adventures of huckleberry finn sparknotes

Huck’s desire to run off into the sunset toward the “Territory” makes him an agent of Manifest Destiny. If Huck’s individualism links him to the spirit of the pioneers, then it also links him to the nineteenth-century doctrine of “Manifest Destiny,” which celebrated and justified westward expansion across the North American continent. So why would Huck believe blindly a childish and idealized fantasy of the Wild West? On the level of plot, then, it seems that Huck’s individualism has its limits.Ī similar problem arises on the level of theme. And in any case, the experience of working with Tom to free Jim from prison seems to demonstrate to Huck that such stories have a limited relationship to reality. Huck has no real knowledge of what he will find out West, other than what he’s heard of in stories like those Tom Sawyer recounts. For one thing, Huck’s wish to escape could be understood as a reversion to childishness and immaturity. At the end of the novel, however, it remains unclear whether the reader should celebrate Huck’s individualism or reject it. Petersburg, floats down the Mississippi with Jim, and evades the various dangers encountered along the way. It is difficult not to cheer Huck on as he escapes from St. Throughout most of the book, Huck’s individualism seems like a good thing. What remains ambiguous, however, is whether the novel’s ending celebrates or critiques the American tenets of freedom and individualism.

In these senses, the ending of Huck Finn channels the founding mythology of American freedom. His longing to set off for the uncharted territories of the American West also links him to the pioneers, whose bravery, pragmatism, and ability to persevere all contribute to the proverbial character of the American spirit. Huck’s strong desire for independence marks him as a symbol of American individualism.

Instead of returning home or staying on the Phelpses’ farm, Huck wishes to escape civilization altogether and “light out for the Territory” in the West. On the other hand, he could say with Sally and Silas Phelps, who offer to adopt and “sivilize” him. On the one hand, now that his father has died and no longer poses a threat, Huck could return north to St. At the end of the novel, with Jim’s freedom secured and the moral quandary about helping him escape resolved, Huck must decide what to do next.

Adventures of huckleberry finn sparknotes