The Struggle Between Freedom and Slavery in Huckleberry Finn

"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", by Mark Twain, is a classic American novel, considered by some to be the finest example of American literature. It follows Huck and Jim, a poor Southern white boy and a runaway slave, as they travel down the Mississippi River in a quest for freedom. Sometimes regarded as a simple children's story, "Huckleberry Finn", while still existing on that level, also has an abundance of symbolism and meaning that's not …

…only purpose is to serve his superiors (whites), whose life means nothing more than to serve as a piece of property. Both Jim and Huck fight for their own forms of freedom when all outside forces are trying to enslave them. Both merely want to be the masters of their own lives and persons, without external control. Not only is this concept a key theme in the novel, but in the South throughout it's history.