Throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain illustrates the bond formed between Huck, the young white protagonist, and Jim, Huck's black companion. While Huck and Jim travel down the river it becomes apparent that Jim is more of a father figure to Huck than his biological father. Pap teaches the virtues of a life not worth living, while Jim gives Huck the proper fatherly support, compassion, and knowledge for Huck to become a man. Although Huck and Jim come from separate racial backgrounds their time together allows them to surpass their ethnic segregation and become true friends, and family. While Pap acts as an anchor on Huck's heel, Jim opens up a new world for Huck, and becomes his companion and a resource of knowledge. After Huck escapes his father and the "sivilized society" he encounters Jim, Miss Watson's runaway slave. While on Jackson's island Jim provides useful fables and simple knowledge that aid Huck, Jim's simple ideas offer a greater aid to Huck, than any that Pap had ever given. After the two set out on the raft Jim attempts to protect Huck by any means he posses. Jim uses his resourcefulness to build a wigwam on the raft and raises it so that the two don't get wet The father son relationship also requires respect and love from the child for the father. Jim is rooted in the deepest corners of Huck's heart. Throughout the story we see Huck's compassion for the man. Be it when a rattle snake bites Jim, and Huck nurses him back to life, or when Huck is being interrogated about who his raft companion is; Huck feels it necessary to protect and aid Jim on their journey Pap is the semblance of a poor father; he drinks, scams, and beats his own son. This forces Huck to seek a new father figure. He finds the necessary combination of respect, love, and protection in Jim. Although Jim is not book smart, he maintains the simple values that Huck needs. Their relationship resembles that of a father and son, they both go to great lengths to protect one another and seek each other's approval. Huck has no true father but after spending time with Jim and realizing his true qualities he holds a closer bond to Jim than any other male figure he has encountered. Although Huck's bonds to his biological father are severed, by chapter 18, he's discovering a better father in Jim.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
In the novel Huckleberry Finn, Huck grew up with a slave, Jim, as his father figure. Since Huck's father was not in the picture, Jim filled that role even though he was a slave. As Huck and Jim ran away, Jim took care of Huck and put Hucks needs first, even if that meant risking his own freedom. These kind acts that Jim showed to Huck lead him into believing that Jim should be free because Huck knew how kind Jim was. However, this idea was not universalized by Huck.…
- 353 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
One time, Pap locked Huck in the cabin and “was gone three days” (35). It is evident Pap Finn does not care about Huck’s well-being; when Pap could be spending time with his son, he is always too busy drinking or trying to get the money from Judge Thatcher. Unlike Pap, who willingly ignores his son for days at a time, Jim tries to stay near Huck at all times and worries when they become separated. When Huck and Jim reunite on the river, Jim says to Huck, “Goodness gracious, is dat you, Huck? En you ain’ dead…it’s too good to be true” (94). Jim’s reaction is so important because it shows that Jim cares about Huck more than anyone else, especially Pap. If Huck had been raised by a father who cared about him, Jim’s reaction and the friendship that Huck developed with Jim would be less meaningful. By creating such a strong contrast between Pap and Jim’s opinion of Huckleberry, Mark Twain is able to create a stronger bond between Huck and Jim than he could without the neglectful behavior of…
- 487 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Huck Finn is a character full of vivacity and personality who very much enjoys defying authority, being in nature, and being foolish with his best friend Tom Sawyer. However, once Huck and Jim steal away on a canoe and raft down the Mississippi River, Huck finds that he cannot pull off the same foolish pranks that he did beforehand; he is faced with the challenge of having to grow up. The first of Huck’s attempts at tomfoolery occurs when Huck thinks it would be clever to kill a rattlesnake and put it in Jim’s knapsack. Unbeknownst to Huck, the dead rattlesnake’s mate had crawled inside Jim’s resting area and bit his ankle. Although the prank turned out to be rather harmless, it could have ended in a fatal disaster. Huck says “…I warn’t going to let Jim find out it was all my fault, not if I could help it” (64.) Huck is afraid of Jim finding out it was he who put Jim in this predicament; perhaps his intentions were unconscious, but I think Huck did not want to lose Jim’s respect because they are all one another has.…
- 873 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
In the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn we see a boy by the name of Huck have a change in mindset on his African American friend Jim. Huck starts off with the normal mindset of society in his period of time. This though changes throughout the book. We see Huck view Jim as inhuman, to a human who is also his best friend.…
