Transcendentalism In Huckleberry Finn

Slavery and transcendentalism were significant parts of the 19th century. Slaves like Frederick Douglass fought to escape to the North, and writers like Ralph Waldo Emerson encouraged the public not to conform to society. Freedom was an issue that connected these topics. Slaves desired a literal form of freedom: to not be owned by another person.  Emerson advocated for a more figurative freedom: the freedom to be oneself. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain and The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd emphasize that one cannot achieve freedom alone, as others reveal issues with societal norms, and physically assist them on their journey; though Ralph Waldo Emerson in Self-Reliance argues that freedom comes through autonomy, Frederick

Douglass’ narrative counters that self-sufficiency comes from the education that others provide.
As others assert societal flaws, people are a necessity in achieving independent freedom.

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, a young boy named Huck befriends a runaway slave named Jim. Through being around Jim, Huck notices flaws with society’s image of slaves. When confronted with the choice of turning Jim in to Miss Watson or continuing their adventure, Huck recalls “somehow I couldn’t seem to find no places to harden me against him [Jim], but only the other kind. I’d see him standing my watch on top of his’n, ‘stead of calling me, so I could go on sleeping… and would always call me honey, and pet me, and do everything he could think of for me” (Twain 214). Jim indirectly reminds Huck that slaves are more than property, and are capable of being caring, loving, and kind. Due to this realization, Huck breaks societal norms by deciding to remain loyal to Jim, giving him freedom from a prejudiced society. Similarly, in The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, the Main Character,

Lily, runs away from her father and finds shelter at the house of August Boatwright and her two sisters, May and June. Upon learning that May’s sister April’s suicide, which happened because her sister was depressed by the inequalities between the races, caused May’s depression, Lily begins to feel sympathy for the oppressed black people. August explains “When April died, something in May died, too. She was never normal after that. It seemed like the world itself became May’s twin sister” (Kidd 97). Lily is shocked that May’s depression was a result of a racist incident. Learning this opens her eyes to the true condition of the world around her, and allows her to recognize the apparent racism, setting her free from believing in everything society tells her. In the end, others pointing out the problems with society is crucial to achieve freedom.
    Physical aid provides one with the necessary assistance to acquire freedom. For example, at the end of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Jim’s former owner, Miss Watson, releases Jim from the bonds of slavery. When Huck, Tom, and Aunt Sally are discussing Jim’s fate while he sits in jail, Tom shouts, “Old Miss Watson died two months ago, and she was ashamed she was ever going to sell him down the river, and said so; and she set him free in her will” (Twain 290). The repetition of she and him emphasizes that Miss Watson’s actions cause Jim’s fate. If it was not for Miss Watson freeing Jim in her will, Jim would still be a slave, and continue to lack physical freedom. Comparatively, in The Secret Life of Bees, Lily needs the aid of the Daughters of Mary in order to stay away from T. Ray, her abusive father. Once he discovers Lily’s location, he storms the house and forces Lily to come home with him. As the Daughters of Mary defend Lily, she observes, “the four of them lined up beside us, clutching their pocketbooks up against their bodies like they might have to use them to beat the living hell out of somebody” (Kidd 297). Because of their interference, T. Ray gives up in his efforts to force Lily to come with him. This allows Lily to stay in Tiburon with August as her guardian, thus freeing her from that abusive relationship with her father. If the Daughters of Mary, as well as August, had not stepped in, T. Ray would have dragged Lily back to their home. Lily needed their aid to be set free from her father’s grasp. So, freedom cannot be gained without the help of others, seeing as the physical aid of other people is essential in achieving freedom.
However, some believe that freedom can be obtained alone.

In 1841, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote an essay describing what a man must do to be free, called Self Reliance. Emerson states, “A man is relieved and gay when he has put his heart into his work and done his best (Emerson 1).  The word “his” is used repeatedly, which shows Emerson’s belief that one must work alone to achieve happiness. He expresses that no one can help one achieve freedom, because one is only truly self-reliant, and by extension, free, if they set themselves free. On the contrary, other people provide education that is crucial to being self-reliant, and therefore free. In The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass, Douglass explains his path towards freedom. It all starts with learning to read and write. His former mistress started to teach him, but she soon stopped, as she learned how slave owners generally kept their slaves ignorant, as it made them easier to control. After that, Douglass found a new source of teachers: children. He notes, “The plan which I adopted, and the one by which I was most successful, was that of making friends of all the little white boys whom I met in the street. As many of these as I could, I converted into teachers” (Douglass 2). As Douglass was a slave, his owners did not allow him to have access to books, which meant he could not teach himself. Becoming literate by himself was not an option, so he had to seek help from others. The white boys

taught him to read, which gave Douglass hope that he may be free one day. On the whole, while one makes their own choices, they require education in order to form those ideas to set themselves free.
Briefly stated, freedom is not something one can earn without help from others. Whether literal or figurative, one requires others to expand their mind to new ideas, as well as physical aid from others to become free. Despite the idea that one’s own hard work leads to enlightenment, and one must achieve freedom on their own, one must have the necessary tool, education, to for one's own ideas and set themselves free.