A river can symbolize many things in different cultures and societies. In some ways, rivers can symbolize enlightenment found in a person or a society itself. In the case of Huckleberry Finn, rivers show the freedoms acquired physically and spiritually. The river makes the book come together and gives the book a deeper meaning.
Most rivers are formed when water moves from higher altitudes to lower altitudes due to the fact of gravity. The water found in rivers is from precipitation runoff or from glaciers, especially if the river starts in the mountains. A rivers ending goal in its life is to reach the center of the earth, which can create canons on the attempt to the center. A naturally flowing river has much character and history within the waters that flow. Rivers create routes from one place to another, with a forever changing path. These paths will ultimately make its way to the ocean or some sort of water source.
The Mississippi River was formed around the ending of the most recent Ice Age, which ended about 10,000 years ago. Meaning the Mississippi has taken about 10,000 years to characterize itself as one of the largest rivers on Earth. During this Ice Age, mountainous glaciers melted, which caused large quantities of water channels. This would start the beginning of a untamed river that will change courses every year and make a way to the ocean. The Mississippi will supply many civilizations, animals, and plant life in the years to come.
Throughout history rivers have been there to provide for many civilizations; therefore, many cultures have thought highly of rivers, in a religious sense. Many cultures have also related rivers in a feminine way. For instance, many parts of the world would refer rivers as female deities, some examples would include: the Nile River and River Boyne. In ancient Egypt, whenever the Nile River would flood over, people would believe that it was tears from the goddess Isis. In ancient Ireland, the Celtic tribes would relate the River Boyne to the goddess Boann. Native Americans believed the salmon to be superior beings and had multiple legends in honor of the salmon. One of the legends is that the salmon ascended through the rivers to benefit the people, then would die and reincarnate in the ocean with a great life in which they would feast in human form.
Throughout the years, the Mississippi River will change dramatically in size and thrive with new resources. This change in the river will lead many civilizations to settle down and abandon the nomadic lifestyle. The Mississippi River will provide drinkable water, wild rice, and plants. Multiple Native American tribes will bury the dead at the river, because they believe that when burying a body, it is the equivalent of returning them to the womb of mother earth. Some Native American groups that do this include the: Ojibwa, Winnebago, Fox and Choctaw Indians.
The Mississippi river gets the name Mississippi from the Ojibwe tribe. They call the river “Messippi” which translates to ‘river spread over a large area’. Some legends coming from the Mississippi include the “Legend of the Singing River.” These legends describe the reason for the humming sounds that come from the flowing river. Some other legends from the Mississippi River include mythical creatures such as mermaids and sirens, this legend comes from the Pascagoula Tribe.
A flowing river can symbolize numerous ideas. Some of these ideas can include: enlightenment, fertility, sense of loss and oblivion, and movement. Rivers symbolize self-understandment and enlightenment in oneself, especially when rivers are used in literature. For instance the river in Hindi Translation of Siddhartha: An Indian Tale, symbolizes the journey towards enlightenment. As rivers are related in feminine ways, a river can be a symbol of fertility. People say that if one dreams about a river it probably means someone is fertile.
Rivers are not always perceived in a positive account, as a river can symbolize great loss and oblivion. Rivers flow and live outside of human control when wild; therefore, much unexpected events can happen. If one tries to cross a river, they have a chance of not making it, causing a great loss. Humans expect to understand and have control of everything in life. That’s what makes humans oblivious in account of understanding rivers as a whole.
Movement is a big part of a river, as it’s the main characteristic of a river itself. The flow of a river can bring someone to the heart of a civilizations, which bring come with many new things and experiences. However, a river can also be the path that can flow someone out of bad situations in a civilization. This shows in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as Huck and Jim tries to escape the discriminative society they live in, by making their way down the mississippi river. Huck is a dirty low level white kid, while Jim is a slave. Both men while part of the lowest classes in society are intelligent. They both will become more enlightened while traveling through the Mississippi, about the society and how it is not right.
