Evolution Of The Love Of Nature
Running head: EVOLUTION OF THE LOVE OF NATURE
The Evolution of America’s Love of Nature since The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Stephen Kanefsky
Middletown High School
12/16/09
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Evolution Of The Love Of Nature
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The Evolution of America’s Love of Nature since Huckleberry Finn
The thought of a bright sun beating through a clear blue sky, as a crisp breeze flows
through the air evokes a feeling of excitement in a person. Almost everyone loves the
peacefulness and beauty that nature provides to him or her. This admiration for nature was
evident in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and it has been expressed in many ways
throughout the years. The characters in the novel demonstrated the need for nature, and they also
showed their admiration for it. Americans are now trying to preserve and protect the
environment that they have grown to respect. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn captured the
love of nature in nineteenth century America, which in the twenty-first century has been carried
out on Earth Day, through recycling, and through the production of green spaces.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn portrays American society and its love of nature in
the 1840s by having the characters express their opinions of nature in the novel. The novel
features two main characters, Huck Finn and Jim, who journey down the Mississippi River
looking for freedom. Huck and Jim consider nature to be captivating and necessary. Huck
expresses nature’s attractiveness throughout the entire novel. As they float on their raft at night,
Huck says that they would be “laying on our backs looking up at the stars” (Twain, 2003, p. 64).
Towards the beginning of their journey, Huck and Jim would rest on a towhead during the day.
Huck says, “We laid there all day, and watched the steamboats spin down the Missouri shore,
and upbound steamboats fight the big river in the middle” (Twain, 2003, p.63). As indicated in
both of these quotes, nature truly captivated Huck, Jim, and nineteenth century Americans. They
also viewed it as a necessary resource. Huck and Jim used nature to protect them from danger.
If a threat was apparent, they would board their raft and float away. Huck “never felt easy till
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the raft was two mile below there and out in the middle of the Mississippi” (Twain, 2003, p.116).
As the years went on, Americans developed a new appreciation for nature.
The beautiful nature from the nineteenth century is being preserved and conserved in
modern times, especially on Earth Day. The first Earth Day took place on April 22, 1970
(Nelson, 1980, para. 1). The concept was derived by Senator Gaylord Nelson, who felt that the
country should display their awareness for nature by supporting the environment (1980, para.1).
Earth Day is celebrated every April 22, and many communities and schools conduct activities
and lessons that inspire people to improve their surroundings (Stomfay-Stiltz & Wheeler, 2009,
para. 3). Since the first Earth Day, legislations have been passed to better various aspects of
nature, such as protecting endangered species and improving water quality (Nelson, 1980, para.
6). The process of recycling has evolved from an Earth Day activity to an everyday activity.
Recycling illustrates America’s love for nature, as it is a process that is done by
Americans to preserve nature. “Recycling is a method of reusing materials that would otherwise
be disposed in a landfill or incinerator” (Richman, 2008, para.1). The process is very important,
as it reduces the need for materials that are taken from the environment, and it limits pollution
from discarded waste. Recycling begins with trash that contains recyclable material, such as
paper, metal, plastic, glass, and rubber (Richman, 2008, para. 3 & 19). These materials are
separated and sent to a recycling facility where they are reprocessed into new materials, and
made into new products (Richman para. 3). Government institutions realize that recycling
benefits nature, and therefore have endorsed legislations that require a certain amount of recycled
material to be included in goods (Richman, 2008, para. 8). Recycling can be done with organic
materials too, through a process called composting. Compost is made up of organic materials,
especially those that contain animal or vegetable matter (Richman, 2008, para. 22). These
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materials are mixed with water and heated, resulting in a material like soil (Richman, 2008, para.
24). Compost helps reduce the number of organic materials in nature that have been cut down or
removed, in order to make soil. Recycling and composting significantly reduce damage to the
environment. The fact that people take part in these activities demonstrates their love for nature.
Another way that people are exhibiting their love of nature is through the establishment
of green spaces. Green spaces are pieces of land in and around cities that remain undeveloped,
like parks and trails, so there is still pure land in a community (Waits, 2008, para.1). Green
spaces draw many people, as they are a very big tourist attraction. People come to green spaces
to escape the hustle and bustle of the city; in fact, many people are moving in areas near green
spaces, so that they can be close to nature (Waits, 2008, para. 5). Some people are contributing
to the cause, and are buying land to be used as green space. For example, Metallica lead singer
James Hetfield has donated over 760 acres of land to California to be used as green space (Welte,
2009, para. 1 & 4). The spaces also give people a sense of protection, as they are safe and wideopen community areas (Waits, 2008, para. 5). Green spaces provide areas for recycling and
composting, provide habitats for wildlife, and attract people to them (Waits, 2008, table 1). The
establishment of green spaces and the interest surrounding them not only shows the admiration
of nature that American’s feel, but the want to protect and preserve it as well.
The love expressed towards nature by Americans has been expressed differently
throughout the years. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn captured nineteenth century
America’s love towards nature, which in modern times is not only loved, but also preserved, on
Earth Day, by recycling, and through the establishment of green spaces. If human beings stay
driven by their love of nature to keep protecting their environment, then it should remain
beautiful forever.
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References
Nelson, G. (1980, April). Earth Day '70: What it meant. EPA Journal. Retrieved December 16,
2009 from http://www.epa.gov/history/topics/earthday/02.htm
Richman, K. (2008). Recycling. Gale Encyclopedia of Science, 4, para. 1. Retrieved December
11, 2009 from Student Resource Center Gold.
Stomfay-Stiltz, A. & Wheeler, E. (2009). Earth Day 2009: Hope. Childhood Education, 85(3),
178. Retrieved December 10, 2009 from Expanded Academic ASAP.
Twain, M. (2003). The adventures of huckleberry finn. New York: Bantam Dell.
Waits, J. (2008). Urban green space: Is it the next financial frontier?. Business Perspectives,
19(3), 36. Retrieved December 16, 2009 from Expanded Academic ASAP.
Welte, J. (2009, December 15). Metallica's Hetfield donates 330 acres to county. Marin
Independent Journal. Retrieved December 17, 2009 from
http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_14007124