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What Is Jim's Relationship In Huckleberry Finn

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Up until the 19th century, people were segregated into separate groups based upon race, color, or religion. Throughout the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Jim acquired a unique relationship with Huck. He took it upon himself to get to know Jim better as they sailed along the Mississippi River. At this time if one was caught associating with a black slave it was greatly frowned upon. Before the 19th century, whites were considered superior, and personal experiences changed their views on minorities; seeing the kindness in people over power.
“I didn’t do him no more mean tricks, and I wouldn’t done that one if I’d knowed it would make him feel that way” (Twain 87). After Jim and Huck got separated from each other because of the fog, …show more content…

He stopped to think about what if he did not tell Miss Watson where Jim was and help him get his freedom instead. In the 19th century if one was caught helping a slave escape to freedom, it was greatly frowned upon. “It would get all around, that Huck Finn helped a nigger to get his freedom; and if I was to ever see anybody from that town again, I’d be ready to get down and lick his boots for shame” (Twain 213). Society planted this image into Huck’s head, because if he were to help the runaway slave escape, he would be the laughing stock of the town. His head told him to care about what society thought of him, but his heart told him he should help Jim reach his …show more content…

While Huck may have changed his perception of Jim, he may not have changed his view on all African American slaves. With Huck still being a kid, he has to grow up and decide what he wants to believe is right and what is wrong. Dunbar on the other hand changed his way of thinking towards most minority groups. Dunbar saw that the race, skin color, or religion did not matter. He believed you have to get to know the person and see the good in certain minority groups, unlike most people during the 19th

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976 Words | 4 Pages

By the end of the book, he had started to realize that he really did care about Jim. Huck is writing Miss Watson a letter towards the end of the book talking about where Jim is and how she can get him back. After writing the letter, Huck starts to think about the good times he had with Jim and says that “...somehow I couldn’t seem to strike no places for me to harden against him, but only the other kind.”(213). This was the most powerful part in the book for me because after thinking of all the good that Jim has brought him, he tears up the paper and says “All right, then, I’ll go to hell”(214). In Huck’s mind, he had the choice to send the letter and go to heaven or to try to save Jim and go to Hell for doing the wrong thing as far as the widow taught him.

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935 Words | 4 Pages

Huck has always seen Jim as a slave until they crossed paths while going down the river. The two develop a friendship and Huck starts to care about Jim and his well being. Although Huck views Jim as someone he cares about, he still sees him as a slave as well. “ I would do the right thing and the clean thing, and go and write that nigger’s owner and tell where he was,” ( Document E). Huck is in a continuous battle with his inner self when it comes to his views on Jim.

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762 Words | 4 Pages

The old saying goes, “People can’t change,” but we can, just like Huckleberry Finn changes. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn is a young boy with a big imagination. He loves adventures, and playing tricks, but throughout the book, he starts to change. Huck changes in several ways; he sees African-Americans differently, he starts to believe in superstition, and he also changes the way he acts toward people. One of the ways Huck has changed, is the way he sees and treats African-Americans.

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867 Words | 4 Pages

Jim was a resident at the Miss. Watson’s home as a slave. Huck, who had been raised in the South, was expected to believe that all blacks are inferior; therefore, he believed that Jim could not be his equal. The only things lesser than trash in the eyes of 1830s Southerners, were blacks. In document E, Huckleberry believes the one wickedness was helping a slave [Jim] escape from slavery. He had even began to write a letter of Jim’s whereabouts to his owner, Miss. Watson.

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526 Words | 3 Pages

In Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn, he utilized diction to illustrate the change in Huck’s view on slavery and more specifically, Jim; from believing that all slaves are subhuman and ignorant to befriending and respecting Jim as his equal. Incidentally, one way that Twain used diction to highlight such change in Huck was in his choice and usage of the word “n*****”. Considering this, in Chapter 16, Huck habitually uses the n-word to refer to Jim rather than calling him by his name. Huck also utilizes phrases such as , “Give a n***** an inch

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1124 Words | 5 Pages

While on the Mississippi, Huck developed into a heartwarming and courageous character. He learned many morals on the way that brought him to a well matured young man, with a strong personality. When Huck is pondering whether to write Miss. Watson he thinks a lot about Jim and says, “and got to thinking over our trip down the river, and I see Jim before me, all the time, in the day, and in the night-time (Twain 161). Huck’s transformation helped him realize how much Jim truly means to him.

