A River Runs Through It

Dixon 1

The River plays a significant role in this novel. It offers a setting in which the main characters escape from the shackles of civilization as well as a means to journey to a better place. The river also acts as an artery through which Huck passes in his transition from innocence to awareness. In this essay I will explore the role the relationship between the symbolic importance of the river and the design and structure of the novel.
A river is at its weakest just as it begins to form. As the stream of water begins to flow toward the ocean it must develop and change, as it will branch off in many directions. After branching off, the flow of the river strengthens as it begins travel to its final destination, the ocean. Huck and Jim journey down the Mighty Mississippi has a very weak and fragile beginning. Neither character has any direction, they both know that they would like to have their freedom, but in different capacities. Just as the river strengthens as its...