In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn the “Mighty” Mississippi River gives the story its form and controls the voyage of Huck and Jim. The river can be seen as a symbol, however, it is not depicted as either totally good or totally evil; it is merely looked upon as divine: sometimes as a good and forgiving God and sometimes it takes the form as a malicious God.
The Merciful River
Often the river takes on the form of the merciful god and provides Huck and Jim with life sustaining elements; the most important being that it provides them with comfortable transportation towards freedom. In the river they feel comfort and safety. After the incident with the Grangerfords, Huck and Jim agree “ there warn’t no home like a raft… other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don’t. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft” (Twain 109).
The river provided them with a way to “freshen up” or recreational purposes such as swimming. Food was easy to come by; in the morning “they would take the fish off of the lines and cook up a hot breakfast” (Twain 109). Huck has a tremendous amount of respect for the river and that is obvious in the beautiful descriptions he makes throughout the journey; his most touching language is reserved for these descriptions.
The Antagonizing River
Several times throughout the novel, the river plays the antagonist in trying to end the journey to freedom. For this reason, the river could be regarded as a character. At one point in the novel, the unforgiving river separates the two and leaves Huck feeling “lonesome out in [the] fog… by [himself], in the night” (Twain 79). The “stiff current” pushes them past Cairo and away from freedom. It is evident how the river creates the conflict in the novel.
These events allow the reader to see how much respect the Mississippi demands and its godlike force becomes clear. This is why Huck never has an unkind word to say about the “monstrous big river…[that was] sometimes a mile and a half wide” (Twain 109). It is hard to imagine the enormity of this mighty river until one has actually seen it.
In a perfect world, all of nature would gain the respect Huck gives to the “Mighty” Mississippi River in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; a title most deserving of this gargantuan river that guides our protagonist along his journey, just as God guides the lives of many.
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