Summary: Huck contemplates turning in Jim, the raft is broken and Huck is rescued by the Grangefords, one of their girls runs away, Jim feex raft, Grangefords die, mostly, and downward it is!
Characterization: As Huck ponders on whether he should turn in Jim or not, he questions his initial white supremacist views and finds his moral world in conflict with his rational world; as Jim demonstrates his gratefulness Huck’s rational world begins to change his morality, as all that which slaves are perceived to be is not actually true. Huck now begins to detach himself emotionally and morally from his previous society, as the further he goes, the more experience he gains, and the more he changes his mind on the subject of slavery; this also occurs as he becomes aware of his previous state of a softer term for slavery (childhood) by experiencing true freedom. Through this chapter Huck becomes more independent as Jim is left behind and he has to device plans on his own to get out of the conflict. Huck also observes the death of a friend which makes him more aware of raw humanity, and will “sicken” him when he is witness to inhumane treatment. As Huck and Jim go further into their journey they become aware of a harsh reality – what it means to deny other people their humanity – which they chose to ignore before; what Huck though was a game when he faked his death changed into the sad story of a fallen friend; Tom Sawyers adventures become real in the feud and portray a much different reality than what Huck was expecting, they display bloody scenes and despicable murder which cause the loss of entire generations.
Quotes:
“My conscience got to stirring me up hotter than ever, until at last I says to it… but when he says this, it seemed to kind of take the tuck al out of me. “
This is the quote which demonstrates Huck’s moral struggle through his journey. Notice how when he realizes what he has done he calls Jim “it” but when he has a change of heart Jim goes back to being a “he”. Huck’s judgment of people upon their actions contradicts his own morale as Jim is the only adult in the entire story that does not tell a single lie and remains loyal throughout the book. This morality will come in to question further down the line when Jim is sold by the King, so Huck is still greatly ambivalent about the subject; society has given the character of Jim to white people while giving the role of whites in the story to slaves – whites are the most savage creatures, while Jim remains the most humane.
Questions:
What factors come into play with Huck’s morality?
What realization does he have, as portrayed by the book?