Huck wouldn’t have had much of an adventure at all if the mighty Mississippi weren’t involved. Thank heavens Mr. Twain did decide to put Huck and Jim in a raft and push them out into the rapids, because the Mississippi River serves as the driving force behind the novel’s plot development. Pretty much everything that happens – from the moment that Huck hatches his escape-from-Pap plan to, finally, Tom’s scheme to set Jim free – happens because the river is involved.
We could look at this famous waterway as simply a means of transportation; after all, that is the way in which Huck and Jim use it. But let’s face it: that river means a lot more to our heroes than just a route for transportation – it’s their key to freedom.
For Jim, the river will take him to “freedom” in the legal sense; he and Huck are aiming toward the free states. For Huck, the river carries him away from his frustrated life in St. Petersburg. Prior to hitting the rapids, Huck feels confined – both by both society (which, figuratively, kept Huck imprisoned by its restrictive rules) and by Pap (who, literally, kept Huck locked up). So when Huck and Jim decide it’s about time for them to move on out, they take their raft to the river. It’s the only route they can take if they want to be free both in that present moment and in their respective futures. So, if the Mississippi River is not a symbol, we’re not sure what is.
OK – the river symbolizes freedom to Huck and Jim, agreed? Whoa, whoa, wait a sec! It’s a bit more complicated than that – after all, the river also directly causes a bunch of problems for our heroes. “Freedom cannot cause problems,” you may be thinking. But, err, it can … just hear us out for a few more sentences.
The river may be carrying Jim and Huck to freedom, but on the way, it creates a few obstacles. First, they encounter the burglars/potential-murderers on the steamboat. While they’re onboard, their own raft washes away down river. Dealing with that whole debacle is challenge number one. Next, the river carries Huck ashore, where he has that moral crisis over “stealing” Jim. The river’s fog makes them miss the mouth of the Ohio River; their raft gets split in half by yet another steamboat; Huck has to witness that Grangerford-Shepherdson bloodbath; the Duke and the Dauphin create lots of drama and sell Jim back into slavery… yeah, the river’s sort of to blame for all of that.
But let’s face it…if Huck and Jim going to be free, they’ve got to take care of themselves – or as the Widow Douglas would probably chide (inspired by Spiderman’s Uncle Ben), “With freedom comes responsibility.” So back to our original claim: the river symbolizes freedom to Huck and Jim? You bet – freedom with its responsibilities, challenges, and all.
Shakespeare
We know, we know: what is up with all that Shakespeare stuff? You’ve got the duke and king rehearsing on the boat with an odd amalgamation (now there’s a sexy word that just means "mix") of the greatest soliloquies of all time in one totally screwed-up speech, the unsuccessful performance in front of the "uncivilized" folk of Arkansas, and the subsequent naked prancing about. So what’s up with that? Here we go:
As we mention elsewhere, the duke and king are all wrapped up in their own sophistication. They think they’re just so worldly and clever. Of course, the joke is on them for being ignoramuses who use words like "orgies" to talk about funeral rites. So it’s the same thing with the Shakespeare; the duke thinks he knows what he’s talking about, but he’s really going around saying (and we thought this was hilarious): "To be or not to be; that is the bare bodkin."
By Scott, it might be! It sounds like a soliloquy! That’s right: here in this rural town, a town where people are "too ignorant" to understand such cosmopolitan notions as "the bare bodkin," we find a man with enough intelligence, courage, and eloquence to deliver a downright Shakespearean soliloquy for our benefit.
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