"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain - Jim and Huck's Relationship: An Analysis of Twain's Writing Style

It was just dark now. I never went near the house, but struck through the woods and made for the swamp. Jim warn't on his island, so I tramped off in a hurry for the crick, and crowded through the willows, red-hot to jump aboard and get out of that awful country. The raft was gone! My souls, but I was scared! I couldn't get my breath for most a minute. Then I raised a yell. A voice not twenty-five foot from me says:

"Good lan'! is dat you, honey? Doan' make no noise."

It was Jim's voice--nothing ever sounded so good before. I run along the bank a piece and got aboard, and Jim he grabbed me and hugged me, he was so glad to see me. He says:

"Laws bless you chile, I 'uz right down sho' you's dead ag'in. Jack's been heah; he say he reck'n you's ben shot, kase you didn' come home no mo'; so I's jes' dis minute a-startin' de raf' down towards de mouf er de crick, so's to be all ready for to shove out en leave soon as Jack comes ag'in en tells me for certain you is dead. Lawsy, I's mighty glad to get you back ag'in, honey."

I says:

"All right--that's mighty good; they won't find me, and they'll think I've been killed, and floated down the river--there's something up there that'll help them think so--so don't you lose no time, Jim, but just shove off for the big water as fast as ever you can."

I never felt easy till the raft was two mile below there and out in the middle of the Mississippi. Then we hung up our signal lantern, and judged that we was free and safe once more. I hadn't had a bite to eat since yesterday, so Jim he got out some corn-dodgers and buttermilk, and pork and cabbage and greens--there ain't nothing in the world so good when it's cooked right--and whilst I eat my supper we talked and had a good time. I was powerful glad to get away from the feuds and so was Jim to get away from the swamp. We said there warn't no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don't. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft.

-Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (115)

Mark Twain'sAdventures of Huckleberry Finn describes the experiences of a teenage boy, Huckleberry Finn, and his encounters and adventures as he and Jim, a runaway slave, travel down the Mississippi River. Oftentimes they are separated from one another and fortunately they always find their way back to each other. The above passage details a situation in which they are once again reunited. They are both very relieved to be back together once again. Shortly before this passage, Huck witnesses a feud between two families that comes to a head and results in a gunfight. Huck sees the carnage and is very afraid. When he returns to Jim in the boat, Huck feels safe again. The special relationship shared by Huck and Jim is clearly shown by Twain's use of diction, syntax, and tone.

Twain's use of diction is the first literary device to note. The diction throughout the passage is very informal, using colloquialisms and slang words. Especially in the case of Jim's speech, Twain uses colloquialisms to help the reader fully understand how certain people spoke at that time. This allows for much closer feelings of connection with the characters. Also, before Huck and Jim are reunited, the atmosphere is very bleak. Twain uses words such as "dark"(1) and "awful"(3) to help emphasize the fear that Huck was feeling. However, once Jim and Huck were out on the river on the raft, Twain includes sentences like "You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft"(25). Also, Huck describes how he was "powerful glad to get away from the feuds"(22). This use of diction helps imply the relief that Huck feels to be back out on the river with Jim and away from the hazards of the shore. Finally, Jim uses the pet name, "honey", often when referring to Huck in this passage. Using words like this show how Jim cares for Huck like a father cares for a son. This helps further the idea of Jim being the main father figure in Huck's life.

Syntax is another literary device used throughout the passage. Twain uses linking verbs often in his complex, often bordering on run-on, speeches by Jim and Huck. This gives the feeling that the characters are rambling and are unable to fully vocalize what they mean, so they just say whatever comes to their mind. Huck's speech in lines 15-17 is all one sentence. Huck is trying to, at the same time, express his happiness to see Jim one more and his desire for Jim to leave at once. It ends up coming out in one big jumble, which shows the confusion that Huck is feeling. The sentence lengths also vary depending on the mood Twain wants to create. In the beginning Huck is feeling scared. Twain's sentences reflect this feeling by using mostly monosyllabic words and either being short and to the point or being long but separated by commas. For example, the sentence, "My souls, but I was scared,"(4) shows how Huck's thoughts are very brief because of his fear. Inversely, when Jim and Huck are back together again, Twain's sentences become far more drawn-out and complex, usually being separated by multiple semicolons, hyphens, and commas. Finally, Twain uses a simple sentence to end the passage. This sums up the entire meaning of the passage into one simple thought and shows that the reader should understand the feeling of security that Huck feels while on the raft and when he is with Jim.

Finally, the tone of this passage changes about one third of the way through. It starts out very gloomy, with Huck running through the woods searching for the raft and for Jim. When Huck describes how he, "[...] Tramped off in a hurry for the crick, [...] red-hot to jump aboard and get out of that awful country"(2-3). This description of how the surroundings were "awful" and how he "tramped off in a hurry" give the passage a very gloomy tone and show Huck's desire to return to the raft. However, when Huck finally does find Jim, the tone becomes one of optimism. When Huck and Jim are out on the river, they don't have to worry about anything and can just be themselves. When Huck says, "We said there warn't no home like a raft, after all,"(23-24) Huck is describing the raft as a home for Huck and Jim. This demonstrates the security that Huck feels when he is out on the river in the "home" with Jim. Finally, when Huck describes how "whilst I eat my supper we talked and had a good time,"(22) one can see how Huck feels to be back to the safety of the river and how Jim has taken on the father role and feels the need to provide for and to comfort Huck when he needs it most.

After looking at Twain's use of diction, syntax, and tone in this passage, one can see that he is trying to emphasize the father-son relationship that Jim and Huck have. Twain develops this idea more and more throughout the novel finally ending with news that Huck's dad had died and Jim had been there to protect Huck from it. This unconditional desire to protect Huck makes the reader really care about Jim. Twain's focus on this relationship, and Jim and Huck's desire to preserve it, cause the reader to develop a similar relationship with the characters of Jim and Huck.