Essay on A Short Story About an Evil Barber in Ring Lardner's Haircut

It is difficult to decide which is the right decision to make when a situation presents itself. Normally, people carefully think over the consequences both positive and negative and we may believe that we have made the right choice although, others may not think so. The barber's choice in the short story, "Lather and Nothing Else" written by Hernando Tellez, is negotiable. He is secretly a member of the resistance that is fighting against the government. The conflict is introduced when Captain Torres, an executioner, walks into the barber’s shop to get shaved. That gives the barber an opportunity to kill him and become a hero. As the barber shaves him he contemplates every possible outcome of

Not only does the novel show Jim as compassionate but, it also portrays him as superstitious. For instance, he believes the reasoning behind the bad luck relates to Huck touching a snakeskin. "You said it was the worst bad luck in the world to touch a snakeskin with my hands." Equally important Jim believes hairy arms and chests leads to wealth. "Ef you's got hairy arms en a hairy breas', it's a sign dat you's a gwyne to be rich." Furthermore, the sight of birds flying overhead produces rain. "Some young birds come along, flying a yard or two at a time and lightning. Jim said it was a sign it was going to rain." Another situation where Jim shows superstition includes, "And Jim said you musn't count the things you have for dinner because that would bring you bad luck. The same if you shook the tablecloth after sundown." These superstitions prove just how crazy Jim acts.

Huck would pull jokes on Jim all the time, just because he thought they were funny. "That all comes of my being such a fool as to not remember that wherever you leave a dead snake its mate always comes there and curls around it." (Twain 40) Huck learns that jokes have a limit to them at times and need to be thought out more clearly. (123 HelpMe) Huck later in the novel finds out, that’s not how you deal with life and figures out that’s not how you get to keep friends and grow up. Huck is very uncomfortable living in a decent house, sleeping in a good bed, wearing decent clothes and shoes, eating normal food, and not being allowed to curse, swear, or smoke. (Cliffs Notes)

Even in his moments of heroism, Jim is an objectionable character.  When he risks recapture in aiding the doctor tending to Tom’s gunshot wound, Jim is embodying the archetypal “good nigger” who lacks self-respect, dignity, and a sense of self separate from what whites want from him.  He is merely a plaything that Tom and Huck use to inspire

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.

Thanks to his strong personality and nature, Jim develops into a wonderful man by the end of the novel, despite having gone through many difficult times. He used these tragedies to form himself into a strong person, instead of allowing it to break him down. When he was very young, he was orphaned, and sent to live in a new state, ‘I was ten years old then; I had lost both my father

Jim becomes frightened and runs away from Mrs. Watson. After Jim runs away from Mrs. Watson, Jim becomes a runaway slave. Jims journey with Huck to freedom commenced with only the fear of being caught as a runaway slave. Later in the journey, Jim starts to crave freedom from slavery. Twain states , "Jim said it made him all over trebly and feverish to be so close to freedom" (97). Jim's happiness is also expressed as they’re getting closer and closer to Cairo, as Huck describes more, "Jim was fidgeting up and down past me. We neither of us could keep still. Every time he danced around and says, "Dah's Cairo!" (97) Jim's happiness for freedom is obvious. The only way Jim can attain his happiness is through freedom.

Two chapters into the story and Twain has already placed Huck and his friend Tom found themselves sneaking past a man in the kitchen Huck referred to him as, “Miss Watson’s big nigger, named Jim” (11). This is when Jim and Huck’s view on Jim is first introduced. Huck made it very clear on how he viewed him, Jim was nothing but Miss Watson's unimportant property in his eyes. After the two boys got away without being spotted Tom decided to pull a prank on Jim, Huck did not make any effort to stop him. The way Huck allowed Tom to humiliate Jim shows that he does not see him as a person worthy of respect due to the color of his skin. Jim was just an average slave, and his feelings never crossed Huck’s mind.

“He slit his throat while he was shaving him- a coward”(51) this represents how people will start changing the way they think about the barber, thus affecting his life. “I would have to flee,leaving all I have behind and take refuge far away,”(51)these are some of the preoccupations the barber would have after the murder which would affect his life and change his stlye of living from being open to runing from the spotlight.The barber in the story would also have to worry that some people will keep looking for him “They would follow me untill they found me”(51),maybe affecting his life by harming him or people he love or simply finding the barber and murdering

Jim’s words had a big affect on Huck, who realizes that Jim is a person, and that his feelings can be hurt.

Jim still being a youngster was left in the care of a neighbor. Even though Jim and his mother were separated frequently they still kept close ties with each other.

We see this become an example when they help each other out by doing what they can do while the other can not, and one for such is Huck dressing as a girl to hear what is happening in their former town. Huck is the one doing this because he is white, not because he is more skilled in remembering or any of the sorts. Though Jim is someone for Huck to look for guidance, and deciding what they should do. He uses Jim’s superstitions many times. One for instance was when they decided where to stash their canoe and supplies. “Jim says if we had the canoe hid in a good place, and had all the traps in the cavern, we could rush there is anybody was to come to the island, and they would never find us without dogs. And besides, he said them little birds had said it was going to rain, and I didn’t want the things to get wet?” (50). This became a turning point, as Huck seeks advice from Jim. This common goal of not getting caught helped this change undergo, as they see that hiding the canoe would make the searchers believe the place was

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 is also a relatively flat character. He goes through the novel with very little change in his character. He is always superstitious, but also is very accepting of people. One example of his superstitions is, “And [Jim] said that handling a snake-skin was such awful bad luck that maybe we hadn’t got to the end of it yet.” (Twain, 64.) Jim always adheres to his superstitions, and in a way they govern his life. Even when Tom and Huck are attempting to set Jim free near the end of the book, Jim goes along with all their crazy machinations. This is similar to his superstitions, because he is willing to do silly things, since he believes they are essential to gaining freedom.

He thought it was in his best interest to see what Dr. Livesey thought of this matter. After Jim comes back to Admiral Benbow from staying with Dr. Livesey, he finds that Jim’s mother has hired a young boy to be an apprentice in replace of Jim. Jim finally begins to see that his adventure has forced him to forget about his previous life at the Inn. He realizes he is leaving his normal life, the Inn, and his mother (Stevenson 59-60). Jim may have got the feeling he was being replaced, but he knew that day would come soon enough. “In many respects a typical British boy of his age, Jim has lead a sheltered life at the Admiral Benbow Inn. The arrival of Billy Bones triggers his desire to explore the larger world beyond his home. Although he has grown up on the sea coast, Jim knows little of the seafaring life. His adventures constitute on initiation into adulthood, by means of which he learns survival skills and moral lessons that far eclipse the typical education of a British gentleman” (Beetz, Niemeyer 2007). Although only the age of thirteen, Jim was determined to set sail and wasn’t going to let his age define who he was, until tragedy struck.