The runaway slave named Jim teaches an ignorant and innocent white boy named Huck Finn life lessons through their adventures down the Mississippi River on a raft, proving he is the best parental figure for Huck
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Thesis statement: The runaway slave named Jim teaches an ignorant and innocent white boy named Huck Finn life lessons through their adventures down the Mississippi River on a raft, proving he is the best parental figure for Huck.
The story about a boy named Huck in search for a family and a place he can call home. Through his adventures, Huck finds happiness and love when he is befriended with a slave named Jim. It is through Jim that Huck realizes that color of skin does not make a man and that Jim is the father figure he had been searching for.
On Jackson's Island
Page 41 "I was ever so happy to see Jim. I wasn't lonesome now". This is the first time Huck is beginning to realize his friendship with Jim.
Page 45 "Some young birds come along, flying a yard or two at a time and lighting. Jim said it was a sign it was going to rain." Jim knowed all kinds of signs".
On Jackson's Island
Examples of Jim being a father figure to Huck:
When Huck and Jim come upon a floating house in Chapter 9, they discover a dead man on the floor, Jim acted like a protective parent and father figure after he looks over the dead body of Huck's Pa and he tells Huck "doan ' look at his face-it's too gashly". Page 48
In the last chapter Jim explains that the dead man in the house was Pap and Huck realizes that Pap will not bother or abuse him anymore. This shows Jim as a caring, protective father figure that did not want Huck to see how is father had been shot in the back, which meant he was a thief in that house. Page 292
Jim protected and cared for Huck, something no one else had ever done. Jim had them hide the canoe and found a cavern to stay in on Jackson's Island during the heavy rains. Huck ...
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In the last chapter Jim explains that the dead man in the house was Pap and Huck realizes that Pap will not bother or abuse him anymore. This shows Jim as a caring, protective father figure that did not want Huck to see how is father had been shot in the back, which meant he was a thief in that house. Page 292
Jim protected and cared for Huck, something no one else had ever done. Jim had them hide the canoe and found a cavern to stay in on Jackson's Island during the heavy rains. Huck would not be safe and dry if it wasn't for Jim's paternal instincts.
Page 49 "Jim, this is nice," I says. "I wouldn't want to be nowhere else but here. Pass me along another hunk of fish and some hot corn-bread."
"Well you wouldn't 'a' ben here 'f it hadn't 'a' ben for Jim. You'd 'a' bendown dak in de woods widout any dinner, en gittin' mos' drownded, too; dat you would, honey. Chickens knows when it's qwyne to rain, en so do de birds, chile."
Huck grows close to Jim and doesn't want Jim to be captured. Huck gets back to Jackson's Island and says
Page 62 "Git up and hump yourself, Jim! There ain't a minute to lose. There after us!"
Jim again protects them from the weather by building a wigwam out of some of the rafts planks.
Page 64 " so 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."
Huck in the canoe and Jim in the raft: When they get separated in the fog on the river, Jim expresses his parental feelings for Huck when they are reunited.
Page 83 "Goodness gracious, is dat you, Huck? En you ain' dead-you ain' drownded-you's back ag'in? It's too good for true, honey, it's too good for true. Lemme look at you chile, lemme feel o' you. No, you ain' dead! you's back ag'in,' live en soun', jis de same old Huck-de same ole Huck, thanks to goodness!"
Huck says Jim must have been drinking or something to think he had been gone. He played a mean trick on him and realizes how he feels about Jim and how mean he was to Jim.
Page 86 "It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger; but I done it, and I warn't ever sorry for it afterward, neither. I didn't do him no more mean tricks, and I wouldn't done that one if I'd 'a' knowed it would make him feel that way."
Huck feeling scared that he lost Jim.
Page 115 "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. Avoice 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."..."Lawsy, I's mighty glad to git you back ag'in honey."
Page 116 " 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." This really confirms the bond and close relationship Huck and Jim have for each other.
Huck realizes how much Jim means to him when he talks about the conflict to turn Jim into Miss Watson or rescue him from Mr. Phelps, who bought Jim as a runaway slave. Helping a runaway slave is a sin and he will go to hell. He writes a letter to Miss Watson telling where to find Jim. He tears up the letter because he thinks about Jim.
Page 213 "I'd see him standing my watch on top of his'n, 'stead of calling me, so I could go on sleeping; and see him how glad he was when I come back out of the fog; and when I come to him again in thee swamp, up there where the feud was; and suck-like times; and would always call me honey, and pet me, and do everything he could think of foe me, and how good he always was; and at last I struck the time I saved him by telling the men we had smallpox aboard, and he was so grateful, and said I was the best friend old Jim ever had in the world, and the only one he's got now;"..."All right, then, I'll go to hell" and tore it up."
Huck's statement of Jim's equality;
Page 275 "I knowed he was white inside, and I reckoned he'd say what he did say-so it was alright, now."
This proves that all people are the same color inside and that Huck found a father in Jim, that the color of the skin does not make a man.
Conclusion: In searching for a family and a place he can call home, Huck finds happiness and love when he is befriended by the runaway slave Jim as they explore and endure their adventures on a raft down the Mississippi River. Jim finds freedom as he teaches Huck life lessons and they both find freedom from society's prejudices because they love each other as a father and son would.
