Much of the controversy around Huckleberry Finn involves the portrayal and treatment of Jim. One side says that Jim is purposefully portrayed to look like a stupid slave while the other believes that Jim is simply playing a role.
“Twain fitted Jim into the outlines of the minstrel tradition, and it is from behind this stereotype mask that we see Jim’s dignity and his complexity”
Your reading for these chapters should focus on thinking critically about why Jim acts the way he does and whether has anything to gain or lose as a result of his behavior.
Passages for Consideration:
P. 5-7: Jim as a crazy black slave or a smart man that made the best out of a given situation. He ended up famous and got a little money out of it. What else could he have done?
P. 17-18: Jim as superstitious or again a smart man that not only appeared to be right all along but also got a little money and maybe even a little respect.
P. 41-47: Does Jim really think Huck is a ghost? Does Jim need Huck? Gun? Jim v. “Misto Braddish’s Nigger.”
P. 50-51: Why doesn’t Jim want Huck to see the man? Huck would have seen much worse.
Ch. 14-15: Huck’s feelings for Jim
P. 17 v. 70 & P. 84-86 v. 90-92: How does Huck treat Jim differently as the book moves along?
Your Blog:
- Reveal your findings in regards to why Jim acts the way he does and whether has anything to gain or lose as a result of his behavior. Be sure to cite quotes to support your response.
- Respond to one of your classmates’ responses.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMark Twain creates this stereotypical ignorant, uneducated and superstitious black man during slavery, but at the same time Twain shows that Jim is smart, has wise inputs and takes control of the situation so that he benefits from it; and each action Jim takes also increases the respect he gets from the slaves and eventually Huck.
ReplyDeleteJim strongly believed that the devil handed him nickel with a hole in the center, "Jim always kept that five-center piece around his neck with string (p. 6)." He was smart and used the nickel to his own advantage and had slaves pay him some money to cure disease. Another example of his superstition that brings him respect was predicting Huck's future. The prediction that Huck was "gwyne to have considable trouble in yo' life, en considable joy (p. 18), " had truth in it, along his Journey he meet a great deal of hardship and joy. The readers first impression of Jim is a slave who is uneducated, stupid and crazy for believing in superstition, but as we look closely he uses his superstitions to his own advantage and that he does indeed have far greater insight then we as readers can see in the beginning of the story.
Jim for slight moment believed that Huck was ghost when he meets him on the island, but anybody would when they have been told that somebody was murdered and next day they see that person. However having Huck as a buddy to go along the trip would be helpful, specially if that person was white. Also when Jim finally calms down he says that "what's de use er makin' up de camp fire to cook strawbries en sich truck (p.42)," and finds out that Huck had brought along gun. This weapon would bring both of them safety and a way to eat meat. Huck, to Jim's eyes was key component to his successful trip to freedom and a companion.
During the journey Jim prevents Huck from seeing the dead body. He must have identified the body to be Huck's father or somebody else that Huck might have known. Jim saw the man and "throwed some old rages over him (p.50)," The reason Jim did not want Huck to see the dead person was because he known who it might have been. Jim's action of covering the body shows that he cares about Huck and wants to protect him from the truth.
Later on in the novel we see that Huck also is developing soft spot for Jim and later considers him to be family and his friend. In the very beginning of the novel Huck separates himself from Jim, but on page 70 he changes I and him into we. Another example of his increasing love for Jim on pages 90 through 92, where he lies to couple men on boat by saying "He's white (p.90)," and explaining that his whole family was sick with small pox and they need help. But on pages 84 through 86, Huck plays a trick on Jim and claims he has never let Jim's side that he was dreaming it all up. When Huck tricked Jim, Jim said that "My heart wuz mos' Broke Bekase you wuz los'... En all you wuz thinkin' 'bout wuz how you could make a fool uv ole Jim wid a lie. Dat truck da is trash; en trash is what people is dat puts dirt on de head er dey fren's en makes 'em ashamed (p.86)." Jim's speech to Huck showed how wise and respectable Jim truly was. Huck at that point realized that he was a friend of Jim and that friends respected and cared for each other. At that moment, Jim was superior to Huck, but in society a grown black man had less power than a little white boy.
Jim From the the begin on ward has cultivated a relationship with Huck and Jim gains some respects from the other Slaves and Huck himself. In society however, Jim maintains a low statues and he is being treated like a run away animal.
When we first encounter Jim, he is portrayed as the typical African-American slave from the south. But reading further, we see that Jim is smarter than originally anticipated.
