Freedom and Huckleberry Finn

What is America all about? The land of the free and home of the brave. Although this infamous quote is true today, hundreds of years ago this quote was a lie. Not only were some white men not free to do certain things, but all blacks were discriminated against greatly and most if not all were slaves. Not only is slavery an important issue in Mark Twain's novel, Huckleberry Finn, but also the entire issue of freedom is an important factor. Two characters who show a substantial amount of lost freedom in Huckleberry Finn are Huck and Tom.

Huckleberry Finn demonstrates his loss of freedom in two ways. Firstly, Huck is forced to live with his Aunt who makes him practice religion and get an education. Huck does not want to do this. Huck feels he has lost his freedom when his Aunt forces him to do things he doesn't want to. Secondly, Huck's alcoholic father who rarely visits, stops into town and forces Huck to give him his own money. Not only does he steal Huck's money, but he then decides to take Huck into his own custody and keeps Huck locked up in a spot in the woods. Huck is forbidden to leave. Huck has his freedom taken away much like a prisoner or a slave.

Tom, a black slave in Mark Twain's novel, exhibits a strong attitude although his freedom has been taken away from him. Although Tom escapes during the novel, he still shows an attitude that his freedom is lost. Tom, an innocent man of any crime has had his freedom taken away for no other reason than the fact that he is black. Although Tom is just one example of the many of blacks that were sold into slavery during this time period, he is a great example of the loss of freedom most if not all black lost.

Finally, freedom is an important factor in America's history. Huckleberry Finn gives a great example of the loss of freedom that people share. Freedom exists in many different forms whether it is the freedom to watch a certain television show, or the freedom to vote in an election. No matter how someone looks at it, freedom is a very special privilege us Americans have. Without freedom, people would lack certain qualities and this country would be less secure.

Word Count: 398