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620 Words | 3 Pages

Jims comment “You’s de only fren’ ole Jims got now,” stops Huck from turning him in. Although helping a runaway slave was viewed as bad in society it was virtually correct. Jim is the only one who educates Huck with world values and morals, unlike his previous mentors who would just worry about what society believed was

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1062 Words | 5 Pages

Miss Watson was prepared to sell Jim, this displays that slavery was common during this time period and that African American were treated as objects and possessions just as Huck had been taught when growing up. Being a slave was awful but what was even worse was being sold to New Orleans. New Orleans was one of the most well know ports for bring in slaves and the further and further you traveled down south the worse the conditions got for the slaves got and their living years declined dramatically. When Jim heard Miss Watson talk of selling him he promptly escaped and tried to make his way toward the free states. On his way to the free states Jim crosses paths with Huck and this is where their friendship beings to dawn.

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1597 Words | 7 Pages

It is rather unlikely that Huck makes this decision lightly: like Jim, he too wants to run away. Perhaps Huck feels closer to Jim because of this, and it rationalizes his reasons for helping him. Huck understands Jim’s plight, even relates to it, and he feels Jim’s pain. Similarly, one of the greatest testaments to Huck’s compassion was the river episode and Huck and Jim’s encounter with the sinking steamboat Walter Scott. The protagonists chance across a sinking steamboat, and happen aboard to take a look.

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879 Words | 4 Pages

Huck thinking about what the right thing to do is an improvement from before where he did not bother to think seriously about heaven and hell. When Huck hears that Jim, a runaway slave, intends to free his family from slavery, Huck is horrified. In expressing his perturbation, Huck says, “Here was this nigger which I had as good as helped to run away, coming right out flat-footed and saying he would steal his children—children that belonged to a man I didn’t even know; a man that hadn’t ever done me no harm... My conscience got to stirring me up hotter than ever, until at last I says to it: ... ‘I’ll paddle ashore at first light, and tell.’’

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1603 Words | 7 Pages

In this scene, instead of battling between his moral compass and society’s expectations, he is actually making a decision on whether he is going to conform to civilization as it is represented by the Widow. They finally choose to take some fruit after careful consideration, as Huck puts it “We warn’t feeling just right, before that, but it was all comfortable now” (56). The fact that they considered thoroughly whether to take the fruit or not shows that Huck starts to think about the consequence and the nature of things as well as his ethic progress. Furthermore, the major turning point of the formation of Huck’s ethic values occurs when he meets the white person on the steamboat who is looking for runaway slaves. Huck feels “so mean and so miserable I most wished I was dead” (75) because Huck does not know whether he should tell the white man about Jim.

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417 Words | 2 Pages

With Huck, race determines intelligence, love for family, and self worth. He was shocked to believe Jim actually cared for his family like white people do. Jim is heartbroken about his family and it eats at him, and Huck is confused because all black people are to him

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1141 Words | 5 Pages

Although there are numerous instances where Huck’s moral growth can be seen, the individuals around such as Jim, will influence his moral growth greatly. Jim, a runaway slave, is the most influential individual when it comes to Huck’s moral development. During the beginning of the novel, Huck’s morals are primarily based on what he has learned from Miss Watson. Huck begins to become wary of such ideals that Miss Watson has imposed on him, and decided all he wanted “…was a change” (Twain 10).

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1083 Words | 5 Pages

Specifically, through the controversy of slavery at the time, Huck learns how to listen to his intuition and conscience. His slight hesitation escaping with Jim makes him question the authenticity of his morality. He says, “I begun to get it through my head that he was most free--and who was to blame for it? Why, me … But you knowed he was running for his freedom, and you could ‘a’ paddled ashore and told somebody”

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993 Words | 4 Pages

The Light of Friendship born on the Mississippi River Throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the relationship between Huck and Jim are the main topic of the whole book. They all had their own personality and characteristics. The relationship between Huck and Jim changes as the story goes on. In the very beginning, it was clear that Huck considers Jim as a slave, on the other hand, Huck did not regard Jim as a normal human like himself.

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