As we are examining the novel as a seminal literary step in American literature from Romanticism to Realism ,today's session addressed the novel's tension between realism and the lyric Romanticism of Twain's descriptions of the natural world on Jackson's Island. Nina perceptively noted the Edenic imagery of the descriptions and ,in that regard ,I noted the appearance of a snake and its relevance to that imagery. We compared Jim's superstitious perception of the snake with the similar biblical interpretation as an example of Twain's satire of religion. Last, we studied how Huck resolves his first moral dilemma as he is faced with deciding whether to report Jim, a runaway slave. I noted how only by running away from the "land" - representing societal convention- can Huck develop as an independent moral character who can discern right from wrong on his own terms.