“When I wake up en fine you back agin’, all safe en soun’, de tears come en… I’s so thankful,” a troubled man says to a troubled young boy after thinking he had lost him (Twain 65). In Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, a boy nicknamed Huck escapes his old life to begin a journey down the Mississippi River. Throughout the novel, two major male characters are present in Huck’s life and have different effects on him. Jim, a runaway slave, accompanies Huck on his journey on the Mississippi River while Pap, Huck’s unworthy father stays behind. Each relationship develops in similar yet different means. Twain juxtaposes Jim and Pap, and their individual relationship with Huck to demonstrate that in order for people to consider each other
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Comparing the two characters individually allows for easier comparison of their relationship to Huck. Both Jim and Pap are father figures in Huck’s life. Pap is Huck’s biological father, while Jim is the one to actually look after Huck once they begin their journey. Pap and Jim share the state of being uncivilized and a low rank in society’s eyes. Pap is an uneducated drunk, and Jim is an uneducated “nigger.” After learning about his son’s discovery of $6,000, Pap returns with his hair “long and tangled and greasy” wearing only rags and boots in which “two of his toes stuck through” to find Huck and demand he give him his share of the money (Twain 14). He tries to find a way away from his rank in society, as does Jim, but the difference is he desires money to do so, and Jim simply wants to be free and equal to white people. These two characters also influence Huck, though Pap evidently is a bad influence in his son’s life. Jim is “a complex, fully human, dynamic character who grows alongside Huck as the novel progresses,” and it is those characteristics that influence Huck to grow in a similar way to Jim (Smith 184). Pap’s constant abuse and threats inspire Huck to become someone better than his father. When Pap demands Huck to discontinue his education, instead of obeying, Huck goes ahead and attends school. Jim also serves as an inspiration to Huck. Throughout the novel, as Huck begins to get to know Jim more personally, he realizes Jim has a pure heart and is incapable of immorality. It pushes Huck to want to be more like Jim and develop a sense of morality. Pap and Jim stand on the same level in social class ranking and are both aware that they are set apart from society, but they have different outlooks on the world around them. They maintain a relationship with the same person, though Jim comes out on top when dealing with who
Comparing the two characters individually allows for easier comparison of their relationship to Huck. Both Jim and Pap are father figures in Huck’s life. Pap is Huck’s biological father, while Jim is the one to actually look after Huck once they begin their journey. Pap and Jim share the state of being uncivilized and a low rank in society’s eyes. Pap is an uneducated drunk, and Jim is an uneducated “nigger.” After learning about his son’s discovery of $6,000, Pap returns with his hair “long and tangled and greasy” wearing only rags and boots in which “two of his toes stuck through” to find Huck and demand he give him his share of the money (Twain 14). He tries to find a way away from his rank in society, as does Jim, but the difference is he desires money to do so, and Jim simply wants to be free and equal to white people. These two characters also influence Huck, though Pap evidently is a bad influence in his son’s life. Jim is “a complex, fully human, dynamic character who grows alongside Huck as the novel progresses,” and it is those characteristics that influence Huck to grow in a similar way to Jim (Smith 184). Pap’s constant abuse and threats inspire Huck to become someone better than his father. When Pap demands Huck to discontinue his education, instead of obeying, Huck goes ahead and attends school. Jim also serves as an inspiration to Huck. Throughout the novel, as Huck begins to get to know Jim more personally, he realizes Jim has a pure heart and is incapable of immorality. It pushes Huck to want to be more like Jim and develop a sense of morality. Pap and Jim stand on the same level in social class ranking and are both aware that they are set apart from society, but they have different outlooks on the world around them. They maintain a relationship with the same person, though Jim comes out on top when dealing with who