, Huck has a close call escaping to the raft thinking, " so in two seconds away we went a sliding down the river, and it did feel so good to be free again and all by ourselves on the big river.
