Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Theme of Man and the Natural World

One of Huck Finn’s struggles in this book is whether he prefers the world of civilization to living in the woods. Often it seems he is a wild, unkempt thirteen-year-old boy who would rather spend his day catching snakes than washing up for supper. He declares several times that he’s happiest when he’s alone with nature (or alone with Jim and nature). However, it is also clear that Huck craves the structure and caring of a family household. He strongly admires some aspects of the cultural world, and seems to respect (and sometimes envy) others’ choice to follow rules and social norms. The tension between Huck’s desire for a free, unencumbered life and the pull towards family structure and cultural refinement is one of Huck’s central battles.

1. Huck is Mr. Indecisive when it comes to, well, deciding things, namely whether he would prefer to eat with a napkin on his lap or hunt for fish with his bare hands. What does Huck really want?
2. Huck spurns religion (sort of), but holds his reverence for the natural world. Look at those scenes where he describes the stars or the river and the lightning. Is this a kind of religion in itself? If not, what does the wilderness mean to Huck?

Although he enjoys his time in the outdoors, at heart Huck prefers the civilized world of family.

Although he doesn’t mind the civilized world when he is there, Huck really belongs outdoors on the river.