Blogpost 2

Describe the relationship between Huck and Jim. Use direct evidence to support your thoughts.

Huck never had much family, and until Jim, Tom Sawyer was Huck’s main role model. Having been forced to leave the widow, and moving into a cabin in the woods with his father, Huck was driven to be independent and leave him. After faking his own death, Huck finds his way to Jackson Island, and soon enough, he finds some company. Huck is wildly independent and smart, but even though Huck has never had a real family, he still craves companionship and is often lonely. When Jim shows up on Jackson Island after escaping from the widow, he and Huck immediately find that, besides knowing each other previously, they have things in common. Huck and Jim share a “home”, during their time on the island. Their acting house is a cave, which Jim and Huck make provisions to in order to be safe. Besides companionship, Jim takes the role of an adult when a house washes onto the island. Inside the house is the body of a dead man, and taking morals into account, Jim prevents Huck from looking at the body because of his youth. “Huck, but doan’ look at his face- it’s too ghashly”(Twain 57). Huck later pranks Jim with a rattlesnake, and consequently in bites him. Huck caused harm to Jim because of his immaturity, luckily Jim remedies himself. Jim takes the adult role again at this point, because, the potentially fatal wound became curable because of Jim’s intelligence. “Jim told me to chop off the snake’s head, and throw it away, and the skin the body and roast a piece of it… he eat it and said it would help cure him” (Twain 59). Jim and Huck’s relationship is that of one of a father and son. Jim consistently takes the role of an adult during serious situations, where Huck acts immaturely. Huck finds comfort in being with Jim, for companionship, and for safety.

Huck later dresses as a woman in order to stay hidden when going back to town. While there, a woman tells him all of the gossip regarding Huck’s “murder”. She later goes on to tell Huck about his deceased father, and that Jim is the number one suspect to Huck’s killing. The woman describes how she believes that Jim would be on Jackson Island, having seen smoke rising there days before. Huck is immediately worried. He fears that Jim will be found before he returns, and he swiftly makes his way back. Jim and Huck immediately leave the island, and craft a wigwam to ride down river in. The wigwam becomes the duos new acting home. Although Jim takes the role of a smart adult in serious situations, it is still apparent that Huck has power over Jim. When Huck and Jim come upon a crashed steamboat while drifting on the wigwam, Huck persuades Jim to help him look for goods and take part in the “adventure”. Jim knows that as a runaway slave, he has no power to the outside world, and especially not against a free white boy. Because Jim never restrains Huck from his immaturity, it shows the underlying power in their relationship. Although Huck has the power, he and Jim both still care for each other. When Jim and Huck get separated while drifting through the river in the fog, Jim is thrilled to see Huck again when they are reunited. “my heart was mos’ broke bekase you was los’” (Twain 89). Jim takes the role of a caring father at this point, reminding the reader that he is protective if Huck. When Huck and Jim finally get to Cairo, Huck was secretly planning to give Jim up. But Huck resolves not to because Jim is his only friend. Although Huck feels that the moral thing to do was give Jim up, he wanted to keep his promise to him. Besides Jim taking the role of a father, and Huck a son, Huck and Jim both genuinely care for each other.