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
Jim struggles with major racial difficulties during this time period and Huck learns from his father that blacks are inferior to whites. He makes many comments and attempts to compare his son Huck to Jim who is seen to be “stupid” because of the lesser knowledge that Jim has than that of Pap. Although when Pap pretends to die and Huck seizes his chance to plot and escape, Jim accompanies Huck on his journey down the Mississippi river to find a new home. So far in the novel Jim has shown his loyalty to Huck and Huck begins to question both of their positions in society. Huck sees that it racial inequality because there is nothing wrong with Jim. He is a forced laborer barricaded by whites chaining him to the land but when Huck comes along what little does he know it is wrong to be with a black man. Huck varies from his father Pap because not only does Pap treat his son as an aggressive drunk but Pap doesn’t see the goodness that comes from Jim or even the mere similarity between these to humans let alone there skin. Well Huck sees that in Jim and that’s all that matters is that even though Huck isn’t getting an education he sees morality in this novel and discovers
Huck has only ever known his father as the uneducated drunk that he was in the book. Therefore, when he is out with Jim for such a long period of time, he begins to look up to Jim and his outlook on life. In Document E, in the letter Huck wants to write to Miss. Watson, we see him explain somewhat the adventure him and Jim went on. Specifically, when they were traveling down the river, “...and would always call me honey, and pet me, and do everything he could think of for me, and how good he always was;” (Document E). To me, this not only shows how Huck saw Jim as a father figure, but how Jim treated Huck as his own flesh and blood. Also in Document E, we see Huck decide to help Jim rather than telling Miss. Watson where he is. This exhibits how Huck is okay with the fact that this will always be on his conscience, “‘All right then, I’ll go to hell’--and tore it up,” (Document E). Huck deciding this on his own shows us how he didn’t want anyone to know where Jim was because he wanted him to stay in his life. He also wanted to save Jim so he would still have that father figure in his life. In spite of the fact that Jim has no rights, Huck is able to learn valuable things from this man on their adventure down the
Originally, Huck believes that he should turn in Jim, a slave running away from being sold by Widow Douglas and Miss Watson. He does not see it as following the law, he just believes that it would be immoral for him not to turn in Jim to the cops. Huck Finn was raised to accept the idea of slavery which has been shaped by a society who accepted slavery. The pranks that Huck Finn pulled on Jim reflects Huck Finns attitude towards Jim 's intelligence. In the scene after Huck Finn and Jim get separated in the fog, Huck thinks Jim is stupid enough to believe that none of it
On Huck and Jim’s journey to Cairo, Jim begins to speak about when he is free he will go and find his children and take them from the slave owner. This rubbed Huck the wrong way; his standards of Jim had been lowered because, from Huck’s point of view, why would Jim steal his children away from a man who has done nothing to him? Huck’s conscience began to come into play and he had made up his mind: He was going to turn Jim in when they reach shore. He was sure of it until Jim began to sweet talk Huck, telling him that Huck was the only white man that had ever kept a promise to him. This comment went directly to Huck’s heart; he could not possibly
And When Huck came back and tricked poor old Jim of that he just had a dream of that Huck was gone, Jim cried he was really taking it seriously of this relationship. It’s like when a child is gone and their Father is so worried about them and desperately wanting to meet back together again. “What do dey stan’ for? I’s gwyne to tell you. When I got all wore out nd los’, en I didn’t k’yer
During the book, Huck hasn’t really experienced what life really was and what you might encounter during times that just come out of anything. Jim is someone that you might call strange and unexpected. When Huck
Jim is a runaway slave. He lived on Jackson’s island across the river from where the community he was originally at. By being a runaway slave, Jim is breaking the law. He is owned by another human, Miss Watson. Jim is considered the legal material property of another person. Huck rejects this legal law, and agrees to help Jim break the law by escaping. Huck is shocked at himself for doing this and even believes he will go to hell for his actions. But Huck decides to choose friendship over what society tells him to do. When Huck and Jim are on the adventure down the Mississippi, their friendship grows stronger and stronger. They depend on each other to survive. Huck attempts to turn in Jim. When Huck and Jim came to the shore by a town. Huck gets off and looks for someone to report Jim. However, Huck runs into some white people wanting to capture runaway slaves. They Huck if he had any others in the boat with him. Huck get scared for Jim and told them that there was his mom, dad and sister in the boat and they all had small pox. By doing this, Huck puts his heart ahead of his head. Huck and Jim returns to St. Petersburg. Jim gets to be free, although Huck doesn’t realize that. Huck saw Jim in a building thinking that Jim was now a slave that couldn’t leave the plantation. So he got Tom Sawyer and then Tom wanted to plan out a way to get Jim out. The plan that Tom had was ridiculous because they could just walk in and take Jim away. Huck tried to point that out to Tom but, as stubborn as Tom is, they did Tom’s plan. A while later, they finally got Jim
Jim’s words had a big affect on Huck, who realizes that Jim is a person, and that his feelings can be hurt.
