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Character analysis of jim in huckleberry finn
The adventures of huckleberry finn individual vs society
The adventures of huckleberry finn individual vs society
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With Huck and Jim unknowingly fighting to retain power aboard the raft, their friendship becomes stronger even with society’s various attempts to split the two apart. Throughout the book, Huck and Jim switch power roles during their time on the raft. Life on the raft is portrayed as a democracy, but in reality, it is a dictatorship with the in power controlling and influencing all decisions made on the raft. One noticeable occurrence of Jim possessing the power is after Huck and Jim’s separation in the fog.It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger-but i don't it, and I warn’t ever sorry for it”(81). Huck seeks to play a trick on Jim for fun but Jim is not easily fooled and quickly denounces Huck’s action and taking serious offense by it. Huck sees he has hurt Jim and eventually apologizes for his actions acts sincere in it. Huck had to think about how what he did was wrong”it was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger”, but Huck calling Jim a “nigger” informs the reader that Huck sees apologizing to Jim as a lowering of himself. The fifteen minutes that it takes for huck to offer his apology to jim represents Huck’s transition from perceiving Jim as inferior to believing in their equality. As Huck’s perception of Jim becomes more positive his friendship with Jim grows. Jim’s newly attained power saves his life when Huck wants to inform the slave-catchers of Jim in order to clear his conscience. Speeding down the massive Mississippi River unaware of their location akin to Cairo, Huck volunteering to take the canoe when he sees light and ask for directions. Unaware to Jim, Huck has already planned to tell any slave-catcher about Jim... ... middle of paper ... ...out a week”(213). Tom mentions a whole new plan and Huck quickly agrees with it disregarding Jim’s safety at the time. Tom makes up his plan on the go and while Huck questions some parts he eventually complies with Tom when European adventure books are mentioned. Tom’s plan ends up takes weeks about Tom to achieve and is very complicated. For the duration of the plan, Jim is held up in a hut with the constant fear that at any time he would be sold down to New Orleans, the worst place for any slave at the time. Because of Tom’s plan, Jim is forced to shared his small hut with various snakes and rats. Before society’s impact on Huck, he is truly cared and wanting to free Jim, but as society takes root in his life at the Phelps he can no longer think for himself and gives into society’s wishes which causes the suffering of Jim damaging their friendship.
Huck plays this trick on Jim, but doesn’t realize it would hurt him so much. Jim is very hurt, and goes inside the wigwam. Huck has to bring up courage to apologize to Jim because he is black. This is sort of ironic because Jim was just talking about kissing Huck’s feet because he was glad he was back, but then Huck feels so bad for hurting Jim, that he could kiss Jim’s feet, even if he was black. Huck seems to have a moment which will help him along on the path of equality between whites and blacks as well.
...all along Jim was free but being the adventurous boy he is he wanted Jim to turn out and be a hero like the one’s he reads about. Tom knows Jim could have been freed multiple times if he didn’t put him up to all of the childish games. Jim had stayed by Tom’s when he almost died and would do anything for him but Tom couldn’t give Jim the same respect back. His foolishness behavior caused Jim more pain and almost didn’t get him freed. Jim was a father figure to both boys and he stood by Huck’s side since the beginning of the novel.
While staying with a farming family, Huck’s partner, known as “The King,” sold off some slaves that he swindled away from the family. While the slaves were crying and saying goodbye to each other, Huck thinks that “I couldn’t a stood it all but would a had to bust...if I hadn’t knowed the sale warn’t no account and the niggers would be back home in a week or two”(Clemens, 234-235). While traveling with Jim down the Mississippi, Huck’s transformation on his outlook on slaves is drastic. He no longer sees Jim as “Miss Watson’s big nigger,”(Clemens, 22) but as a
“Make the best o’ things the way you find ‘em, says I-that’s my motto. This ain’t no bad thing that we’ve struck here-plenty grub and an easy life-come, give us your hand, duke, and let’s all be friends” (Twain 124). Although this excerpt was taken from a con man in the story, it is an important quotation that is not to be overlooked. Twain wrote characters that have all faced oppression, such as Huck growing up with a complicated family life, or Jim who isn’t even treated as a human. But they all overcame their adversity, had remarkable attitudes, and found their personal freedom within the raft. Huck has had a childhood that has been anything but ordinary. He starts out in the home of the Widow Douglas and her sister who both try to civilize
Huckleberry Finn’s conscience and morality about regarding Jim as a friend changes throughout the novel as their bond with each other increases. In most parts of the story,Huck has internal conflict about whether or not he should turn Jim in,but Huck keeps thinking about how bad he would feel afterward. In chapter 8,Huck finds that Jim is a runaway. Jim explains to Huck that he overheard Miss.Watson talking about how she was going to sell Jim to a slave trader in New Orleans for $800 which would separate Jim from his family. Plus,he and Jim are traveling together for the same reason;freedom. Huck is escaping his own home life from the Widow Douglas and his abusive father believing that they're keeping him from being who he wants to be.
