Huckleberry Finn Literary Analysis

The protagonist in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain lives with the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson who wish to civilize him. Twain uses narration and imagery to describe the lifestyle of these women, which they try to instill in Huck. These seemingly surface-level descriptions of Huck being put in new clothes, being called to dinner at an exact time, or going through strict lessons, are laced with symbolism. Huck’s lack of understanding and dislike for the restricting ways that the women are trying to civilize him symbolize an individual who wishes to go against society’s social norms and restricting boundaries. This theme of a struggle between society and freedom is present not only in this passage, but continues to be throughout

However, he continues to spend time with the Grangerfords and eventually takes part in the conflict with the Shepherdsons when he witnesses the death of his friends, Buck and Joe. Huck even states that he “ain’t agoing to tell all that happened” (Twain 118) because it would make him sick and fills him with the regret of meeting the Grangerfords. This shows how death and violence can bring reality into perspective. In addition, the involvement of the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons, two wealthy families in the south, show how wealth does not prevent people from falling prey to following the

In this passage, Huck flees the feud between the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons in which Buck was killed. His return to the raft after involvement in a conflict between two wealthy families who had forgotten what caused the dispute in the beginning enhanced Huck’s relief when he states, “We said there warn’t no home like a raft...You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft” (Twain 119). It is ironic that a small, wooden raft is considered more comfortable than land, however, the raft is symbolic of Huck’s ideal “free and easy” life without society’s restrictions. Huck and Jim traveling on the river, escaping the violent, cruel, and unjust environment, represents individuals who wish to escape captivity for