Home is Where the Heart Is

"I never felt easy till the raft was two mile below there and out in the middle of the Mississippi. Then we hung up our single lantern, and judged that we was free and safe once more. I hadn't had a bite to eat since yesterday; so Jim he got out some corn-dodgers and buttermilk, and pork and cabbage, and greens--there ain't nothing in the world so good, when it's cooked right-- and whilst I eat my supper we talked and had a good time. I was powerful glad to get away from the feuds, and so was Jim to get away from the swamp. We said there warn't no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don't. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft" (Twain 134).

The dictionary defines home as "the place in which one's domestic affections are centered", "an institution for the homeless",  or "any place of residence or refuge". To Huck and Jim, their raft serves as their oasis; a refuge from the struggles in their lives and a place where the two of them can spend time learning much about themselves and each other. When someone deems a place worthy of being called 'home', there is something special about that place. Granted some people might not consider a raft a very typical home, to Huck and Jim, the fresh air, open space, and freedom from the shackles of their old lives allowed them to see and experience new things that brought them great joy.

Home does not have to be a building with a front door, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. Home does not have to have a roof, windows or a lawn. Home is simply the place where you are able to be most yourself, feel most loved, and feel safe. Huck and Jim found the perfect home for them on that raft. It's so humbling to remember that home is less about the items within it and more about the people that you share it with. Jim was such a great influence on Huck. He forced Huck to grow up, become a more loving boy, and put faith into perspective for him. Without that raft, perhaps both individuals would be looking at lives much grimmer.