Jim
"He is sometimes slave who should be master; and sometimes master who should be slave." [Lat., Fit in dominatu servitus, in servitute dominatus.]
Oratio Pro Rege Deiotaro (XI)
by Marcus Tullius Cicero
Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is considered to be possibly the Great American Novel by many scholars and is certainly the best known of Mark Twain's works. These scholars both powerfully praise and powerfully depreciate Twain's artistic judgment in relation to Huck's character, themes, and political statements, but Jim's place is often ignored or overlooked. Jim's character is very important in his roles in supporting Huck as a father figure, his example for Twain's portrayal of slavery and racism, and in his own right as a multifaceted, moving, and developing individual.
Jim plays the role of the father by providing for Huck's physical, personal, emotional, and moral well-being. He begins by simply supplying necessary food and shelter for the "dead" boy. Jim continues in this role throughout the novel. He seems to always be out hooking fish or cooking make-shift meals for Huck. He takes it upon himself to build "a snug wigwam [on their raft] to get under in blazing weather and rainy, and to keep things dry." (48). On the other hand, when Huck is at his real father's (Pap's) cabin, he has to stop up the holes "to keep the wind from blowing through the chinks and putting the candle out" (18-19). Jim also advises Huck about his personal life. From the very beginning of the novel when he sees his father's boot prints, Huck establishes a precedent of going to Jim for advice. Despite the slave's fearful superstitions, his advice is mostly sound, as seen when he advises against boarding the Walter Scott and against looking at "Pap's" face. Huck's physical well-being is consistently under Jim's protection. He passively protects Huck from the villains and nice old ladies of civilization and town meetings by...
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