Abstract:The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the most popular work of Mark Twain，a famous master in literature, and is also an outstanding work of American literature. The novel’s great progress in thoughts and arts, to a great extent, depends on the usage of symbolism. After the Civil War, Mark Twain held hope of American future. He thought that after abolishing institution of slavery, America would present a new phase of democracy in politics, and freedom in speech. However, the reality disappointed him, which was embodied in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In the novel, the author gave some plentiful meanings to certain objects and expressed his yearning for freedom.

Keywords: the Mississippi River; Huck; Symbolism

中文摘要:马克·吐温是世界著名文学大师，《哈克贝利·费恩历险记》是他最受欢迎的作品，也是美国文学的一部名著。这本小说在思想性和艺术性方面都取得了巨大的成功，很大程度上取决于象征手法的运用。美国南北战争后，马克·吐温抱有很大的希望，他以为北部反对南部蓄奴制的斗争成功后，在美国将会出现一个政治民主，言论自由的崭新局面，然而事实让他大失所望。《哈克贝利·费恩历险记》正是作者全面彻底揭露这种“自由和民主”神话的重要作品之一。小说中，作者赋予了一些事物丰富的象征意义。本文着重分析作品中密西西比河和哈克的象征意义，深刻揭露美国所谓“自由和民主”神话，表达了作者对自由的向往和追求。

关键词：密西西比河；哈克；象征意义