Within chapter twenty-three the two protagonists are continuing their voyage accompanied by con artists, ‘duke’ and ‘dauphin’. Jim and Huck do all the work one example being keeping watch which the two alternate throughout the night. However, Jim relinquishes sleep and keeps a lookout all night as opposed to waking up Huck. This is shown earlier in the passage, “I went to sleep, and Jim didn’t call me when it was my turn. He often did that” (Twain 117). When Huck finally does awaken he witnesses Jim crying in between his legs and deduces the source is his homesickness specifically for his family.
The mere act of Jim putting Huck before himself garners sympathy and aligns with the theme throughout the novel of their growing friendship despite their diverse races. While Huck as the narrator is clearly going to experience more obvious development throughout this novel Jim also creates a bond with his companion. Some might claim that Jim’s response is
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The attachment to family and fear resulting from being thrown into situations outside of your comfort zone are things even readers today can identify with. Huck might not have had an ideal family life, but he realizes the commonalities of Jim and white people. He can also connect with being thrown into this new scary environment since they have both lived in that area all their lives until they were forced to leave due to unjust circumstances. Huck's response towards Jim’s family is also much more empathetic than it previously was. In chapter sixteen on page 92, Huck responded to the prospect of a seemingly free Jim attempting to liberate his family with an old vulgar phrase, “Give a nigger an inch and he’ll take an ell”. This increase in empathy shows Hucks growth and how he has begun to develop hi own opinions separate from