I think that Huckleberry Finn is a lively tale of a boy making his way in the world. Like the river the story flows from place to place, con to con, and character to character with only Huck and Jim being constant. I think that Twain captures the time just like a good painting or movie. His descriptions are vivid and bold, and hold the readers attention throughout. I think that Huck is the quintessential adolescent boy. He is brave and strong and adventurous, but still naive about the world around him and the injustices that many people faced. His relationship with Jim is so important to his development not only as a character in the story but also his growth from being a boy to being a man. Society would have viewed Huck as better then, or worth more then Jim. It is interesting then that Huck did not perceive himself as having greater worth or being better or high class then Jim. He viewed Jim as his equal. The mental struggles that he faces throughout their journey down the river show how Huck fought against common perceptions and ideals and created his own path, both by way of thinking and of actions. I don’t believe that either could have survived the journey without the other. They were entirely codependent, yet Huck still looked up to Jim as a father figure. I found the sections of the story when Huck and Jim were separated, possibly forever to be the most fascinating in terms of what each was thinking. Huck might have helped Jim to freedom, but Jim freed Huck from the constraints of societal norms and ideals, and that is what the journey was all about.
Learning in the Age of the Trigger Warning
11 years ago
I agreed with some of your post about Huck and Jim's relationship. I especially liked the comment that although Huck helped Jim to freedom, Jim was able to free Huck in many different ways, the least of which was freeing him from the beliefs that were held by society that blacks were inferior, and therefore unequal. The bond shared by them was unique, not so much because it was a friendship between a man and a boy; but between a black man and a white boy, a slave and a free young man. I think Jim was a necessary element to show the progression of Huck's growth and maturity. I don't completely agree with the idea that Huck was a "typical" adolescent boy for several reasons. First, as most of us know sex is a very powerful component of an adolescent boy's thoughts. Huck is shown to be a sexless boy in the story. After reading some of Twain's notes, it was obvious that the author did not want to imply that Huck had sexual thoughts or desires. Also Huck did hot seem to need the approval of his friends or father, which is also a trait most adolescent boys possess. His actions were guided by his own moral compass.
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