In Chapter 15, when Huck and Jim reunite after their separation in the fog, Mark Twain clearly shows that the Mississippi River is a symbol for freedom, " we would pull through and get out of the fog and into the big clear river, which was the free states, and wouldn't have no more trouble-(Twain, 83). .
The fog scene is symbolically important because it differentiates the river from the land. It hint that the river equals freedom while the land is spiritually "dead." The middle would normally indicate racism and inequality, but instead there is fog. The fog embodies unity between blacks and whites. When Huck and Jim loose each other in that fog, they are loosing abarrier and color is no longer visible. .
Not only does the Mississippi River represent physical freedom, but emotional freedom as well. This is evident after the fog scene when Jim says to Huck, " En all you wuz thinkin" "bout wuz how you could make a fool uv ole Jim wid a lie. Dat truck dah is trash; en trash is what people is dat puts dirt on de head er dey fren's en make em ashamed" (Twain, 84). This is a very significant quote because it shows that Jim feels like he has more freedom of expression. When he's on the river he feels that it's okay to call Huck trash. This implies that Jim feels different around Huck and he knows that he is in an environment where public opinion doesn't matter. He would never think to speak that way in the presence of Miss Watson or any other member of southern society.
Another example of symbolism is noticeable when Jim and Huck are just simply floating down the river. Everything around them is so serene. All they hear is the flow of water and the sound of nature. "We catched fish and talked, and we took a swim now and then to keep off sleepiness. It was kind of solemn, drifting down the big, still river, laying on our backs looking up at the stars nothing ever happened to us at all - that night, nor the next, nor the next- (Twain, 63).