- 1402 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays -
Jim's loyalty to Huck is best demonstrated through Jim's decisions on the river. Jim, who is a runaway slave, heading to Cairo in search of work and his family, is heading downriver with Huck and misses his turn for Cairo. Jim's decision to remain with Huck costs him a chance to find work and a chance to find his family, whom he dearly misses. Their mistake in navigation also leads the duo farther South into slave territory, bringing potentially hazardous situations for a runaway slave. Jim's loyalty is reinforced later on in their adventures, as Jim passes his greatest opportunity for freedom in order to find medical attention for the wounded Tom Sawyer. Jim's loyalty to the two young boys simultaneously contradicts racial stereotypes while affirming the consequences may accompany decisions of loyalty.…
- 880 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a young boy named Huckleberry Finn runs away from his life and travels down the Mississippi River with his friend Jim, a runaway slave. The story follows Huck 's moral growth and maturity throughout his many adventures and experiences. The major turning point of the book is when Huck realizes that Jim cares about him, and that he cares about Jim in return. As a child, Huck is taught that Jim isn 't a person because of his skin color and that he does not deserve respect, but Huck discovers that Jim is a person and deserves more respect than most people Huckleberry met on his journeys. He comes to this decision because Jim cares for him and treats Huck better than his own father. Huck says “All right, then, I 'll go to hell.” when he decides to go against the racist teachings of his childhood and help Jim get his freedom (Twain 216-217). The book was written to show what life was like in the 1840s and successfully revealed the way people viewed each other and people of other races. In the beginning of the story, Huck treats Jim poorly because he is taught that…
- 1676 Words
- 7 Pages
Better Essays -
Jim then warns Huck not to look at the man's face, which allows Huck to have the motivation to continue his adventure thinking that his father is not dead. Jim continues to stay with Huck and provide him with moral support on the river, serving to develop Huck’s moral development along the way. An example of this moral support is where in Chapter 16, Huck makes up a story to preserve Jim's freedom and then Jim remarks he will never forget Huck's kindness. Huck later experiences a coming of age when he is faced with the ultimate moral dilemma of reporting Jim at the Phelps Farm to Miss Watson. Feeling conflicted about stealing “property” from Miss Watson, he writes a letter which he then crumples up after fully understanding that his letter would harm Jim, who he then realizes is a human being. This incident evokes feelings of regret in Huck, and shows that Huck is the one good person in the novel.…
- 664 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Huck’s need for an authority figure is also satisfied when he encounters Jim. They meet on Jackson Island after Huck fakes his own death and Jim runs away from Miss Watson, both doing those things in order to achieve freedom. Their coalition can be seen as the catalyst for Huck’s moral growth, as Huck begins to change his perspective towards Jim from that point on. Right when the two meet, Jim asks Huck to not tell others about him being a runaway slave. Without hesitation, Huck honors Jim and says “I’ll stick to it. Honest injun I will. People would call me a low down Ablitionist and despise me for keeping mum, but that don’t make no difference” (32). This shows that Huck is willing to take criticism for Jim despite it not benefiting him in any way. More importantly, this is the first time that Huck shows indifference towards societal standards. Then, Huck feels concern for Jim for the first time when Huck causes Jim to get bit by a snake by placing a dead rattlesnake on Jim’s bed. Huck acknowledges that the bite was all his fault, and makes up his mind to not play tricks like that again, knowing what he did was wrong. One of the most significant escalations in Huck’s view of Jim occurs when he lies to Jim about his disappearance. When Jim finds out that Huck was lying to him, Jim expresses his disappointment in Huck. Seeing that Jim cares for him engenders Huck to feel sympathetic towards Jim and put himself down to apologize to Jim. This is also the first time that Huck sees Jim as an equal human being, proving that Huck and Jim have a mutually respecting relationship. As T.S. Eliot said, “Huck in fact would be incomplete without Jim, who is almost as notable a creation as Huck himself. Huck is the passive observer of men and events, Jim the submissive sufferer from them; and they are equal in dignity”. In this way, Huck experiences significant growth to his…
- 1256 Words
- 6 Pages
Better Essays -