Jim's character traits are easy to over look because of his seeming ignorance, but in reality Jim possessed some qualities that created a positive influence on Huck. He began by demonstrating to Huck how friends teach friends. His honest compassion also eventually causes Huck to resist the ideas society has placed upon him, and see Jim as an equal-- rather than property that can be owned. Huck knew he was going against society, and of the consequences that he could receive for freeing a slave. "It would get all around, that Huck Finn helped a nigger to get his freedom; and if I was to ever see anybody from that town again, I'd be ready to get down and lick his boots for shame", (269-270). Huck then claims, "All right, then, I'll go to hell…"(272) This shows that Huck was willing to put himself on the line for a slave, because he ceased to view Jim as property and recognized him as a friend. At the beginning of the story Huck would have never done this, but after the many adventures that occur, Jims unconditional love for Huck pierces the shell society placed ar...
Upon arriving at Cairo, Huck must decide if he should go along with society and turn Jim in as a runaway slave, or keep his promise to his friend, and see him through to freedom. Huck feels guilty not turning Jim in when he hears him talking about hiring an abolitionist to steal his family. He does not think it is right to help take away slaves from people that he doesn 't even know. To turn Jim in for these reasons would be the influence of society on Huck. Huck 's decision on this matter marks another major step in Huck 's moral progression, because he decides not to turn in Jim on his own. This is the first time he makes a decision all on his own based on his own morality. They stop at Grangerford’s Farm, in Tennessee, after the raft is temporality destroyed. With Huck busy with the Grangerford family, Jim was able to rebuild the raft. Huck just met the Grangerfords, but fits right in immediately. He later feels that someone should take the time to write poetry about Emmeline Grangerford, recently deceased, since she always took the time to write about other people who died. He even tries to write the poetry himself, but it doesn 't turn out right. Then he also sees people shooting at each other makes him sick to his stomach. He sees it as an act against humanity and he simply cannot relate or understand how humans can treat each other in such an uncivil
Huck has been raised in a high-class society where rules and morals are taught and enforced. He lives a very strict and proper life where honesty and adequacy is imposed. Huck being young minded and immature, often goes against these standards set for him, but are still very much a part of his decision-making ability and conscience. When faced to make a decision, Hucks head constantly runs through the morals he was taught. One of the major decisions Huck is faced with is keeping his word to Jim and accepting that Jim is a runaway. The society part of Hucks head automatically looks down upon it. Because Huck is shocked and surprised that Jim is a runaway and he is in his presence, reveals Hucks prejudice attitude that society has imposed on him. Huck is worried about what people will think of him and how society would react if they heard that Huck helped save a runaway slave. The unspoken rules th...
His journey to a better person begins when he lies to Jim, a runaway slave, about getting lost in the fog. Huck tells Jim he dreamt the whole thing and Jim becomes upset and ashamed that Huck lied to him and tried to fool him like that. Realizing how hurt Jim is Huck says, “It made me feel so mean I could almost kissed his foot to get him to take it back.” (Twain 86). Instead of treating Jim like a slave, Huck treats him like a human and feels awful about his cruel prank. After this moment of realization, Huck begins to grow in his moral evolution by telling the truth for the first time. Two con artists travel with Huck to a small town and make an innocent family believe that the two frauds are the family’s dead relative’s brothers. Knowing that the two men are being manipulative, Huck’s, “heart ache[d] to see [the family] getting fooled and lied to so.” (Twain 182). Thus, his feeling of remorse and guilt leads him to tell the truth for the first time. Shortly after, Huck starts to gain the same empathy and guilt towards Jim. Guilty about stealing Jim from his owner, Miss Watson, Huck is torn between what is morally right or wrong. For a long time Huck contemplates whether he should return Jim or save him from becoming a slave again. On one hand, Huck can do the right thing and go to heaven, or he can do the wrong thing and go to hell. Finally, after praying
Jim’s anticipation for freedom grew higher as he expressed his future dreams and aspirations. Jim began saying things that “niggers” wouldn’t normally dare say. Jim was speaking like a white man, not like someone’s property, a slave. This attitude began to lower Huck’s vision of Jim, and his conscience grew even hotter. Huck had never been exposed to a slave who spoke this way. It was his inadequate education that told him this was wrong.
