Huck Finn's Journey

The Map    Additional Links    The Assignment

Introduction

Mark Twain Mark Twain's novel entitled Adventures of Huckleberry Finn takes place in various settings, all of which are on or near the Mississippi River. Students sometimes need help appreciating the dramatic scope of this novel and the way in which the river serves as a framework and organizing principle of the novel. This framework provides an effective method for structuring this collection of episodes into a meaningful narrative—the story of a young boy's development into a moral creature to whom the hypocrisy of American life becomes clearer.

This activity is designed to add to your experience of reading and discussing the novel in class. It is a chance to pursue your interest in a range of directions and to personalize your inquiry by the choices you make in the links you follow. No one is expected to read all of the material linked here, but of all the options presented, each student should be able to find several links to follow and several resources to examine. Keep in mind that this research, as personalized as it may be, should be obvious in the way you respond to the assignment below.

The technology behind Google Maps provides plenty of flexibility for this sort of exploration, and you don't even need to leave home or school to explore the settings and geographical features discussed here. Working with it also will help to extend your technological literacy, an important component of developing the skills you will need as citizens of the 21st century.


NOTES:
  • Because the map below is based on Google Maps, remember that you can drag the map around in the window, zoom in to see more detail, and also click on "Satellite" or "Hybrid" to see the maps as aerial photos.
  • Clicking on the red markers on the map, or on the links in the right-hand column below, will open information windows on the map.
    Clicking links in those windows will open new browser windows or tabs with more information on those topics.
  • Most additional information is drawn from Wikipedia, a new concept in research and reference. It is a constantly evolving resource, written and continuously refined by people from all over the world.
  • Aerial photos are provided by Flash Earth. The pages will first load with a logo obscuring the page. Simply click on the page to clear this up.

The Map


Links to Additional Information


The Assignment

After looking at the map and the many links provided here, you have had a chance to learn a lot more about some aspects of the novel that many students never get to see. You also should see how the various settings of the novel relate to the Mississippi River and the geography of the United States. It should be clear how Twain relied upon his own experience with the river to bring authenticity and realism to his story.

In a well organized essay, reflect on the ideas above and then write about how the Mississippi River serves as a framework and organizing principle for the novel. Give some treatment also to how the river comes to represent freedom, one of the key themes of the novel. Keep in mind that this pursuit of freedom is the element that most unites Huck and Jim as characters in the novel. This similarity, among other things, allows Huck to see Jim as a human being like himself rather than as a mere slave. This is an important aspect of Huck's development in the novel.