FREE ESSAY ON THE IMPORTANCE OF NATURE IN HUCKLEBERRY FINN

THE IMPORTANCE OF NATURE IN HUCKLEBERRY FINN

The importance of nature in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
In his novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain uses nature not only as 
ally, but as a deterrent in Huck Finn's search for independence and Jim's search for
freedom. The 
most prominent force of nature in the novel was the Mississippi River. The river was not
only 
their escape route, but perhaps it became their biggest enemy because it was always
unpredictable. 
Nature is the strongest factor in the novel because in a completely different
geographical setting 
the story would have had not only a different outcome, but Huck and Jim might never have
found 
friendship and freedom. Twain changes his tone when describing the Mississippi River from
wry 
and sarcastic to flowing and daydreaming. This change in tone illustrates his own
appreciation for 
the beauty and significance that nature holds for him.
Twain uses personification to show the beauty of nature in contrast to the immaturity and

obnoxious mentality of society. Huck would sometimes wake up to see a steamboat coughing

along upstream that now and then would belch a whole world of sparks up out of her 
chimbleys which acts like a child without manners. (Twain, 81) In almost every chapter
Twain 
uses colorful descriptions of nature to help the reader to imagine the setting of the
scene. Twain 
would not have used so many examples and vivid descriptions of nature if he didn't want
nature to 
be a huge part of the novel.
In the novel, Huck's main goal is to get away from a terrible, abusive drunk of a father.

Without the access of the Mississippi, Huck might not have ever escaped his father, and
his father 
could have easily killed Huck. For Jim, who's goal was not only freedom, but to see his
family 
again, the river was a free way to reach the free states. With Huck's fortune he could
have bought 
a train ticket or paid another way to get to Cairo, but it was important for him to make
his
journey with Jim. In that time a black runaway slave could not have ridden on a train or
even 
walked on land in the light of day without being caught in a matter of minutes.
Obviously, the 
river was an imperative part of the story for both Jim and Huck to get away without being
caught.
To Twain, nature was almost heaven. He describes it with much more care than that 
which he gives to passages about civilization. He shows the beauty of nature by using
select 
details with connotations of peacefulness and serenity.