In many ways society is separated into different classes and standings. There are those who are office-dwellers and know only the humdrum life. There is the life on the street, where everyone fends for themselves. There are those who know politics, and many others in professions of their own. Even in the time of Huck Finn were there these differences in society, but maybe none so well known as the difference between life on the shore and life on the river.
If one wanted to be free from responsibility, for the most part, you could choose a river life. While living on a raft, there really wasn’t anyone to watch out for besides yourself. Jim and Huck may have taken care of each other, but they were not obligated to anyone else. Such as when Huck pretended Jim had the small pox so he wouldn’t get captured. He was looking out for Jim’s well being, but didn’t worry too much about lying to the others. There was no obligation to them. Jim and Huck had no ties to anybody on the shore or the river. They were able to start out at anytime, and make camp most anywhere. They were free to go where they pleased and do what the chose; that is why they were on the river in the first place, to escape the people they knew before and head out towards more hospitable territory.
If one were living on the shore, you would have obligations to people, appointments to keep, and studies to do. You were not nearly as free to choose where you wanted to go or what you wanted to do. You had to watch out for others, either keep them safe, or keep yourself safe from them. You had to come every night, eat at certain times, and make sure someone knew where you were at all times. When compared to life on the raft, living on shore was really binding.
Customs were different as well on the river from the shore. Jim and Huck, when traveling by night, always kept a light burning on the raft. This was so ferries would hopefully not run them over. This didn’t always happen, however, the night when the one ferryboat plowed right through their raft without even an apology or sorry glance. They had to fend for themselves on the river, finding their own food and other truck. They also had to watch out for any authorities, because if Jim was found, and it was discovered Huck had been helping him, it would be all “upstream” from there, (pardon the pun.) It was rough on the river.
On the shore, life was slightly friendlier, with thank you’s and your welcome’s, it wasn’t always so. Of course their would be no ferryboats bowling their way through your home, but there were also tough times. Instead of dodging authorities, you may find yourself dodging bullets in family feuds, as in the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons. And maybe instead of being with the conmen, as Huck and Jim found themselves out on the river, you probably would discover yourself being conned by people such as the King and the Duke.
The people themselves were also curiously different. People, such as Jim and Huck seemed to have more of a sense of nature around them. They knew how to lose someone if being trailed, and where to hide. They also had a sense of basic survival, which not everyone is gifted with. To live on the river they had to have a sense of freedom and self-security. They were overall confident of what they were doing, being able to navigate self-assuredly down the river and through the towheads, while not many of the everyday shore folk could say the same.
Many of those who were upper class, at least, like the Grangerfords and the Phelps’, probably could not survive a month on the river without assistance. That life was just not part of theirs, as it was the all-consuming reality for Jim and Huck. They were not of the breed to be able to withstand the trials of mind and body that went with river life. They were not meant for it. They would be without all the comforts of their home, and probably would get homesick within a week.
Housing was also a big difference in the shore and river life. Out on the river Huck and Jim only had the raft that they had constructed themselves. It was cozy for them, and they found it gave a sense of freedom. However, I highly doubt a land-dweller could stand to live in such a place, being used to all the comforts of the modern home.
Overall, the life of the river rafters, and that of the people that lived on dry land was quite different. There were many contrasts, some sharp and some dull, but contrasts they were none-the-less. To live on the river one had to be quick of mind, tough, and willing to make sacrifices for one’s safety at times. On the land life was more laid-back and easy-going. There were people to help you out if ever you got in a bind. Jim and Huck were both well suited and adjusted to life on the river, and with their knowledge of the land, they had a healthy balance of both.
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