For many readers, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is known as the “Great American Novel.” It tells the story of a young boy and a runaway slave who develop an unlikely friendship as they travel down the Mississippi River. Twain explores many themes of American literature in his writings. Three themes that appear frequently throughout the novel are freedom, nature, and individual conscience. Freedom plays an important role in the story as Huck attempts to free himself from the Widow Douglas and her father and Jim escapes slavery. When Miss Watson and the Widow Douglas took Huck in, they were determined to make him more civilized. They don't allow him to smoke and constantly remind him to stop wrinkling and stand up straight (4). With women always by his side, he is not able to be the independent and carefree boy that he really is. When Huck is kidnapped by Pap, he is happy to get away from the widow's house because it is too "cramped and sivilized" (30) for him there. Even if he is freed from the widow, his life is in danger if he remains with his drunken and violent father. Huck's goal is "to get so far that neither the old man nor the widow could ever find me again" (31). He is able to do just that by coming up with a clever escape plan that makes the entire town believe he is dead. This leaves him free to do what he wants, however he wants. Jim's goal, however, is to escape his slavery and help free his family. After hearing Miss Watson tell the widow that she was going to sell Jim, he realizes that he is going to be separated from his family so he flees to Jackson's Island, where he meets Huck. His plan is to travel to the free states so he can free his family and find... middle of paper... and he really cared about Huck. It is then that Huck realizes that he must go and save his friend. He said to himself, “Very well, then I will go to hell.” » (250) and tears up the letter he had written. Freedom, nature, and individual conscience are just some of the American themes explored. by Mark Twain in the novel. Huck and Jim were able to achieve the freedom they longed for. Huck managed to escape both the widow and his father, and Jim was no longer a slave after Miss Watson died and freed him in his will. When Huck lived with the widow and Miss Douglas, he considered Jim just another stupid nigger. However, after spending time together on the river, he was able to see a different side of Jim and develop a true friendship with him. Huck struggles with his conscience several times throughout the story when he feels guilty for helping free Jim..