Essay, Research Paper: Huck Finn's Free Will

Huckleberry Finns Free Will
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , Huck Finn gets into trouble on land and runs to the river for safety and sanctuary and for his own free will. Huckleberry Finn runs to the water to escape his father, the fighting between the Grangerfords and the Shepardsons, and the troubles with the king and the duke. As he takes to the water he realizes that no one can get to him and he determines where he stops and when. When Huck Finn is on land he takes to the water to escape trouble and his own fears. The water becomes his safe haven and he is then in control of his destiny.
Huckleberry Finn is very afraid of his father and his only escape to safety is the river. While on land Huckleberry tries to escape his father, but to no avail, his father captures him and holds him captive in a cabin in the woods. Huckleberry Finns father was an alcoholic and was very mean to Huckleberry. pap got too handy with his hick ry, and I couldn t stand it He got to going away so much, too, and locking me in I was scared. I made up my mind I would fix up some way to leave there. ( Twain pg. 10) Huckleberry Finn had definitely made up his mind to find some way to get away from his father. He knew he could get down river and no one would ever find him or cause him any trouble. Huckleberry Finn is very strong minded and determined. When he decides to take to the river he does. Once on the river he gains control of his destiny. He also finds sanctuary and freedom while on the water. It was kind of solemn, drifting down the big still river, layin on our backs looking up at the stars nothing ever happened to us at all, that night, nor the next, nor the next. (Twain 71)
Huckleberry Finn decided to stop off of the river one night to see what was going on. He ran into a feud that was between neighbors. He met a boy his age and thought he might stay awhile. He soon finds out that being on land is not for him. He got caught up in the feud and had no desire to be a part of it. It begins to scare him and he tries to figure a way out. I wished I hadn t ever come ashore that night, to see such things I tramped off in a hurry for the crick, and crowded through the willows, red-hot to jump aboard and get out of that awful country. (Twain 127) When Huckleberry Finn heads for the water is excited and relieved to be getting out of the country. The things he saw and the people he met frightened him and in turn he ran back to the safety of the river. The feeling of safety that Huckleberry Finn gets and the freedom that he feels when on the river is shown through his attitude change and excitement during the transition from land to the river. I never felt easy till the raft was two mile below there and out in the middle of the Mississippi. Then we hung up our signal lantern, and judged that we was free and safe once more. (Twain 128)
Huckleberry Finn pulls to land to gather some supplies and two gentlemen end up becoming stowaways on Huckleberry s raft. The two gentlemen take Huckleberry onto shore several times and end up running back to the boat every time. The two gentlemen are rapscallions and Huckleberry realizes that and tries to get away from them and their games on land. Each time he runs to the boat they catch up to him and then the cycle would begin again. The two gentlemen got quite involved in another scheme and got Huckleberry involved. Huckleberry decided to draw the line at how far he would go with their schemes. He had had enough of the pain they were causing other people and making him look bad. The latest scheme involved family heirs and money. When Huckleberry Finn finds out that he can not escape easily he decides to try and tell the truth. When thinking about the money the two gentlemen are going to take from the family he comes up with a plan. I ll steal it, and hide it; and by - and - by, when I m away down the river, I ll write a letter and tell Mary Jane where it s hid. (Twain 192) Even in his thoughts he sees the river as being his safety and freedom. Once he removes himself from the situation and is safely down the river then he decides to tell the truth.
Huckleberry is very frightened about what may happen to him with the two gentlemen in control of what he does. The two gentlemen are stirring up too much trouble and even have thoughts of leaving Huckleberry behind to deal with the consequences. The two gentlemen have tried to leave Huckleberry before but Huck usually gets frightened first and gets away first. The only problem this time is that Huck can not figure a way to run away. I was scared, now, I tell you. But there warn t no getting away, you know. They gripped us all (Twain 222) At last when the excitement over the money that was found Huck found his chance to escape. The minute I was far enough above the town to see I could make the towhead, I begun to look sharp for a boat to borrow; and the first time the lightning showed me one that wasn t chained, I snatched it and shoved. It was a canoe, and warn t fastened with nothing but a rope. The towhead was a rattling big distance off, away out there in the middle of the river, but I didn t lose no time; and when I struck the raft at last, I was so fagged I would a just laid down to blow and gasp if I could afforded it. But I didn t. As I sprung aboard I sung out;
Out with you Jim, and set her loose! Glory be to goodness, we re shut of them! (Twain 224) Huck s excitement tells of the relief he feels when he is on the water. It is not hard to see the freedom and tranquillity that he feels. So in two seconds, away we went, a sliding down the river, and it did seem so good to be free again and all by ourselves on the big river and nobody to bother us. (Twain 225)
Huck Finn was definitely more free on the river than on land. With each adventure he came across it became harder and harder to run, maybe because he matured a little. When Huck is on land there are more things going on that he has no control over so when he gets involved he gets scared. Some of the things that go on on land involve his controlling and abusive father, the feuding for the Shepardsons and the Grangerfords, and the troubles that the two rapscallions brought on. Huck knows that whenever he gets into trouble all he has to do is make it to his boat and take off to safety. Once on the river he will be safe, free and in control of what he does and does not do.