Verified Document

Adv Of Huck Finn Analyzing Jims Character Term Paper

Jim in Mark Twain's The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn Broadly speaking, the character of Jim in Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, represents the role of slavery in the society of the 1840's. Slavery and the struggle for freedom are the central concerns of both Huck and Jim as they make their way through the adventures depicted by the novel. For Jim the threat of slavery is physical, as he is a Negro and an escaped slave. Huck wishes to escape the kind of social and mental slavery imposed upon him by Miss Watson and the Widow Douglas. This slavery is also mental. His father on the other hand, having subjected the boy to physical abuse, represents physical slavery imposed on the boy. It is in these circumstances that Huck and Jim represent freedom to each other, together with the motivation to relentlessly escape slavery in the face of overwhelming odds.

Jim's role in Huck's life is thus central to the boy's search for his own freedom, and also to the satisfying conclusion of the novel. By providing Huck with the means to find mental, emotional and physical freedom and protection, Jim ensures for himself the means of his own eventual freedom and protection. Jim becomes the most important part of Huck's life by becoming the parent...

He does this by providing not only freedom, but protection for Huck.
Jim then provides for Huck's physical safety and well-being through food and shelter. Whereas Huck's biological father was too drunk to even so much as maintain his cabin against the elements, Jim builds a makeshift but warm and adequately protective shelter on the raft. He furthermore contrasts himself with Huck's father by providing a constant supply of food. Jim also plays the role of parent by providing Huck with protection against the dangers facing him from people who would threaten him, such as the King and Duke, or those who would imprison, such as Miss Watson and the Widow Douglas.

Jim is furthermore crucial in the decision Huck makes later and thus in the outcome of the novel by being a true friend to Huck. He listens eagerly to all Huck has to say, without prejudice or condescension. In conversation he is thus more free and easy with Jim than even with Tom Sawyer, who did nothing but mock him when he talked. In this way Jim is an important element in Huck Finn's development as a human being, and in the maintenance of his emotional well-being. This growth in Huck then also shows when the time comes to make a decision for or against Jim's freedom.

Jim obviously also has a positive effect on Huck Finn's morality. Instead of the hypocritical Christianity favored by miss Watson and the Widow Douglas, the morality that Jim emphasizes is not attached…

Sources used in this document:
Bibliography

Novelguide. "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain." Novelguide.com. 1999-2002. http://www.novelguide.com/huckleberryfinn/novelsummary.html
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by
Words: 3626 Length: 10 Document Type: Thesis

Examining the difficult process that Huck has when he finally determines not to turn Jim in can be especially helpful in this. In addition, readers of this opinion can discuss the effects of Twain's own divergence from society when contemplating the ways in which his articulation of his nonstandard views into text affected society. Thus, while two sides clearly exist in this debate -- one stating that Twain's novel advocates

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Words: 3090 Length: 10 Document Type: Research Paper

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn To dream of freedom is a sensational idea but experiencing freedom is as rare as the New Year eve among common days. While freedom is a great aspiration, it is not a dream that belongs to physical slaves alone. Huck and Jim; the characters painted by Mark Twin in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn depict that a person can long for freedom whether he belongs to a

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn One
Words: 1692 Length: 5 Document Type: Thesis

Furious that his son had learned how to read and write, Pap considers that Huck wants to prove that he is smarter than his father. As a result, Huck receives several beatings and is kidnapped by Pap. During his stay on Jackson's island, Huck learns that Jim has a lot of knowledge from observing the nature and its laws, along with tons of superstitious beliefs: "Some young birds come along...

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.
Words: 1205 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. The Works Cited two sources in MLA format. Reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn For all voracious readers who have an insatiable thirst for serious, entertaining, enthralling and mature reading, popular names like William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens and Mark Twain are not only familiar but also all-time favorites of many. After The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain introduced another thought-provoking yet highly gripping

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Words: 1383 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

Huck Finn In Mark Twain's Huckeberry Finn, the title character and escaped slave Jim bond together in their mutual quest for freedom. Neither knows where they are headed, but they do know where they have been and what they are running from. Both have endured a different type of slavery. Jim escapes from the actual legally sanctioned and racialized form of slavery; whereas Huck Finn is running from an abusive father

Huckleberry Finn and What Makes an American
Words: 1401 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Huckleberry Finn and What Makes an American What Makes Twain's Huckleberry Finn American? "Those canonic ideals -- self-government, equal opportunity, freedom of speech and association, a belief in progress, were first proclaimed during the era of the Revolution and the early republic and have developed more expansive meanings since then," these are the basic core ideals which make something truly American (Kazin & McCartin 1). The freedom to live as we want,

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now