Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Research Paper

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Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

To dream of freedom is a sensational idea but experiencing freedom is as rare as the New Year eve among common days. While freedom is a great aspiration, it is not a dream that belongs to physical slaves alone. Huck and Jim; the characters painted by Mark Twin in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn depict that a person can long for freedom whether he belongs to a civilized world or uncivilized world. Huck and Jim are representatives of two different backgrounds but their desire to be free and to enjoy every moment of life is same. Jim is the character whose adventure begins due to his flight while Huck is not 'behaving well' because behaving well is something that takes one to the heaven and Huck is attracted by the definition of hell that his teacher offers. The South of America is associated with freedom. It is a place to which Mississippi is 'road'. The tale is a master piece of Mark Twain especially for those that find pleasure, adventure and fun in the literature. It is a 19th-century's piece of work that a reader enjoys because of a thrilling entertainment presented in it. It offers real fun by taking the reader to virtual ride in a boat, a vulnerable journey, and excitement full of fear. The ultimate fun of the novel begins with warning of Mark Twain that "Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot." Thus the aim of the novel is entertainment and not to follow the established rules of literature. The river is painted beautifully and Mark Twain, who has once worked as a steamboat driver at Mississippi river, describes the river with minute details. It is therefore that the reader does not only read the story but he is entertained fully till the last page.

Introduction

For the people living in the civilized urban areas, literature and movies are often sources of adventure. Many today are not able to take a ride to Mississippi or the Great Canyon and thus stories like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn offer them the entertainment readers might not forget easily. There are many things that can be done simply for the sake of pleasure and fun without finding meanings in them. For those wanting to enjoy literature, Mark Twain has composed a great book. It is the dedication of characters and practical life experience of Mark Twain that has made the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn far more appealing. The book is next episode to Adventures of Tom Sawyer so that the readers get to know what happens next after a person gets a lot of money. The reader finds that money is not as purposeful as is adventure.

Like the word adventure sounds, the novel offers a thrilling entertainment where every character seeks freedom and his pursuit to liberty leads him to a state where they have to become reckless. Mark Twain's warning at the beginning of the novel i.e. not to interpret, find motive or purpose in the novel seems to be for his characters too. The characters of the novel Huck, Jim, Tom, and the Duke and the Dauphin are just following the path of adventure. Jim and Huck are two souls that dare to face the challenges of life simply to achieve the destination of independence. To Twain, there needs not be a compulsory solid and tangible objective behind everything. The novel is one of its kind where the characters' quest is intangible i.e. liberty rather than a lover, a land, a job or so. Huck already has enough to spend a life but what he misses is freedom. It is not money, job or land that satisfies free souls. It is carelessness and freedom from norms that pleases them as said "I got into my old rags and my sugar-hogshead again, and was free and satisfied"(Twain, 4). There is a lot of work, both appreciative and critical, on the novel of Mark Twain. The fun in book is explored with the help of what the other authors narrated too. These authors include Reeb, Burg and Joshi.

Burg, David F.

Another View of Huckleberry Finn

1974

Mark Twain did not give importance to the critiques as if he thought that 'haters gonna hate!'. Besides a few that focused on what the book did not offer, there were many others that liked it. The book was perceived by many as the ultimate guide book to joy. It tells how to hunt life and adventure around us.

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"Huckleberry Finn might well be described as a story emphasizing the qualities of art and joy and elaborating a picaresque tale in the amoral fable form" (Burg, 316). The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is part of Great American literature. Beginning with the directionless journey, Burg says that the ending of novel is about achieving joy of freedom. The tale of this adventure is not about causes and environment of flight. It does not spend words on describing details of why Jim was not happy with his life but only after a little introduction of his life, the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn discusses his pursuit of liberty and freedom. It is rightly said that:

"That orientation leads them both to conclude that the central theme of Huckleberry Finn is a "quest for freedom." Smith repeatedly refers to the journey of Huck and Jim as both "a flight from bondage"-that is, an attempt to escape society and slavery -- and a "quest for freedom" (Burg.299).

The established mindset of the people is normally that a journey is always undertaken to reach a specific destination but this is not the case with characters in the novel rather "on their raft Huck and Jim are directionless" (Burg, 300). When it is about fun and entertainment, it does not matter where one is going and whether they reach a certain destination or not. There are people who think that the journey was taken to escape society which the novel negates: "For throughout the novel Huck has wanted to escape only from some elements of society, like the Widow, while attaining the approval of others, like Tom" (Burg, 318). Sometimes the journey in pursuit of liberty is very rewarding since it offers an opportunity to man to experience his own capacities and to find out what he can do. Huck and Jim could have missed the excitement of the thrilling adventure if they were not daunting enough to look out and seek the pleasure besides the piles of gold, expensive clothing and comfort of being locked in home. Their experience at the end of novel convinces the reader that moving along the dancing waves and sound of splashes soothes soul for years while the preferences confined within walls of home are often boring.

Reeb, Tyler

Playing Games And "Making" A Novel: Mark Twain And Game Theory In "Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn

2009

On one hand Reeb discusses the novel by comparing it to the game theory and on the other he also says that game theory has not evolved when Mark Twain wrote the novel. The Game theory is an approach to uncover rules of social system and these rules are really complex like the society itself. The characters are in same boat in the novel and they rely on each other for different reasons but have common fun. "Indeed, it is a mistake to view Huck and Jim's ongoing acts of mutual cooperation as products of two rational, self-interested players who have correctly surmised the benefits of collaboration. Such a view strips away all the humanity in the bond of friendship that Huck and Jim form" (Reeb, 106). Mark Twain was no game theorist but his observation and command lead him to explore what had to be defined a century later. Jim hides Pap's death from Huck which could have changed the game. Jim needs Huck since the journey to liberty is daunting and can be enjoyed with a companion more than being alone. The problems of the two travelers, Reeb says, vary. "At every turn, Jim faces the institution of slavery; whereas, Huck faces brutal violence at the hand of one man, his father"(Reeb. 5). The river Huck and Jim are travelling through is symbol of adventure, separation as well as connection. Mississippi is romantic and alive and a friend during the journey.

Joshi, Vijaya Narendra

Relationship between Huck and Jim in the Adventures of Hucklberry Finn

2012

Mark Twain says and Joshi agrees that story of Huck and Jim was a freedom flight and not an escape from responsibilities. It was not easy for Jim to leave behind the family because of the bond he had with them. He still had to pursue freedom because the dreams he has are far too encouraging ad adventures that the routines of life.

"Yet his flight is….....

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