Huckleberry Finn And Jim Term paper

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Humanistic Depiction of Jim

"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, is the most grotesque example of racist trash ever written" (Wallace 1). Many people in the African American community share this rather extreme view, believing that the book promotes racist ideas and agendas. Others, however, regard it as holding one of the highest positions in the canon of American literature. On an international level, it is "a fixture among the classics of world literature" (Kaplan 352). How can such a discrepancy exist regarding people's perceptions about the meaning or intent of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn? The majority of the problem is that opponents to the book get entirely caught up with the word "nigger" to the point that they do not pay attention to important changes in the book that yield anti-racist ideas. Also, opponents to the book, such as Julius Lester, take a myopic look at the character Jim without fully realizing the extent to which he is portrayed as a fully realized human being. Instance after instance, Twain writes about Jim in ways that help the reader come to understand that he is just as important, with just as much feelings, as anyone else in the book. Contrary to what many adversaries state regarding The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the book does a wonderful job portraying Jim as a character with just as many feelings as any white person in the book, while at the same time encompassing the unfortunate reality of the time.

In order to subvert Huck's misconception of "nigger" Jim, Twain first exposes Jim's humanity when the two are separated from each other on the river during a dense fog. Huck, alone of the canoe, searches for Jim, who is alone on the raft. When Huck finally catches up with the raft, he finds Jim asleep, apparently exhausted from the terrifying ordeal. Instead of waking up Jim to celebrate their reunion, Huck decides to play a trick on him. Lying down beside Jim, Huck wakes him up and says, "Hello, Jim, have I been asleep? Why didn't you stir me up?" (285). Jim is overcome with joy upon seeing Huck. Huck, however, acts as if he had never left the raft and convinces Jim that he has dreamt the entire episode. Confused and intimidated by Huck's foolery, Jim acquiesces to the lie and thus his own sense of inferiority. Jim reverts to the only means he knows to help him rationalize his bewilderment, superstition. He redefines his real experience with a fictitious interpolation "painted up considerable" with supernatural warnings and signs (287).

However, when Huck mockingly points to "the leaves and rubbish on the raft, and the smashed oar" and asks "what does these things stand for?" Jim realizes that Huck has played a mean trick on him (287). Jim is deeply hurt by Huck's cruelty and exposes the depth of his feelings by telling Huck:

"What do dey stan' for? I's gwyne to tell you. When I got all wore out

wid work, en wid de callin' for you, en went to sleep, my heart wuz

mos' broke bekase you wuz los, en I didn' k'yer no mo what become

er me en de raf'. En when I wake up en fine you back agin', all safe

en soun', de tears come en I could a got down on my knees en kiss

you' foot I's so thankful. En all you wuz thinking 'bout wuz how you

could make a fool uv ole Jim wid a lie." (287).

Jim chastises Huck telling him he is no better than the pile of trash on the raft: "trash is what people is dat puts dirt on de head or dey fren's en makes 'em ashamed" (287). Huck is surprised at Jim's capacity to possess such strong, "human" feelings. His perception of Jim is so knocked off balance that he acknowledges Jim's feelings and his humanity by apologizing to him. Huck decides that he wouldn'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" (287). Already, Twain is showing his readers the start of what will become a progression of improvement in...

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