The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an important novel that shows how the two worlds of Huck and Jim collide to bring out the problems of racism and slavery before the Civil War. Huck is depicted to be a young boy who is oblivious to the outside world, and Jim a slave with a big heart who looked at the world in a different perspective. Throughout the journey together, Huck and Jim’s relationship was shaken by the cold reality of racism and slavery, thus opening Huck's eyes to the world around him, where Jim and Huck grow as individuals but also creating a new foundation for their friendship.As Huck and Jim embark on an adventure together to run away from there lives, Huck noticed to see Jim as a person then property.
Before the Civil War, racism and slavery was a very prominent issue that the South turned a blind eye towards. Huck was brought up by an alcoholic man named
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In the beginning Huck plays tricks on Jim, Huck no longer does those immature tricks, he does not view Jim as property, he sees Jim as a person. Huck demonstrated that he truly cared for Jim when he ripped up the letter that he wrote for Miss. Watson. “I was a-trembling, because I'd got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it”(Twain 207). This quote is very important because Huck thinks that if he rips up the letter he will go to hell and if he sends the letter he will be okay but he decides to tear the letter up anyways. One thing that has not changed over time is Jims love for Huck. This quote shows that Jim will always look after Huck “I went to sleep, and Jim didnt call me when it was my turn. He often done that”(Twain 153). Jim and Huck throughout the novel take turns taking care of each other but something that will always be the same is the father like attitude Jim has when watching Huck. Jim cares for Huck and is very protective of him through the
Throughout all of his adventures Jim shows compassion as his most prominent trait. He makes the reader aware of his many superstitions and Jim exhibits gullibility in the sense that he Jim always assumes the other characters in the book will not take advantage of him. One incident proving that Jim acts naive occurs halfway through the novel, when the Duke first comes into the scene "By right I am a duke! Jim's eyes bugged out when he heard that..." In the novel, Huck Finn, one can legitimately prove that compassion, superstitious and gullibility illustrate Jim's character perfectly.
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.
The novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, covers the situations and people Huckleberry Finn encounters after he runs away. Huck prevents his alcoholic father from getting his fortune and is able to run away after his father, Pap, kidnaps him and leaves town. It has many colorful characters that exhibit several facets of society at that time in history. It is anti-racist although it uses the word "nigger" frequently. Huck seems to struggle throughout the book with what he has been taught and what is morally right. His main and most consistent interaction is with Jim, a runaway slave. Although he had been taught differently throughout his entire life, he eventually makes the choice to go against what society deems to be right and be Jim's
Huck Finn's relationship with slavery is very complex and often contradictory. He has been brought up to accept slavery. He can think of no worse crime than helping to free a slave. Despite this, he finds himself on the run with Jim, a runaway slave, and doing everything in his power to protect him. Huck Finn grew up around slavery. His father is a violent racist, who launches into tirades at the idea of free blacks roaming around the countryside. Miss Watson owns slaves, including Jim, so that no matter where he goes, the idea of blacks as slaves is reinforced. The story takes place during the 1840's, at a time when racial tensions were on the rise, as northern abolitionists tried to stir up trouble in the South. This prompted a
Anyone living in the time period Huckleberry Finn was alive for would be taught that black people should seen as slaves, not people. They were treated like objects and property instead of humans with feelings. Very few people were able see black people for who they really were. Huck eventually met Jim and got to know him as a person, instead of a slave. Huck was able to view Jim as a friend, a father figure, and a slave.
Jim’s words had a big affect on Huck, who realizes that Jim is a person, and that his feelings can be hurt.
In Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huckleberry Finn and a runaway slave Jim are two people that cross paths and become friends. Huck is a boy escaping society and society's morals. Jim is also escaping from society's laws to gain his freedom. Jim and Huck develop a close relationship during their journey on the raft and the relationship could be viewed as a father-son relationship.
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,
A flat character is one that stays the same throughout a book or story, and a round character is one that changes throughout the book due to challenges they face and resolve. While Huck and Jim are two very important characters throughout the book, it could be argued that they are flat or round. Neither change very much, but each have small discoveries.
His dad taught him how to be independent but also how to be selfish and only want what's best for you. “Take a chicken when you get a chance, because if you don't want him yourself you can easy find somebody that does, and a good deed ain't ever forgot” (Twain 12). Jim on the other hand is a selfless guy he does what is in the best interest for himself and others in his company. Since Huck is young he is kind of taking a father role. “Jim took up some of the top planks of the raft and built a snug wigwam to get under in blazing weather and rainy, and to keep the things dry” (Twain 12). As time passed the bad weather came and wingam kept them dry and they was able to keep a fire running. This is an example that Jim cares about others and the respect is building. Huck could have left Jim or reported him but instead he travels with him too
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.
As with Huck, Jim is willing to sacrifice his life for his best friend. Jim and Huck’s friendship is shown when Jim states this, “... and said I was the best friend old Jim ever had in the world” (161). Jim has many opportunities to leave Huck during the tale, yet he remains by Huck's side so the two of them can escape together, which shows their bond. The coming of age of Huck and his maturing into a character who is able to make decisions against the values of society is a major theme throughout the novel. Having been separated from Jim, Huck does what Tom Sawyer would have done in this scene and told a story (trying to trick Jim). However, when Jim realises how he has been tricked, Huck shows that he is beginning to think about the feelings
In Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain presents the problem of slavery in America in the 19th Century. Twain poses this problem in the form of a character named Huckleberry Finn, a white boy raised in the antebellum South. Huck starts to question his view regarding slavery when he acquaints himself more intimately with a runaway slave while he himself tries to run away. Huck’s development as a character is affected by society’s influence on his experiences while growing up in the South, running away with Jim, and trying to save Jim. Although Huck decides to free Jim, Huck’s deformed conscience convinces him that he is doing the wrong thing.
An issue of central importance to Huckleberry Finn is the issue of race. The story takes place in a time of slavery, when blacks were considered inferior to whites, sometimes to the point of being considered less than fully human. But Huckleberry Finn challenges the traditional notions of the time, through its narrator and main character, Huckleberry Finn. While in the beginning, Huck is as unaware of the incorrectness of society’s attitudes as the rest of society is, he undergoes many experiences which help him to form his own perspective of racial issues. Through the adventures and misadventures of Huck Finn and the slave Jim, Twain challenges the traditional societal views of race and