An Analysis of the Multi-roles the Mississippi River Plays in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Abstract

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the peak of the Mississippi series composed by Mark Twain. The story both begins and ends on the Mississippi, which reflects the writer’s special attachment to the childhood familiar river. The Mississippi, soul of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, plays multi roles ‘in the whole novel. This paper especially analyzes the river’s roles as composing source, thread, elements of conflict, paradise for rebirth and ecological ideology, and hopefully provides a new insight into the novel from an angle of the Mississippi river. Keywords—the Mississippi river, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, roles