Huck Finn Relationship Analysis

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Huck Finn Friendship is a very important thing to have in life. Someone to turn to when guidance is needed or just having someone who’s there. Sometimes even the most unexpected friendships turn out to be great friends. Jim is a black man and Huck is a white boy, two people who wouldn 't really be expected to be friends. In Mark Twain’s, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck and Jim develop a strong relationship where Huck treats Jim as a human being even though he is black in order to show that white and black people can establish friendships despite stereotypes. Throughout the novel, Twain builds up the father-son relationship Huck and Jim have. When Huck and Jim first escape, Huck is running from his extremely abusive father. Pap Finn …show more content…

In Chapter 16, Huck and Jim have passed through Cairo, Illinois and are floating down the Mississippi River. The farther South they travel down the river the more danger they are put in regarding Jim’s situation. In this chapter Huck’s conscience goes back and forth between what’s right and what’s wrong. Huck initially intends to turn Jim in so he can stop running and just travel alone as he pleases. Huck almost feels lower for being with a black man and this is his reasoning for wanting to turn him in. However, Huck has a change of heart right before Huck wants to tell on Jim. This is because Jim tells Huck he’s the best friend he’s ever had. “I’s a free man, en I couldn’ even ben free ef it hadn’ ben for Huck; Huck done it. Jim won’t ever forgit you, Huck; you’s de bes’ fren’ Jim’s ever had; en you’s de ONLY fren’ ole Jim’s got now” (Twain 86-87). Huck then immediately feels remorse and realizes it wouldn’t make him feel better to turn Jim in; he would feel the exact same way he had felt right before he debated turning Jim in. So he decides against turning Jim in even though he knows morally it is wrong. As soon as Huck sees the men he was going to turn Jim into he is at a loss for words and can’t bring himself to tell them Jim is black. Huck lies and tells the men Jim is his white father and he has smallpox so they do not come check out the raft. Huck did this because his guilt and conscience showed him …show more content…

Jim gets captured by Mr. Phelps, thus separating Huck and Jim. Huck debates on what he should do in this situation, whether he should write Miss Watson a letter telling her that Jim has been captured or go on his own to figure out how to free Jim himself. Huck writes out a letter to Miss Watson telling her he’s been captured. ‘“It was a close place. I took it up, and held it in my hand. I was a-trembling, because I’d got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself: All right, then, I’ll go to hell-and tore it up”’ (Twain 206). Huck does this because he remembers all the wonderful things Jim has done for Huck and how great of a friend Jim has been to him. Huck also would rather go to hell than have Jim captured, even though he knows it is wrong religiously, he does not care because his conscience is telling him to go free Jim out of slavery. Huck makes this sacrifice for Jim because of their relationship. Huck also knows it is wrong, but his conscience is leading him towards being a good friend to Jim because of the race issues he knows he has to free Jim. Through the use of protection and sacrifices for one another as well as good morals, these are key points of Huck Finn and Jim’s growing friendship. Mark Twain also uses Huck’s conscience to show his changing attitude towards Jim. Jim would do anything for

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