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."