The characteristics and development of one's inner being are determined by the presence or total absence of society's influence. We, as a society, learn and grow based on the information and sociocultural influences around us. Therefore, we also grow based on the lack of society in our daily life and activities. For example, in the satirical story written by Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the audience meets the main protagonist, Huck Finn, at a catalytic moment in his fictional life. He is trapped in the constant struggle between the influence of society and the empty freedom that is presented through nature throughout the text. In context, society's influential hold never truly overwhelms the consciousness of the young, Southern mind, while nature never truly frees Huck from sociocultural influences. He finds himself in a constant dark oblivion in which he is never fully immersed in either entity of the narrative. Early in the novel, the audience meets a young man living in a fictional primitive Southern civilization known as St. Petersburg, Missouri. The boy was adopted by a Southern woman in an attempt to civilize his primitive behavior with the outside influences of his friend, Tom Sawyer, constantly attempting to create mischief. However, despite these influences, Huckleberry Finn still shows brief signs of individualistic thoughts and ideas. For example, in an early chapter of the composition, Twain writes: “Tom whispered to me and wanted to tie Jim to the tree for fun. But I said no; he might wake up and cause a ruckus, and then they'd find out I wasn't here. (Two 8s). At this current stage of the novel, Huckleberry shows no obvious signs of interest... middle of paper... of the human being in creating one's self without external influences from society. The only way one can try to escape society's grip is to embrace it with an educated perspective and be able to control one's conscience above all else. Nature, in a sense, is a way Huckleberry Finn's people, for the most part, have shown extraordinary maturity in dealing with society throughout the entire novel. However, society will constantly influence the individualistic characteristics of humanity. Works Cited Twain, Mark. "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library, nd Web."American Churches and Birney Slavery." Birney's American Churches and Slavery. Np, nd Web. November 3, 2013. “Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes.” Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes. Np, nd Web. 03 November. 2013.