The Route to Freedom: The Significance of the Mississippi River in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Authors

  • Sofiane Maafa University Teacher

Keywords:

Freedom, Slavery, Mississippi River, American Antebellum, Captivity

Abstract

The antebellum period had witnessed some heavy waves of slaves escaping from the American Southern pro-slavery states to what was known as the “Free States” in the North. There were several routes for these slaves to take while pursuing their freedom; one of the major routes toward freedom was the Mississippi River. The present article tackles the very symbolism of the Mississippi River according to the American author Mark Twain together with other authors. The article will, then, seek to analyze the different symbolisms of the Mississippi River in Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; this including the dangers facing both Huck and Jim every time they stopped at the river’s banks. In the end, the article will conclude with the idea that the river did not only serve as a route toward freedom, but also it brought the two conflicting races together; thus helping Huck to get away from civilization and Jim to escape captivity.

References

Buchanan, T. C. (2004). Black Life on the Mississippi: Slaves, Free Blacks, and the Western Steamboat World. London: The University of North Carolina Press.

“Concise Oxford English Dictionary (11th Edition).”

Frost, D. R., & Ericson, D. F. (2002). The Debate over Slavery: Antislavery and Proslavery in Antebellum America. The Journal of American History, Vol. 89(1), p.217.

Messent, P. (1993). Laurie Champion (ed.), The Critical Response to Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn. Journal of American Studies, Vol.27 (03), pp.434-436.

“Missouri's Early Slave Laws: A History in Documents.”

https://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/education/aahi/earlyslavelaws/slavelaws.asp

Pabis, G. S. (2007). Daily Life along the Mississippi. London: Greenwood Press.

Richardson, M. E. J. (2000). Hammurabi’s Laws: Text, Translation and Glossary. London: T&T Clark International.

Stowe, H. B. (1852). Uncle Tom’s Cabin. New York: Barnes & Noble Classics.

Twain, M. (2005). The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. San Diego: Icon Classics.

Published

2023-10-04

How to Cite

Maafa, S. (2023). The Route to Freedom: The Significance of the Mississippi River in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. LANGUAGE ART, 8(3). Retrieved from https://languageart.ir/index.php/LA/article/view/329

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