Published in 1885, Mark Twain's American classic, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, captured both the hearts and hatreds of its audience. While some see it as a masterpiece that successfully blends the American condition in a captivating and interesting way, others observe it as nothing more than racist garbage. The latter is a superficial misunderstanding of the novel's purpose and potential enlightening impact on its readers. From a more appreciative and open-minded perspective, one could easily witness how Mark Twain's novel has what it takes to transcend all American works, and is the most essential reading, the one that truly embodies the fabric of America. It continues to succeed on other works due to its innovative narrative style and inclusion of Southern vernacular, its realistic and relatable subject matter, and its portrayal of loyalty and strength in friendships, regardless of the consequences. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain uses several symbols, particularly the raft, the presence of the Duke and the King, and Tom Sawyer's Romanticism contrasted with Huck's Realism to illuminate one of the novel's most important ideas; Freedom versus civilization and the slavery of belonging to society. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the story of a young boy named Huck Finn and an escaped slave, Jim, as they journey together along the Mississippi River on a raft, as well as through their moral, ethical, and human development. This journey takes them not only into difficult water currents, but also into various challenges with society. Huck and Jim's ultimate and shared goal is to seek and find freedom; however, this desired freedom is in stark contrast to the ever-present civilized feelings......center of the card......l just like the whites, who bring them closer together, as Huck proceeds to help Jim reach freedom too. The novel is absorbed by the constant search for freedom and the presence of civilization. Even when Jim is legally freed from the bonds of Southern slavery, he remains heavily shackled to the pillars of society to which Huck and the rest of the human race are slaves. Human perseverance, trust, and loyalty are embodied in Twain's work through the sacrificial acts of Huck and Jim; however, this does not guarantee that they are fully capable of overcoming the social obstacles placed before them. The Mississippi River symbolizes life and everyone will continue to flow through it. Huck and Jim will always be looking for their freedom; freedom from society, freedom from oneself, freedom from life, because only in death is true freedom achieved.