Why Is Huck Finn Really Free

“His liberties were totally unrestricted. [Tom Blankeship] was the only really independent person--boy or man—in the community, and by consequence he was tranquilly and continuously happy, and was envied by all the rest of us.” So proclaims Mark Twain, the author of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, in his autobiography. He claims that he based Huck on Tom Blankenship, a very independent, joyful, and free human being. Readers see that Huck does not always parrot society’s views, so they deem him as independent. Huck often shows this independence by helping others whom society has condemned, a group of people who bring and enforce values, even risking his own freedom and happiness. For example, when Huck sees Mary Jane crying, he “felt awful

But, if Mary Jane expressed any emotion that signalled Huck’s deception, the King and Duke could have outed Jim as a runaway slave, who would then be returned to Miss Watson and sold to the south. The King and Duke also could have revealed Huck to be a runaway child, and he might have been forced to return to his abusive father or civilizing Widow Douglas, two people who represent the dominant authority he is trying to escape. It may seem that Twain uses characters such as Huck to show that it is possible to be independent and free from society's restraints, and these characters have the power to not live by the restrictive ideals of society, often considered to be the mob. If this is Twain’s point, readers may feel that this theme contradicts the ending, in which Huck is not independent and instead submits to Tom’s

The raft is a symbol of a world of their own creation, as they try to steer themselves to freedom and safety. No expectations exist and they can live in an idyllic state and “let her alone, and let her float wherever the current wanted her to; then we lit the pipes, and dangled our legs in the water, and talked about all kinds of things—we was always naked, day and night.” In this state, readers see Huck attempt to move beyond social prejudices after he plays a prank on Jim in the fog, when he mentions “ it was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger; but I done it, and I warn’t ever sorry for it afterwards, neither.” Readers see that Huck struggles with the choice of his friendship and the teachings of society. But, the distance from society Huck experiences on the raft allows him to see Jim as something besides a “nigger” and more as a friend. Huck defies the societal hierarchy, beginning to see Jim as an equal. He not only apologizes to a black person, but he also tries to help thieves and potential murderers, showing that he is looking beyond social categories. After saving himself from the sinking boat where a group of criminals are trapped, “ [Huck] begun to worry about the men—I reckon I hadn’t had time to before. I begun