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Huck Finn's Grief Quotes

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As Huck’s parental figure, Jim has the obligation to serve as Huck’s moral compass, guiding him with his decisions. Jim is the closest thing to a father to Huck and it is his duty to protect him and guide him in the right direction. When Jim realizes that Huck had pranked him into thinking they got separated from each other in the fog, Jim tells Huck, “What do dey stan' for? I'se gwyne to tell you. When I got all wore out wid work, en wid de callin' for you, en went to sleep, my heart wuz mos' broke bekase you wuz los', en I didn' k'yer no' mo' what become er me en de raf'. En when I wake up en fine you back ag'in, all safe en soun', de tears come, en I could 'a' got down on my knees en kiss yo' foot, I's so thankful. En all you wuz thinkin' …show more content…

Upset with Huck’s actions, Jim expresses his grief as if Huck actually lost him. Jim shows his ‘fatherly’ side by scolding Huck, encouraging his conscience into being a kinder person. He shows how thankful he is that Huck was lost because Huck is the only person he cares about on the journey and without him, Jim would have no help and motive to move on. This incident also illustrates how loyal Jim is to Huck. As a runaway slave accompanying a white boy, Jim cannot expect what Huck could do to him; Huck could turn him in or leave him by himself. Jim also had the opportunity to leave Huck, but having all his faith and trust in Huck, Jim decides to stay, hoping Huck was not lost in the fog. After Jim’s lecture, Huck starts to feel guilty, saying, “It made me feel so mean I could almost kissed his feet to get him to take it back” …show more content…

In the essay, “Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” Matthew Hurt writes that “Jim's lecture on friendship does not elevate Jim in Huck's eyes, but rather degrades Huck to a lower position” (Hurt). Hurt’s statement further explains Huck’s humiliation towards his uncalled-for prank on Jim. Jim’s speech helps Huck realize that Jim is also a human being and that he should be more grateful and kind to him. Being a father himself, Jim assumes the role of Huck’s father and helps guide him with his morality and decisions, which includes how he treats others.
Twain’s purpose of slowly progressing Jim’s character was to eventually develop him to become the hero he was meant to be. Jim embodies the word hero as he continually shows feats of courage and nobility during the course of his journey. For starters, Jim deliberately

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