Emotion, language, perception and reason are natural processes and in order to have a sense of self it is vital to be acquainted with the world. Epistemologies are essential to the development of schemas, concepts and bias that establish self. Without metaphysical curiosity and collective knowledge one is unable to acquire universal and self-knowledge.
             In the picaresque novel; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain the mystifying Mississippi River provides its travelers with collective knowledge and persuades them to explore humanity. Huck, the cynical protagonist is exposed to untainted life and the hypocrisy of civilized society, as he travels down the murky river. Much like the Mississippi River, Huck is in flux, as he is prepared and often forced to modify his attitudes about humanity without endorsement. Mark Twain has made use of the episodic setting of the river, as well as the emerging action to illustrate the significant meaning of the novel. Through the reciprocal action and reaction of setting, Twain portrays Huck's moral evolution.
             Initially the Mississippi River is the ultimate symbol of freedom from hypocrisy and injustice of society to young Huck, who has yet to develop a personal concept of right and wrong. Throughout the novel Huck is willing to come to his own conclusions about important matters, even if these contradict society's norms. Yet at this point in the novel he is still a boy and is still influenced by others, especially his friend Tom, who obtains an obstinate reliance on romance novels and the authorities, which often results in egotistical acts of stupidity. In chapter ten, Huck demonstrates a similar act of idiocy by placing a dead rattlesnake near Jim's sleeping place and causing the dead snakes mate to bit the runaway slave. The incident is not only a representation of Huck's childish stupidity, but is a biblical image of the Garden of Eden, where snakes lurk on an ...