Ben Simmons
Farnham 5/9/07
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Samuel Clemens was one of the greatest “Realism” authors in history. (Chew 2) His books talked about journeys and someone’s escape into freedom. Whether it is to get away from a parent or to get clear out of town, Clemens wrote about them all. There was also a reoccurring setting in his books, which is the Mississippi River (Twain Biography 3). The River had a huge influence on his writings, he wrote many of his stories based of his experiences and life on the Mississippi River.
Samuel Clemens has lived near the Mississippi River most of is life (Mark Twain Literature Net 2). His moved on the river in 1839 in the small town of Hannibal, Missouri (Chew 2). Twain had little formal education, with much of his real education coming from the print shops and newspaper offices that he worked in when he was young (Chew 2). He dreamt of working on a riverboat since he was young, and finally got the chance when persuaded a riverboat pilot in New Orleans to teach him all of his skills (Twain Biography 4). Then in 1859 he became a licensed riverboat pilot. (Chew 2) The river also was the reason he got the name “Mark Twain”, which means two fathoms deep on a riverboat (Chew 2).
One of Twain’s fist books which is also called his first masterpiece is The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain Books and Writers 2). The book is about a young boy’s escape from a Mississippi River town in the summer during the 1840s (Chew 3). The original story was based off Twain’s childhood as a boy on the river. The young boy in the story, Tom Sawyer, is best friends with Huck Finn, the town drunk (Mark Twain Books and Writers 4). The two witness the murder of Doctor
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Robinson by Injun Joe during a grave-robbing attempt (Circle of Life 5). The boys say nothing to anyone and with the company of Joe Harper the three of them run away to St.
Petersburg and try to live their lives like pirates (Mark Twain Books and Writers 4). Well since they are gone for so long the rest of the town thinks that the three of them were are all dead. So the townsfolk have a funeral for them, but just as they have the funeral the three come back to find the gold that Injun Joe has hide from the robbing (Mark Twain Books and Writers 4). Tom and Huck end up finding the treasure and becoming heroes in the end. The town’s people also forgave them for running away. So it all worked out for Tom and Huck, they were forgiven and became heroes in their town (Mark Twain Books and Writers 4).
Twain’s next masterpiece was one that was also influenced by the Mississippi River and it surroundings. The novel The Adventures of Huck Finn was considered Twain’s greatest novel (Twain Biography 3). The sequel to Tom Sawyer, this novel is about a boy that runs away from his dad by rafting down the Mississippi River (Twain Biography 3.) He becomes best friends with a runaway slave named Jim. This book shows the cruelty that man and women are capable of (Circle of Life 3). Whether it be to each other or even to people of a different race cruelty can be very strong and hurtful. It also provides a panoramic view of the American life and American culture along the Mississippi River during the civil war (Twain Biography 3). Twain reflects on his own life and his own experiences when he was on the river during the civil war. Twain has a
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first hand experience about what is really like, and he puts it into his writhing, and that is what makes The Adventure of Huck Finn one of his greatest books ever.
Most of Mark Twain’s novels have been influenced by the Mississippi River, but none more that Life on the Mississippi. An autobiography celebrating boyhood in a small Mississippi River town (Mark Twain Literature Net 2). Twain trains as a steamboat captain and really learns the science behind navigating the river. Twain would pilot trips from New Orleans to Minnesota all the time (Chew 2). He left his town on the river and returned 21 years later. He then became the last person to ever pilot a steamboat from New Orleans to Minnesota (Mark Twain Literature Net 2). The theme in the story comes from the openness and sense of freedom that the river has to anyone who has ever sailed it (Mark Twain Literature Net 2).
In all of Twain’s novels there is a very noticeable theme, that theme is journeys and the escape into freedom. Whether it be escaping from a town or a way of life to what the characters consider their freedom. The Mississippi River was a huge source of freedom and a way to start over in Twain’s books and in his own life. With this desire to escape came a journey that had to be made, and a vast journey at that. All Twain’s writing reflected these themes. That is because the Mississippi River was such a huge influence and a source of inspiration to him.
