Huckleberry Finn Essay In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain crafts the characters of Jim and Pap in the novel as contrasts of one another to appeal to Twain’s audience of the slave-holding reader. The choice to portray both Pap and Jim as father figures is used to persuade the slave holder to build more empathy with Black people, and to slowly change people’s minds on the role of Black people in society and on the topic of slavery over the course of the novel. Twain’s choice helps the novel work as a persuasive piece against slavery, and the rhetorical decisions Twain makes in building the characters of Pap and Jim aids in the overall anti-slavery argument. Twain builds the character of Pap, Huck’s biological father, as unlikely and abusive. Pap was a drunk, who only cared to enter …show more content…
As they adventure down the river, Huck and Jim create a strong bond. Through their misadventures, Huck and Jim face many perils and foes, which draws them closer together and establishes Jim as a crucial father figure in Huck’s life. At one point, Jim considers Huck “the best friend old Jim ever had in the world” (Twain 214), and the feeling is mutual. Huck has a moral dilemma over whether to help Jim or not, but eventually chooses his relationship with Jim over the pro-slavery viewpoint he has been fed since birth. This crucial moment when Huck decides to help Jim shows the true depth of their relationship, and how said relationship is much stronger than the one between Huck and Pap. All readers, including the rascist, pro-slavery, slave-holding reader, grow empathetic toward Jim and become invested in Huck and Jim’s relationship. Twain also has Jim mention his family, a wife and kids, and even mentions a time when Jim beat his daughter Elizabeth, thinking she was ignoring him, but really she had gone