Huckleberry Finn and Nigger Jim

For the third time in the novel, Huck Finn tricks nigger Jim. (pp. 63-65) After the huge incident on the river, separating Huck and Jim, Huck pretends it never happened. “You couldn’t a got drunk in that time, so of course you’ve been dreaming” (64). Clearly, the trauma was reality, yet Huck thinks it’s humorous to trick the runaway slave. In his eyes, it’s normal to poke fun at niggers because he has been raised with these ideas as norms. Huck was so convincing, Jim even believed him even though he knew it was not a dream. However, Huck is different than most white people. After tricking Jim, he felt guilty and wished he hadn’t done it. “It made me feel so mean I could almost kissed his foot to get him to take it back” (65). Huck’s mindset has been changed and he realizes that Jim, although black, is a human being and has the same feelings he does. Inches away from helping the slave find freedom, Huck begins to question why he should continue to aid Jim. He knows that what he is doing is illegal, yet he continues to put his life in danger for the better of someone else. Just as all the confusion was cycling through Huck’s mind, the slave hunters approach Huck, asking if he has seen any escaped slaves. Shocked and mentally torn, Huck hesitates before finally telling the men he was only with a white man. When they ask to see the man, Huck agrees because he knows better than to cause any suspicion. Being extremely clever and able to easily derive a lie, Huck begins talking about his father who is extremely sick with small pox. By playing innocent and concerned, the hunters feel more than sorry for him. Not only do they turn around, but two of the men give Huck twenty dollars, which he even splits with Jim. This shows how Huck is anything but racist. He risked his life for Jim and even gave Jim the money that was given to him. The chapter continues with Jim saying, “Huck, you’s de bes’ fren’ Jim’s ever had” (67). Although this is a cute moment in the novel, I believe it frightens Huck and he feels he is stuck with Jim, unable to get away or abandon him without feeling terribly bad. The chapter ends with Jim and Huck being separated because their boat was destroyed by another. I think Mark Twain stopped here because he struggled to decide whether they should find each other or Huck should run far away before Jim could find him. This is a turning point in the novel where the entire plot could shift to the “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” versus the “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Jim.” It’s understandable for Twain to be confused where to take his story next, so am I excited to find out what he decided.