Huck and Jim continue to travel down the river towards the south, "I made two mile and a half, and then struck out a quarter of a mile or more toward the middle of the river, because pretty soon I would be passing the ferry landing, and people might see me and hail me" (35). This quote truly reveals the contrast between the freedom of the river, and the restraints of society which keep Jim from being a free man and father to his children, just nearing land brings Huck and Jim into danger of being captured and entering back into their oppressed way of live. .
As the story progresses Huck and Jim each reject society and take their freedom. The river then floods causing the danger of society to intrude on the freedom and hope of the river. Huck and Jim encounter criminals, wrecks, and stolen goods. Nature throws another curve ball at the two when a thick fog causes the group to miss the mouth of the Ohio River, which was their route to freedom. The two take advantage of the flood and rummage through the wreck, "We paddled out and got aboard climbed in an upstairs window" (49). Huck and Jim's ransacking of various shipwrecks once the river floods parallels corruption flooding onto the river. They gained many valuable resources from the wreck that will latter come in handy, "And so, take it all around, we made a good haul" (50). Huck and Jim make a good bounty of all the goods they get from the wreck and the corruption of their adventures worsen. The river treats them well providing good weather for their journey, "We had mighty good weather as a general thing, and nothing ever happened to us at all-that night or the next" (63). The weather on the river was warm and peaceful as all else that had to with nature it truly is there place of freedom and escape. Just when nothing seemed like it could ever go wrong conditions on the river worsen, "I see the fog closing down and it made me so sick and scared I couldn't budge for a half a minute it seemed to me-and then there weren't a raft in sight; you couldn't see twenty yards" (78).
