Surrounded by an Author's Style
...hroughout the story to retain it’s own characterization. The river is the setting that embodies this idea. The Mississippi River, the primary setting of the novel, is the source of emotion for many characters. The river brings joy to Huck, for instance, when he escapes Pa. The river causes fear among Jim and Huck when they encounter a group of bandits. The river becomes a source of frustration as Jim and Huck discover they have passed their destination. Many other emotions arise from this setting, but much like a human character, these emotions interact throughout the novel. The river seems to be a life of its own, slowing down, speeding up. A vision of the life in the river is created with these lines from the novel: “…sometimes you could hear a sweep screaking; or jumbled up voices, it was so still, and sound come so far…” (Twain 338). The river conveys life-like presence. “The Goophered Grapevine” by Charles W. Chesnutt expresses this seemingly life-like setting. In this story, the setting, in fact, imitates life. “W’en de sap ris nex’ spring, ole Henry ‘n’inted his head ez yuzhal, en his ha’r ‘mence’ ter grow des de same ez it done eve’y year. De scuppernon’vimes growed monst’us fas’, en de leaves wuz greener en thicker dan dey eber be’n dyoin’ my rememb’ance; en Henry’s ha’r growed out thicker dan eber…” (Chesnutt 219). The vineyard grew simultaneously with Henry’s hair. It took on a life of its own. While a setting may be confined, it may, in fact, offer an escape from it’s own limitations. In “A White Heron” by Sarah Orne Jewett, Sylvia experiences a contained life, restricted by her inner self. However, she seems to release it as she finds herself in another setting. As she reaches the top of the tree, Sylvia finds “…this determined spark of human spirit creeping and climbing from higher branch to branch” (Jewett 188). “The Yellow Wall-Pa...