Huckleberry Finn Symbolism Analysis

Symbolism in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
John Green states, “ one of the reasons that metaphor and symbolism are important in books is because they are so important to life. Like, for example say you’re in high school and you’re a boy and you say to a girl: ‘Do you like anyone right now?’- that’s not the question you’re asking. The question you’re asking is, ‘Do you like me?’” This quote is significant to Mark Twain’s novel, Huckleberry Finn because Twain uses many examples of symbolism through settings. Twain’s three ideas that are showed using symbolism is freedom, hope, and captivity. Freedom is one of the biggest ideas shown throughout the novel written by Mark Twain. The two main characters of the novel, Jim and Huckleberry Finn, both are seeking freedom by traveling down the Mississippi River. The

Mark Twain’s idea of captivity is slavery and keeping Huckleberry Finn in the the standards of civilization. Slavery and racism is a major concept discussed throughout the novel using the character Jim. Jim is a slave that decides to run away so that he can free his family; the place he is running away from, the town which he is held captive, is keeping Jim captive. In Huckleberry Finn the author says,"Well, I b 'lieve you, Huck. I—I RUN OFF" (37). This quote is showing where Jim ran away from his masters home and town so that he can free himself and his family. The town is also keeping Huckleberry Finn “captive” to. Throughout the novel Twain talks about how Huckleberry Finn feels trapped in the town and how he wants to escape civilization and his father. “Every little while he locked me in and went down to the store, three miles, to the ferry, and traded fish and game for whisky, and fetched it home and got drunk and had a good time, and licked me.”(Twain 34). This quote shows how Huckleberry was treated by his father and that he felt trapped. Twain discusses slavery and the standards of civilization is very mature manner using symbolization