Similarly, Huck’s evolving view of Jim plays into the racist message contained in this novel. At the beginning we can see Huck disrespect Jim, when he is trying to escape Mrs. Watson’s home. Jim and Tom decide to play a trick on Jim, and they tie him to a tree and Tom puts Jim’s hat on the branch above. Huck thinks this is unnecessary because it was risky, not because they were being disrespectful to Jim. Huck does not regard Jim as a human being with emotions. When Huck runs away to the Island to escape his abusive father, and a “civilized” society, he finds Jim. When Huck finds out that Jim also escaped, he yells” Jim!”(43), he is beyond surprised and he cannot even fathom the idea that Jim would run away. Huck does not hold Jim to the same standards he holds himself in. …show more content…
The novel contrasts Huck’s and Jim’s different forms of enslavement, and Lester believes that by doing that it “obscures the fact that, by definition, slavery was a horror”(342). Later in the novel we can see Jim and Huck start growing appreciation for each other on the raft. It is true we cannot deny Huck’s growing appreciation and love for Jim, but first we must acknowledge that Huck’s love for Jim does not mean Huck is not racist. An example of Huck’s racism is the scene in the book where they miss Cairo because of the fog, but Huck lies to Jim and tells him he has been there the whole time. Then, Jim gets really sad, and Huck feels bad about about lying to him and says, “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 afterwards, 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