On important theme within The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn is thestruggle between good and evil as experienced when Huck’s personal sense oftruth and justice come in conflict with the values of society around him. Theseoccurrences happen often within the novel, and usually Huck chooses the trulymoral deed.
One such instance occurs when Huckleberry realizes that he is helping arunaway slave. His moral dilemma is such that he is uncertain whether he shouldor should not turn this slave, named Jim, over to the authorities. Societytells him that he is aided a criminal, and that is against the law. However, hehas grown quite attached to Jim, and is beginning to realize that Jim is areally good person. He would also never hurt him. This illustrates the conceptand symbolism of Jim’s freedom and societies influence on Huck.
At one point, Huck convinces himself that the nest opportunity hereceives, he will turn Jim in, and clear his conscience. The opportunity becameavailable when slave hunters meet them on the river. Huck had an absolutelyperfect chance to turn him over. However, he made up a story that his fatherwas sick and needed help and asked the slave hunters for help.
They immediatelyassumed that his father had smallpox, and he wanted nothing to do with Huck orhis father. Thus, he had saved Jim, and actually felt good about it. Furtheralong in the book, Jim becomes a slave again. Huckleberry, with the aid of TomSawyer, free’s Jim. Once again, Jim’s escape and freedom are more important toHuck than societies viewpoint.
The river is also important. The river is symbolic of freedom. It isalso symbolic of good. When Jim and Huck are rafting down the river, they arefree of society. They have no laws. This is not to say that they are lawless,however, the laws they obey are there own. This is in direct contrast to beingon land, where society reigns supreme. Land is evil.
This contrast also seemsto make the river a character in itself. It’s at time’s calm and relaxed, andat other times fast and dangerous, and sometimes foggy and confusing. However,it’s always moving. Always taking Huck and Jim to new adventures, and to newplaces. It is their backbone.
So you see, that the concepts of escape and freedom within the book andthe ways in which these concepts are symbolized are extremely important. Theynot only define what this book really is about, they single-handedly make thebook worth.
