raft life

at this point, huck has made it pretty clear that he much prefers the raft life to the life he used to live on land. he talks about not being cramped on a raft-- even though this is kind of contrary to what one would think. i mean, after all, if you're living on a relatively small piece of wood with another person (and three others, when the duke and king join in), you would probably expect to be cramped and uncomfortable. but huck is so self-sufficient, and so NOT concerned with material comforts and civilised living, that he actually prefers this "cramped" lifestyle to the on-land one. in fact, he talks about how the on-land life is much more cramped than life on a raft. for huck, "cramped" really does mean cramped-- just, more emotionally and mentally, rather than physically. with his father, he was cramped and trapped in, and though there was more freedom, he still was locked in every night, and all day was with his father. life with the widow didn't help the whole idea of being cramped, either. huck most certainly would consider manners, and school, and clean clothes, and church, and eating all together at the dinner table, and praying before bed, and spelling and reading and writing-- all of these are bothersome, and can cramp a person in. huck is trapped in these things because they matter to him the least, and yet he used to be forced to do them. on the raft, he can do as he pleases, and he's free as a bird. life is beautiful.