The Declaration of Independence says that all men are created equal. That is, unless you are a slave like Jim. Jim, the slave from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, is a very important character. He becomes not only a good friend to the main character, Huck, but also something of a father figure to him. Jim and Huck tend to get themselves into tricky situations, but they always find a way to work through the hard times together. However, is this depiction of a slave during this time period accurate? Did Mark Twain know enough about the culture and background of slaves to make Jim comparable to a real slave? The answer to this question is yes. Jim is very similar in many to ways to real people that experienced first …show more content…
In the beginning of the story, before he runs away, he is ordered around by his owners, which is very typical for a slave. However, even after Jim escapes he is forced to submit to the will of white people. For example, when Tom Sawyer tries locking snakes in the shed where Jim is being kept, Jim says, “I k’n stan’ dem, Mars Tom, but blame’ ‘f I couldn’t get along widout um, I tell you dat” (263). Jim is certainly opposed to the idea of having garter snakes put in where he has to stay, but he is willing to compromise with Tom Sawyer and Huck so that they can still play their game and he is not locked up with a rattlesnake like they had first intended. Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs had to submit to the will of white people at one point or another as well. A specific example of Frederick Douglass having to submit to the will of a white man is when he was told by Mr. Covey to go into the woods and take his clothes off. Frederick Douglass wrote, “I still made him no answer, nor did I move to strip myself. Upon this he rushed at me with the fierceness of a tiger, tore off my clothes, and lashed me till he had worn out his switches” 541). This quote is an example of Frederick Douglass having to submit to the will of a white person and one of the reasons he submitted to the will of his master in the future. Harriet Jacobs also had to submit to a …show more content…
In the book, Jim has to be careful not to make any bold decisions that will make white people get upset with him and punish him or get someone else to punish him. Therefore, in order to stay on the good side of people, he is many times very submissive. Jim also loved his family very much. Even after he runs away from his master, Jim misses his family bitterly and hopes that they are okay, which reveals his great love for them. And finally Jim is very much fascinated with the idea of the supernatural world. There are many examples of Jim having a spiritual side, and one of them is his belief in witches. All of these aspects of Jim are relatable among many slaves, such as Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, George Fleming, and Betty Cofer. Mark Twain did a good job of making the character Jim in his story very similar to real slaves of the
A slave is someone who is legal property of another and is forced to obey them. In Document A, Jim appears as more of a slave then anything else. “...African Americans were considered “beings of an inferior order” and that, even at the time of the writing of Declaration of Independence, it was common belief that black people had “no rights which white men were bound to respect.” This just goes to show how little to no meaning slaves had to white people. Just because Jim was Huck’s friend doesn’t mean he still isn’t a slave.
One of the people Twain doesn’t admire is The King because he portrays him as a river con man who claims to be a dissapeared heir to the French Throne who also takes control of Huck and Jim’s raft. Pap would be another character who is not admirable because he treated his son worse than a slave owner treated a slave. The Duke is also portrayed as a bad man because he is The King’s side-kick who is also a con man. The Shepherdsons were also a group of unadmirable people because they shot Buck Grangerford along with his family. Mrs. Loftus is a little bit unadmirable because she didn’t let Huck have any of her food or things that he was in need of.
Judging someone for their race, ethnicity, or skin color is never portrayed as the right thing to do. However, these are some of the main themes in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This was taken place before the Civil War, when slavery was still legal. When Huck Finn and Jim meet, even though Jim is a slave, they connect immediately. Their friendship grows stronger and stronger as the novel continues, it got to the point where Jim was not only a friend, but a father figure to Huck.
Jim is locked up, forced to hide his face in the daytime, and laughed at. Twain was forced to display Jim’s treatment this way to keep the book sincere, despite the fact that it may not be the way Twain personally felt. However, we see that Huck does not treat Jim as most whites do: Huck does not see Jim as a slave; disposable and nameless, but as a friend, with a unique personality. This leads to Huck’s inability to turn Jim in, and Huck’s rejection of societial norms that tell him that blacks are inferior. Huck’s utter rejection of societal norms is evident in the quote “all right, then I’ll go to hell,” (283).