Huck’s relationship with Jim evolves through out the first chapters in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Before their relationship evolved into a friendship, Huck saw Jim as an inferior, and Jim saw himself as one as well. Evolving into the end of Chapter 16, Huck has thoughts of apologizing for a trick he played on Jim, showing that Huck saw him as an equal, and a friend. The first time Huck speaks to Jim is on Jackson’s Island, when they are both runaways. “‘Well, I b’lieve you, Huck. I—I run off.’ ‘Jim!’ But mind, you said you wouldn’t tell—you know you said you wouldn’t tell, Huck.’ ‘Well, I did. I said I wouldn’t, and I’ll stick to it” (45). When Jim tells Huck the reason why he is out on Jackson’s Island, Huck is surprised, as Jim became nervous and tried to use Huck’s word against his own. Clearly there still is not a lot
Throughout all these situations that Huck goes through, Jim has supported him, even when Jim was not with Huck at every time. Jim first met up with Huck on the island. Jim escaped Widow Douglas’s home because he was to be sold down south, which would separate Jim from his family forever. Jim is hands down the most important person to Huck throughout the novel, putting himself in a category as one of Huck’s new family members. Jim has been associated as Huck’s father figure. During their time together, Jim and Huck make up a sort of alternative family in an alternative place, apart from society. Huck escaped from society for adventure and a new life, while Jim has escaped from society so that he wouldn’t be separated from his family by being sold down south. Jim is based off of his love, whether it’s for his family or his growing love for Huck. Jim was thought of by Huck as a stupid, ignorant slave in the beginning of the novel, but as Huck spends more time with Jim, Huck realizes that Jim has a different kind of knowledge based off of his years as well as his experiences with love. In the incidents of the floating house and Jim’s snakebite, Jim uses his knowledge to benefit both of them but also seeks to protect Huck. Jim is less imprisoned by conventional wisdom than Huck,
Jim, who becomes Huck's friend as he travels down the Mississippi river, is a man of intelligence and consideration. "An understanding of Jim's character is by no means a simple matter; he is a highly complex and original creation, although he appears at first sight very simple" (Hansen, 388). Jim has one of the few well functioning families in the novel. Although he has been estranged from his wife and children, he misses them dreadfully, and it is only the thought of a lasting separation from them that motivates his unlawful act of running away from Miss Watson. Jim is rational about his situation and must find ways of accomplishing his goals without provoking the fury of those who could turn him in. Regardless of the restrictions and constant fear Jim possesses he consistently acts as a gracious human being and a devoted friend. In fact, Jim could be described as the only existent adult in the novel, and the only one who provides an encouraging, decent example for Huck to follow. The people that surround Huck who are supposed to be teaching him of morals, and not to fall into the down falls of society are the exact people who need to be taught the lessons of life by Jim. Jim conveys an honesty that makes the dissimilarity between him and the characters around him evident.
After a long raft-ride, Huck and Jim are finally about to reach Cairo, which on their arrival would make Jim free. With the smell of freedom, Jim rambles on about how he would buy his wife and then steal his children. This sets off a spark in Huck, igniting his conscience and making him very uneasy. Huck couldn't believe that Jim would steal property from a man that hadn't done him any harm. Huck then begins feeling guilty about helping Jim escape from Miss Watson, since she had never done anything to him and didn't deserve for Jim to be stolen from her. At his departure for the town, on a mission to turn Jim in, Jim leaves Huck with these words. " Pooty soon I'll be a shout'n' for joy, en I'll say say, it's all on accounts o' Huck; I's a free man, en I couldn't ever ben free ef it hadn't it ben for Huck; Huck done it. Jim won't ever forgit you, Huck; you's de bes' fren' Jim's ever had; en you's de only fren' ole Jim's got now". (pg.86-87) Hearing these words, Huck realizes how much Jim's friendship means to him and decides not to turn in Jim. Finally, the last test of Huck's conscience comes when he finds out that the "king" and the "duke" have sold Jim. Huck gets to thinking about how wrong he was to help Jim escape, and decides he should write a letter to Miss Watson. He then changes his mind, seeing that Jim would be worse off as a runaway slave because he would be treated horribly, and Huck
All the actions that took place makes Huck realize that even though he feels alienated from the rest of the society, Jim is the only person that makes him feel like he isn’t isolated. Therefore, even though Jim is a different race, he still acts like a father figure to Huck because he has truly developed a bond with him which makes Huck feel comfortable around him and not
As evidenced in the introductory instances regarding death, Huck’s morality is defective and his sympathy is missing. Perhaps, Huck’s flaws are due to his close contact with the iconic delinquent Tom Sawyer, who is likely corroding Huck’s ethics. Consequently, when Huck bonds with his new partner-in-crime, Jim, a stark juxtaposition is evidenced between the ideals of Tom and Jim. However, luckily “youth is a time of greater potential for change than any other stage of life”, and Jim’s positive influence proves beneficial (Trites 53) . Specifically, Jim is extraordinarily superstitious and attaches a copious amount of meaning to just about everything, even a measly snake skin (Twain 162). Of course, this means that Jim does not completely disregard the significance of death and importance of sympathy, as Tom and his mischievous mates do. Consequently, Jim “has proven himself as a morally admirable figure” (Bollinger). As a result, after prolonged exposure to Jim, Huck starts to exude more concern for the life of others, as evidenced in quite a few scenarios that take place on his and Jim’s journey.
Despite an ardent view on slavery evident through interactions with Jim, Huck’s slowly shifting view of Jim from that of ignorance to seeming acceptance expresses his ability to stray from flawed societal values to his own developed moral code of conduct. This becomes evident when Huck protects Jim from men who board his raft, by hinting he has smallpox. Although one can see this as compassion for Jim, Huck questions with racist undertones, “s’pose you done right and give Jim up; would you felt better than you do now? No, says I, I’d feel bad” (Twain 127). However, he later affirms himself to “do whatever come handiest at the time.” (Twain 127). At this point, society still influences Huck, but his statement marks his decision to detach from societal values, and eventually allows him to form his own views on Jim. This comes slowly, as Huck cannot shake free from racism.