What does the Mississippi River symbolize in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?

Throughout many instances of American history, we have seen several groups ache for freedom: an esccape from everyday life, and a release from the chokehold of society. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, he beautifully paints a picture of the Mississippi, the river which acts as the heart and soul of the novel, as a source of freedom. From the get-go, the reader gets a sense that Huckleberry Finn desires freedom, mainly because he dissaproves of Widow Douglas's multiple attempts to "sivilize" him, and Pap's cruel treatment toward him. To our surprise, Huckleberry finds freedom at a nearby river, which he then uses to run away. Eventually, Huckleberry Finn comes in contact with a man by the name of Jim - a runaway slave who is hungry for freedom from his owner. Huckleberry Finn settles on helping Jim find freedom, and the Mississippi River plays a huge role in helping them achieve their goal. As the novel progresses, the river brings Jim closer and closer to freedom and gives them both a safe haven from the numerous challenges they face. Generally, when people go to rivers, they feel calm and relaxed, just like the flow of a river - this is exactly how Jim and Huck feel when they're traveling down the Mississippi. It gave them a source of relief and freedom.
____________

During his adventures on the Mississippi River Huck Finn encounters one family after another. Having left an abusive father behind, Huck appears to be trying out various familial situations as he travels. It seems like he’s pretty keen on getting a family of his own because most of Huck’s deceptions involve him making up a fictitious "family" of his own that fits in with the story. He develops many pseudo-family relationships during his travels. Interestingly, the strongest family-like bond he creates is with his own friends, and particularly with Jim and Tom. It remains unclear whether or not Huck realizes and accepts this fact, but he definitely recognizes the unmatchable strength of the bonds he and his friends share. As a semi-orphan, Huck replaces his missing family with his friends.

Thirteen-year-old Huck Finn’s narration in this novel focuses largely on his internal moral struggles. Forced to reconcile his personal feelings of friendship for an escaped slave with what society has told him is "right," Huck learns through the course of the story to trust his moral instincts. Despite his actions, however, the question remains at the end of novel as to whether Huck is truly able to overcome the pervading ethos of the pre-Civil War  South. You could argue either way. Huck was amazingly strong-willed and in touch with his own personal sense of morality to turn away from society’s pressures and the law’s threats. But the end of the novel is somewhat ambiguous. To complicate matters, throughout the story Huck does tend to think one thing and then turn right around and believe another.

In Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, the main character, Huck, matured a great deal.   Huck matured a lot by realizing many important facts of life.   One of these facts was the importance of family.   Huck was a good decision maker and he matured in this area throughout the novel.   Huck developed an active conscience and the ability to tell right from wrong.   I believe Huck Finn went from being a little annoying kid to a mature young man.
At the end of the novel, family was a pretty important thing to Huck Finn.   At the
very end, he realized that he liked to be with the widows and they were an important thing
in his life, since they were his guardians. Jim and Huck were like their own little family.
since they cared for each other.   "I hadn't had a bite to eat since yesterday, so Jim he got
out some corn-dodgers and buttermilk, and pork and cab