Huck does not see Jim as a slave anymore he sees Jim as a friend and he treats him like a friend. Huck would of never done this at the begning of his journey or when he found out Jim is a runaway. He evolved his morality, Twain finished the book after the civil war he did not believe in slavery it
The texts The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass both do well to paint a picture of how slavery was easily accepted in the American Society. These books show us how many white slaveholders were able to justify slavery with religion, dehumanization, and by convincing themselves that the slaves themselves were content with their situations. In both of these books we are shown how many white slaveholders seem to justify their cruelty and the horror that is slavery through religion. In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, We are presented with a quote about his master Captain Auld.
And finally I would like to compare Jim to the average African American today. First Jim is a slave and by that term not treated kindly. In fact, that is an understatement. He is brutally mistreated.
Freedom has many different meaning and mean different things to people. Freedom could be getting your licence, going to college, or just moving out of your parents house. There are two main types of freedoms: Freedom of the mind and Freedom from being owned. Both of these are found in the book Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Like freedom, superstitions are found to be seen very different amongst people.
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.
Jim is a slave who had escaped with Huckleberry Finn. Huckleberry Finn introduces Jim by saying, “Miss Watson’s big n*****, named Jim, was setting in the kitchen door; we could see him pretty clear, because there was a light behind him.” (35). This quote is important because it is the first time where the n-word is mentioned in the book. It is exactly a representation of this time period because there were slaves at the time.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an American classic, it was the starting point for all great American Literature. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been awarded all of these honorable titles because of its abnormal and controversial plot line. During the time period when the book was written, it was unacceptable to view African- American’s as anything other than slaves. They were viewed as inferior to whites and were treated like property, they had no rights. The main character of the book, Huck, disagrees and disobeys these norms and pushes the boundaries of society when he becomes friends with a slave from his childhood; Jim.
In the book "The Adventures if Huckleberry Finn", Mark Twain's writing mirrors the society and problems it had in that time. This book promotes seeing African-Americans as people, which is absolutely groundbreaking and unheard-of in the time it was written, right after the Civil War. Throughout the book,, Huck has a complete change in his feelings towards Jim, starting with his highly influenced young mind, only able to view Jim as a slave, all the way to seeing Jim as a father-figure who can protect and provide for him. Although Huck tries to see Jim as a friend and fatherly-figure, society's beliefs don't allow him to see Jim as anything but a slave.
The black man on the back porch is afraid of the rattle snake because it is bad luck, or the innocent little slave is quick to believe everything one tells them at the drop of the hat. These are just some of the many racist stereotypes of the 1840s. A character named Jim is the star African American whom Twain bestoys the mission of being the stereotypical black man to prove a point. He along with his much more pallor companion Huck go on exciting adventures that unfold the events which expose the racist conduct of the time. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain saturates his novel with potent images of acute racism severe enough as to create a satirical mien that exposes the absurdity of prejudice.
Jim’s Minstrel Mask Slaves in the 1800s were seen as dim, ignorant people, underestimated by the white culture. In Huck’s story, the reader can see a different side of slaves. A side that has not been shown in history textbooks, or taught frequently by teachers of the sort. Jim in the novel demonstrates the cleverness, the quick-wittedness, and the overall intelligence of an individual in the face of extreme adversity.
For Jim being a slave, he is separate from society based on the fact that whites do not see blacks as equals. For example, after Huck raids the wrecked ferryboat and calls it an adventure, Jim replies with not wanting adventures because there is a chance of him being caught and sold back into slavery. Hucks reaction to Jim’s knowledge was surprising since he didn 't believe a black man can have such a level head (Twain 76). In the same sense, it is seen as morally incorrect for him to have any common knowledge equivalent to a white person. Society values depriving one of their human qualities such as intelligence and since Jim differs in race, it is seen as okay.