Love of Nature
Running head: LOVE OF NATURE
Love of Nature in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Contemporary Society
Jennifer Oscar
Middletown High School
December 22, 2009
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Love of Nature
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Love of Nature in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Contemporary Society
In Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck Finn states his preference of nature over
society when he says, “Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery…you feel mighty free
and easy and comfortable on a raft” (Twain, 1994, p.88). Mark Twain develops the theme of love
of nature by showing the woods and river as a comforting place for Huck to think about moral
issues. Themes within literature are relevant not only in the period in which they are written, but
also in contemporary society. The theme of love of nature is demonstrated in Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn by Huck’s transcendentalist views and in contemporary society by the work to
preserve nature, through both public and private land conservation.
Mark Twain shows the theme of love of nature in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
through Huck’s relationship with his environment, which echoes transcendentalist views. Huck
grew up in the woods near the Mississippi River and nature has become his refuge from civilized
and confusing society. Following a puzzling religious lesson from Miss Watson, Huck “went out
in the woods and turned it over in [his] mind a long time” (Twain, 1994, p.8). This withdrawal
into nature is further shown by Huck’s carefree statement on Jackson Island, “I laid there in the
grass and the cool shade, thinking about things and feeling rested and ruther comfortable and
satisfied” (Twain, 1994, p.27). In fact, Huck’s attachment to nature is so strong that he prefers
nature over society, as shown by the statement “I got to light out for the territory…Aunt Sally
she’s going to adopt me and sivilize me and I can’t stand it” (Twain, 1994, p.220). He ultimately
chooses the freedom and peace of nature, instead of the rules and conflicting ideas that society
offers. Huck’s attitude towards nature is similar to the views of nineteenth-century
transcendentalists.
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Transcendentalists, such as Henry David Thoreau and John Muir, believed people were
happier when they were closer to nature. They wrote of their love of nature and the benefits it
provides. In his essay Walking, Thoreau said, “I think that I cannot preserve my health and spirits
unless I spend four hours a day at least…sauntering through the woods and over the hills and
fields” (Cafaro, 2009, para.6). Thoreau also stated, “In Wildness is the preservation of the world”
(Pringle, 2000, p.29). John Muir wrote about the importance of unspoiled nature when he said,
“Keep close to Nature's heart…climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit
clean” (Sierra Club, 2009, para.5). Muir also gave action to his words by “working with the
government to set aside land for Yosemite National Park in 1890” (Whitman, 1994, p.31).
Transcendentalists believed it was important for individuals to love, respect, and connect with
their environment, and so do many people in modern-day society.
Love of nature is demonstrated in the contemporary age by the preservation of nature
through public land conservation. Conserve means “to keep from being damaged, lost, or
wasted” (Pringle, 2000, p.82). From 1960 through present day, the government has set aside
enormous amounts of land in national and state parks, forests, wildlife refuges, and nature
preserves. The government’s goal is to protect the beauty of these natural resources. In 1964,
Congress passed the Wilderness Act, which defined a wilderness as “an area where the earth and
its community of life are untrammeled by man” (Norton, 2005, para.11). This Act also set aside
nine million acres of land. In addition, the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978 “tripled
the amount of land set aside as wilderness in national parks” (Pringle, 2000, p.57). The National
Park System exists to preserve scenery and wildlife and allow people to enjoy these lands. Also,
every few years Congress passes a new farm bill, which provides money for additional land
conservation. The 2008 Farm Bill set aside 733 million dollars over five years for farm and ranch
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land protection, and continues income tax benefits for those who donate land to remain
undeveloped (Land Trust Alliance, 2009, para.5).
In addition to preserving public land, contemporary society’s love of nature is also
shown by preserving private land. One method of private land conservation is called a
conservation easement. Easements, also called “green spaces” or “land trusts”, are an innovative
approach to conservation. In this method, a landowner voluntarily enters into a legal land
agreement, where he agrees not to develop his land. Permanent developmental restrictions are
put on the land, which pass down to any future owner (The Nature Conservancy, 2009, para.2).
These restrictions insure that the land’s resources and beauty will always stay undisturbed,
regardless of the land’s owner. The land can never be commercially developed. In this way,
wildlife habitats, scenic views, farms, ranches, and forests can be protected. As of 2009,
conservation easements have “successfully protected millions of acres of wildlife habitat and
open space” (The Nature Conservancy, 2009, para.3). One agency involved in this conservation
method is the Green Spaces Alliance of South Texas. This non-profit organization was created in
1998. The group believes that “sprawl without careful preservation will destroy our uniqueness
and quality of life” (Green Spaces Alliance, 2008, para.1).
Another method of preserving private land involves a non-profit organization buying a
piece of land. The organization either keeps the land or sells it to individuals or states, who agree
to protect it. The Nature Conservancy, a large environmental group, is involved in this method.
Within the last twenty years, the Nature Conservancy “has begun working with private,
conservation-minded individuals, or conservation buyers, interested in acquiring and protecting
ecologically-valuable lands” (The Nature Conservancy, 2009, para.5). The Nature Conservancy
usually buys land, and then searches for a buyer who will agree to place a conservation easement
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on the land. This process protects “the property's important natural values” (The Nature
Conservancy, 2009, para.5). Love of nature is obvious in these efforts to preserve private land.
It is clear that themes within literature extend beyond an author’s work and historical
context to the reader’s contemporary society. The theme of love of nature can be demonstrated
both in Huck Finn’s transcendentalist views and also in contemporary society, through the
actions of those who publicly and privately set aside nature for conservation. In 1898, John Muir
wrote, “The tendency nowadays to wander in wildernesses is delightful to see. Thousands of
tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is
going home; that wildness is a necessity” (Whitman, 1994, p.89). This powerful statement about
the importance of bonding with nature remains as true today as it did in the nineteenth century,
when Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was written.
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References
Cafaro, P. (2009). Thoreau, Henry David 1817-1862. Encyclopedia of environmental ethics and
philosophy, 2.
Green Spaces Alliance of South Texas. (2008). Why we’re here. Retrieved from
http://greenspacesalliance.org/about/why/
Land Trust Alliance. (2009). Farm bill conservation programs. Retrieved from
http://www.landtrustalliance.org/policy/conservation-funding/farm-bill
Norton, P. (2005). Wilderness. Encyclopedia of science, technology, and ethics, 4.
Pringle, L. P. (2000). The environmental movement: From its roots to the challenges of a new
century. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
Sierra Club. (2009). John Muir exhibit: Quotations from John Muir. Retrieved from
http://www.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/index.html
The Nature Conservancy. (2009). How we work: Conservation methods. Retrieved from
http://www.nature.org/aboutus/howwework/conservationmethods/privatelands/
Twain, M. (1994). Adventures of huckleberry finn. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.
Whitman, S. (1994). This land is your land: The American conservation movement. Minneapolis:
Lerner Publications Company.