The danger that surrounds Huck and his friends in the book is also exciting, and lends much to the story in many places. It is Huck's first foray into the real world, and through the metaphor of the river, he and his friends get to share some very eye-opening experiences
As the boys travel south, the river becomes more and more dangerous and hostile. Huck and Jim have to endure the duke and dauphin as they try to invade the raft as well as other small skirmishes and escapades. In a thick fog, the two are unable to find the mouth of the Ohio River as it splits from the Mississippi, further dooming them to a southward drift. As they drift they become further enveloped in territory where slavery is common and the human condition is more apparent yet less jovial. There is also a metaphorical drift that Twain exerts upon Huck and Jim as author. He shows, with the southward drift into slaveholder territory, the frailty of the human condition and the way in which people harm other people often without thinking of the ramifications or consequences. Twain writes, "Well, it made me sick to see it; and I was sorry for them poor pitiful rascals, it seemed like I couldn't ever feel any hardness against them any more in the world. It was a dreadful thing to see. Human beings can be awful cruel to one another." (Twain, 254). In this way Twain is questioning the institution of slavery through his story telling. He also brings up for review the relevant observation of the ways that human enact specific laws and regulations upon one another. This is another aspect of Twain's protest against slavery as well as a critique of the human condition. The bold, eloquent social commentary that exists in much of Twain's writing helps carry the storyline of the book itself and deliver more than just a child's recollection of events that occurred so long ago. The use of the Mississippi River as a metaphor for life and freedom for Huck is quite profound, as is the idea that the river itself, unchanging and immovable, carries all people to through their lives. It is as if the river itself is part freedom granting, part enslaver of humanity. By looking at humanity and the human condition through the eyes of a child, and simplifying the experiences and stories of those involved, Twain creates a masterpiece of human experience and perception.
Works Cited
Twain, Mark. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York, New York: Penguin Classics. 2002.
