The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

The story is set along the Mississippi river as it is difficult to mention a precise city since Huck and Jim travel a lot. The reason is that they cannot stay at the same place because Huck wants to escape his abusive father and “sivilisation” (with an "s" instead of a "c" to show that Huck rejects civilisation), and Jim, who is Miss Watson’s slave, wants to free himself from slavery; so following Huck to the free states is a great opportunity for him.

They start their journey at the fictional town of St Petersburg, Huck and Tom’s hometown, Missouri and their adventures take them 550 miles further south to the Phelps’ farm, Tom Sawyer’s uncle and aunt. They travel across four states (Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee and Mississippi) and follow the long river, getting off and on periodically.

As they travel along, or on, the river the reader can notice how economically important the Mississippi was for 19^th century Americans. Barges, rafts and steamboats were used to transport goods and people down the river. It was all the more important then as it was the fastest way of traveling to and fro, which is fine of course by Huck and Finn.

Eventually, after lots of twists and turns, the two friends get to the Phelps’ farm.

The Mississippi is very important because it serves the plot. From beginning to end the two friends are so closely linked to the river that the Mississippi could be seen as the third main character of the story. It plays such an important part. Yet, it cannot always be considered as their ally as sometimes it gets them into trouble (they almost get lost because of the fog and their raft breaks against a boat) but most of the time it helps them. Indeed, it is a quick and easy means of escape as rafting is their usual source of travel, and it keeps the story moving.

Consequently, it symbolizes protection but also freedom and retreat from society. This is made clear by the author when we notice how dangerous the towns and the river’s banks along the Mississippi are for Huck and Jim. They are places where thieves and criminals abound and the more the two vagabonds set foot on land the longer it takes them to get to their promised land. It is a little as if Huck and Jim were confronted to two different worlds, heaven on one side and hell on the other.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn deals with a great number of themes (independence, slavery, good and evil...) but traveling through the United States as a way of escaping and eventually finding something is probably the most important. It shows how exploration and adventure are linked and how important they are for the making of a person. At the end of the journey Huck and Jim have evolved, they are not the same persons they were when they left St Petersburg. Travel has shaped them.