Huckleberry Finn Father Figure Essay

Who is the Better Father Figure? A father is a big factor in every child’s life. They play an important role, showing their children how to live. In the novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, the main character Huck, seems to have two men in his life that could be viewed as a father figure, his own father by blood, and his slave. Each men in the book have similar characteristics but all the while have distinct differences that show who has a better relationship with Huck, and is a better father toward him. Pap and Jim are similar in the way they had grown up to be. A theme that comes up quite often in the story is superstition. Both of these men are very superstitious. Another similarity is how they are both outcasts and poor. Pap is a town drunk in the novel and shows up at Huck’s house with long, tangled, and greasy hair, wearing rags as clothes. Jim fits this standard also because he is an

He is the despicable character of racism. Jim is different than Pap in this way by being for the most part, very respectful to the whites. Another difference is that Pap for the most part does not care much about Huck. He abandons Huck and comes back only when he hears about all the money Huck owns. Pap is so concerned that Huck was not to be better than himself or other family members, that he forbids Huck from continuing to go to school. On contrast, Jim is very caring toward his own family. He cares for their well being and hopes the best for them. Several times in the novel he was caught weeping as he missed his family. He also is much more caring toward Huck. He is more loving, thoughtful and loyal than Pap ever was to Huck. When Jim heard that Huck had been supposedly killed, he was “powerfully sorry” (51). Jim was also loyal by trusting Huck in every situation and circumstance they were involved in, whether on the canoe, in the shack, or being captured again at the end of the