How Is Jim Similar To The Slave During This Time Period Accurate?

The Declaration of Independence says that all men are created equal. That is, unless you are a slave like Jim. Jim, the slave from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, is a very important character. He becomes not only a good friend to the main character, Huck, but also something of a father figure to him. Jim and Huck tend to get themselves into tricky situations, but they always find a way to work through the hard times together. However, is this depiction of a slave during this time period accurate? Did Mark Twain know enough about the culture and background of slaves to make Jim comparable to a real slave? The answer to this question is yes. Jim is very similar in many to ways to real people that experienced first

In the beginning of the story, before he runs away, he is ordered around by his owners, which is very typical for a slave. However, even after Jim escapes he is forced to submit to the will of white people. For example, when Tom Sawyer tries locking snakes in the shed where Jim is being kept, Jim says, “I k’n stan’ dem, Mars Tom, but blame’ ‘f I couldn’t get along widout um, I tell you dat” (263). Jim is certainly opposed to the idea of having garter snakes put in where he has to stay, but he is willing to compromise with Tom Sawyer and Huck so that they can still play their game and he is not locked up with a rattlesnake like they had first intended. Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs had to submit to the will of white people at one point or another as well. A specific example of Frederick Douglass having to submit to the will of a white man is when he was told by Mr. Covey to go into the woods and take his clothes off. Frederick Douglass wrote, “I still made him no answer, nor did I move to strip myself. Upon this he rushed at me with the fierceness of a tiger, tore off my clothes, and lashed me till he had worn out his switches” 541). This quote is an example of Frederick Douglass having to submit to the will of a white person and one of the reasons he submitted to the will of his master in the future. Harriet Jacobs also had to submit to a

In the book, Jim has to be careful not to make any bold decisions that will make white people get upset with him and punish him or get someone else to punish him. Therefore, in order to stay on the good side of people, he is many times very submissive. Jim also loved his family very much. Even after he runs away from his master, Jim misses his family bitterly and hopes that they are okay, which reveals his great love for them. And finally Jim is very much fascinated with the idea of the supernatural world. There are many examples of Jim having a spiritual side, and one of them is his belief in witches. All of these aspects of Jim are relatable among many slaves, such as Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, George Fleming, and Betty Cofer. Mark Twain did a good job of making the character Jim in his story very similar to real slaves of the