Steve Lovely Essay

The river and shore are totally different in this novel.  The river represents freedom to Huck and Jim; the shore is where all the trouble has been.  The river is a main setting in this story; a lot of the adventure in the novel has been on the river, because they are traveling on the river.  They both are different in many ways.  The shore is where a lot of action has been.  They both are important in the story.  I think this makes this story different than others.  There is two main setting and they are both different and alike in many different ways.

The river is where Huck and Jim feel free.  Jim is actually treated equal by Huck when they are on the river.  The river is where they like to be.  Huck says there is no home like on a raft.  He also says that you feel free, easy, and comfortable on a raft.  Huck and Jim must feel free because they even like to be naked while on the river.  Huck smokes while on the river also, but he never does it on shore.  Jim probably wants to be on the river because he feels like he fits in; he doesn’t feel like he is around slavery and racism.  I think Jim and Huck bond and become closer when on the river also.  When they are on shore they act differently and they pull apart.

The shore is where Huck wanted to get away from in the beginning.  He felt like nothing was going right.  Huck was kidnapped by Pap and is held at Pap’s cabin.  Huck used an axe to escape and fakes his own death by killing a pig.  He then is thought to be dead.  There is even a            reward out for Jim, because they think he killed Huck.  Jim is treated badly on shore; he is a slave for Miss Watson.  Huck is treated bad also, he is afraid his dad is going to come back and beat him too.  The shore is where a lot of the action in the story takes place.  Life on shore was bad they had to watch what they did so people wouldn’t recognize them. 

I think life on the river is easier for Huck and Jim.  They have problems everywhere they go on the shore.  It seems everywhere they go on shore they are involved in problems or feuds.  Life on shore is different for Jim, because the people look at Jim differently.  There is also a reward out for Jim, so he has to watch what he is doing and be careful.  Huck has to worry about being seen also though, because everyone thinks he is dead.

In conclusion I think life on the river is better.  Even though they still cause mischief on the river at times.  They are more comfortable on the river and they feel as if the raft is better than a real bed.  I think Huck and Jim both prefer the river because they think of it as a free place.  Even though they both think of being free from different perspectives.