The topic of freedom
is seen woven through out the novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
by Mark Twain. This is exercised when Huck Finn is able to find his
freedom on the Mississippi River while escaping the connections that
were binding him to St. Petersburg, Missouri. Widow Douglas and
Miss. Watson took Huck in and paved him the pathway to a brand new
life full of promising opportunities along the way. Unfortunately,
that was not the road for Huck. He was trapped in school instead of
wandering the streets wondering who he will meet next. Huck was
caught up in a world where he did not belong. So he makes the
decision to build his own life, with no Pap, Widow Douglas, Miss.
Watson, or Tom Sawyer.
Because of the time
period in which this novel takes place, around the 1840s, the plague
of slavery has devoured the country. Jim's freedom and enslavement
is very clear cut; his own independence ironically is dependent upon
him reaching the North. Luckily for Huck, because of Jim's basic
level of enslavement and there only being one solution to it Jim
feels the need to help Finn achieve his personal freedom. Their
adventures that I have read so far revolve around finding this
elusive freedom. In Chapter 11, Huck leaves Jim on Jackson Island to
go into town. When Huck finds out that search parties have reason to
believe that Huck's whereabouts focus in on Jackson Island he becomes
frantic. This reaction is not only for his own safety, but Jim's as
well. They share the threat of being captured and losing on their
quest to find freedom.