To Huck, for a majority of the novel, Jim was seen as Mrs. Watson’s property and Jim was incapable of emotions and it would be fine if he was sold away from his family. It was not until the last half of the novel did Huck see humanity in Jim. Huck recalled that Jim “was thinking about his wife and his children, away up yonder, and he was low and homesick; because he hadn't ever been away from home before in his life; and I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their'n. It don't seem natural, but I reckon it's so. He was often moaning and mourning that way nights, when he judged I was asleep, and saying, "Po' little '! po' little Johnny! it's mighty hard; I spec' I ain't ever gwyne to see you no mo', no mo'!" He was a mighty good nigger, Jim was” (Twain 152). Twain hoped that his would provide seeds for an equality movement between African-American and the white Southerners. Twain wanted peace after years of fighting, so by adding human qualities to Jim and creating a strong relationship between Huck and Jim, the peace would possibly come through The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.…
- 1018 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
Huck learns a variety lessons from the various figures in his childhood, some good and some bad. From his Pap, he learns how to fend for himself and to reject formal society, but he also learns about racism, alcoholism and has to suffer years of abuse. From the Widow and Miss Watson Huck learns about generosity and kindness but also about religious indoctrination and the boundaries of what deemed is acceptable in society. From Jim, Huck learns about love and compassion, trust and honesty as well as the difference between right and wrong. Floating down the Mississippi River Huck learns to challenge social norms and constructs when he decides to help Jim to freedom. The contrasting characters of Pap and The Widow mirror their contrasting beliefs systems. And yet with the help of Jim, one of the only constant characters in the novel huck learns the truth about the world. Huck’s new world image is tested when the King and the Duke, two “rapscallions”, sell Jim to Mr. and Mrs. Felps. Once again attempting to use his own judgment, but erring on the side of his upbringing Huck decides that Jim would be…
- 714 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Growing up and witnessing pap being a drunk had a huge impact on Hucks moral development. Huck frightened to see pap for the first time says “I used to be scared of him all the time, he tanned me so much I reckoned I was scared now too” (pg.18). Family has a big impact on a person’s life. Depending on someone’s morals and up bringing it can shape a person differently. Huck voices his straggles about pap demanding money and being an alcoholic “He took it and bit it to see if it was good, and then he said he was going down town to get some whiskey” (pg.21). Hucks father coming into his life in such bad shape is hard to deal with. But raising above all the negative energy is key to not falling down the wrong path. Even though Hucks family was not helpful, his other surroundings are a big impact with learning good morals.…
- 652 Words
- 19 Pages
Good Essays -
A good quote by Mark Twain is “I do not wish any reward but to know I have done the right thing.” This stood out because Huck realizes the right thing to do is give Jim a chance and not just treat him awful like the others. Huck actually gets to know Jim and realizes he is a good guy. So the way that Huck is compared to his dad is quite different but that just shows that not all sons are like their fathers. That concludes that statement about Huck becoming a better man than his Pap turned out to…
- 778 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Huck Finn is a child who is trying to get away from his dad named Pap. He was also taken in by Widow Douglas who started to take him to school and started to teach him about religion. He also joined a “gang” made by Tom Sawyer. They only pretended to be killing men and taking goods and women. But later on Pap had taken Huck to a ruined cabin to kind of imprison his son so he wasn’t taken away by Judge Thatcher or Widow Douglas. But as soon as Pap left the cabin Huck was already making his escape. As he got away he later on found Jim. And Jim was Huck’s second parent.…
- 514 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Huck had a father, not a good one but a biological one at least. Yet, Huck never looked up at him like one and didn’t really consider him like a father to him. If there had to be a fatherly figure in Huck’s like that he looked up and respected it would have to be Jim. Thought the book Jim showed many characteristics and actions that would earn him this title. He was found being selfless and protective over Huck, but in all he showed he was a true and loyal friend. Jim is someone that could fill in the father figure for Jim and fulfill it by being a loyal friend towards him.…
- 816 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Throughout the story of Huck Finn, written by Mark Twain, we see many pieces of character development shown through racism, discrimination, and making choices that could affect one’s morality. Huck’s view of Jim changes throughout the story. He goes from thinking Jim is just a slave to thinking that the way of modern society is completely wrong and doesn’t attempt to delve deeper and find more out about the black people that they would enslave.…
- 548 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays