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."

Word Count: 435