	Huck’s attitude for Jim is racist which is seen when he decides to play a trick on Jim during their voyage. After Huck plays his trick his attitude toward Jim begins to change, "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" (Twain 72). The dialogue throughout the book between Huck and Jim illustrates that Jim is more than property and that he is a human being with feelings, and hopes for a better future.
In nature, on the journey down the river, Huck decides to help Jim obtain freedom from slavery. In that time period, it was frowned upon to think of blacks as more than slaves, but Huck does not conform to that idea, befriending Jim, a slave. As soon as the bond between the two sparks, Huck wants to help him escape slavery. Huck thinks to himself that he should write a letter to Miss Watson explaining how the Phelps family is keeping Jim, but then he quickly decides against it. Thinking about the repercussions of what would happen to Jim and himself he ponders, “And then think of me! It would get all around that Huck Finn helped a nigger to get his freedom; and if I was ever to see anybody from that town again I’d be ready to get down and lick his boots for shame” (223). If word got around that Huck helped Jim, he would receive negative remarks for going against the common belief. With the use of Huck’s inner dialogue, Twain is able to express his opinion of how society causes conformity. Huck has knowledge that his going against the beliefs of society would have great consequences and Twain emphasizes its impact with Huck’s indecisiveness towards this situation concerning Jim. At the end of the novel, once Jim gains freedom for risking his own freedom to help nurse Tom back to health, the discussion over who Huck is going to live
The way Huck and Jim encounter each other on the island, draws parallels in their similar backgrounds. Huck is torn between a life of manners and etiquette and a dangerous life a freedom, and while Jim at an impasse because he is being sold into slavery farther away from his home and away from his family. Each choice, for both characters comes with a cost so they both decide to runaway, in an attempt to assert some control over their lives. After spending much time together, the pair establish a connection which at times Huck feels guilty about since it violates everything he was raised to believe. At a certain point, Huck considers turning Jim in by, writing a letter, but after recalling the goods times they shared, Huck exclaims, "All right, then, I 'll go to hell!” (Twain) and quickly tears up the letter. Twain depicts Huck and Jim 's eventually friendship as a source of emotional strife for Huck and Huck constantly has to decide whether to abandon Jim and turn him in or abandon his religious beliefs and stay with Jim. The ripping up of the letter that would have turned Jim in symbolizes the choice Huck 's has selected. For this moment onward, Huck is dedicated to keeping Jim from being sold back into slavery and has no intent on going back on his choice. While there are times, Huck pays attention to the color of Jim 's skin he believes that
So when Huck fakes his death and runs away to live on an island he is faced with yet another problem, which revolves around the controversial issue of the time of racism. While living on the island he meets Jim, who was a slave, but Huck soon learns that he has run off and now in the process of making his way up north to Canada. Here Huck is faced with his first tough decision, to go with Jim and help him, or just go and tell the officials of a runaway slave and get the reward. Huck reluctantly joins Jim and promises to get him to free land for the sake of a good adventure, but he still feels guilty to be conversing with a runaway slave, let alone help him escape. Along the way Huck has many challenges, which are just like this one.
Throughout the course of the novel, as they travel down the river in search for freedom, Huck’s opinion of Jim changes. Initially Huck feels he should not be helping Jim to freedom and almost turns him into slave catchers. Huck says, “I was paddling off, all in a sweat to tell on him”, the use of the idiom accentuating his over-eagerness to conform to society’s expectations by advocating slavery. Although painfully slowly for the reader Huck eventually recognises Jim’s equality with white men. “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 even sorry for it afterward neither.