ReplyDeleteI have found that Jim acts the way he does so that when amongst other slaves he gains their respect as a leader or role model type. But when he's with white men, he acts the way that's expected of him, so as to not seem superior to them; therefore losing the white man's respect. We see that Jim is wise enough to know when it's his place to speak out, and when to act accordingly.
When he's with Huck, however, he aims to gain his respect, so he is himself. An example of this was when he predicted Huck's future. He stated that Huck was "gwyne to have considerable trouble in yo' life, en considerable joy (pg.18)". Further along, we see that Jim's prediction comes true, which proves that he's smarter then the average slave.
We also start to see an increasing bond. When Huck comes across then white men looking for run away slaves; Huck lies when they ask about the other man he's with and says "He's white (pg. 90) and expands on the lie and tells them that his whole family was sick with small pox and they need help. He tells the men the lie, even though just moments before he was beside himself wondering whether he should turn Jim in. Huck feels that turning Jim in would be the right thing to do, but because he now considered them friends, he didn't tell the truth.
Jim truly earned Huck's respect after Huck played the trick on him on pg. 84. Jim knew that Huck was lying about being there the whole time. Jim said, "My heart was mos' broke bekase you was los'... En all you wuz thinkin' 'bout wuz how you could make a uv ole Jim wid a lie. Dat truck da is trash; en trash is what people is dat puts dirt on de head er dey fren's en makes 'em ashamed (pg. 86)." When Jim said that they were friends was when Huck believed it too.
Quin I think the reason Jim acts this certain way around the white folks is, he was forced to act this way because of his status in American society. And I also think that Mark Twain's purpose of having Jim far wiser than Huck is to show the irony and moral corruption in society. He is saying asking the readers, how come a grown black man must be lower than a white child just because of the color of his skin and that no little boy should have such a high and might status, they are not full matured to take the responsibility to dictate what will happen to another person.
ReplyDeleteJim is a man who knows how to make the most out of a situation. I think that Jim is a clever man, but one who is still superstitious. My evidence of this is that Jim seems not only to use superstition when it can help him, claiming to have been chosen by witches to be possessed, which earned him fame, respect, and money, as well as charging people money to see his hairball; but he also has superstitious answers to things that give no benefit to anyone by having them. Ex.: when Huck plays his trick on Jim, telling him that the entire episode with the fog didn't happen, that "[He's] been dreaming" (85), Jim starts to interpret the dream, thinking it would have been genuinely useful, and only when he notices the leaves and twigs in the boat does he realize that the nighttime adventure actually happened.If Jim wasn't actually superstitious than he wouldn't have had any reason to do that.
ReplyDeleteIn the very beginning, Huck doesn't seem to think much about Jim; we are provided no information about what Huck feels for Jim. The only thing that might be said is that Huck may respect him for mentioning that he could put Huck's counterfeit coin into "a raw Irish potato . . . and the next morning you couldn't see no brass" (17). Huck "knowed [it] would do that, before, but [he] had forgot it" (17).
As the story progresses, Huck begins to treat Jim more and more like a friend, and becomes attached. On page 43, Jim tells Huck how he came to be on the Island, and Huck swears he won't tell, partially because he is a man of his word, partially because he wouldn't want to go back to town anyway. Later (88, 89), Huck has made up his mind that he will go ashore to the nearest town and tell them that he had a runaway slave, but the idea of turning Jim in causes him to be "so mean and miserable [he] most wished [he] was dead."
Using the character of Jim, Mark Twain shows how African American slaves acted during that time, and during those circumstances. Throughout this part of the story, Jim definitely shows some superstition, but points out that the things he believes are past experiences and things he has learned. Towards the beginning, we are not really sure of what Huck's feelings are towards Jim. It is clear that he must not feel the same way towards him as the rest of the white society, but how different his feelings towards him are do not become clear for quite a while. When Huck tricks Jim in chapter 15, saying he "hain't gone anywheres" when he really did, it seems like Huck sees jim as just another stupid black slave (84). But, when Huck has the chance to give Jim away, he decided not to after Jim tells him he is "de on'y white genlman dat ever kep' jis promise to [him]" (90). Through this action, we learn that Huck really does care for Jim, and likes having him on his journey.
ReplyDeleteJim seems very cautious as to what he says and does around Huck throughout the story. If Jim was not like this, Huck may have acquired a bad attitude toward Jim, making it less likely that he would protect him. Jim is obviously somewhat of a smart man, because he knows what he probably should and shouldn't say around Huck. Overall, Jim has much to gain from the ways he acts, because he is constantly being hid and protected by Huck. Even though they are going south, where slavery is much more prominent, at least he has a chance to be free rather than being given away at any time by Huck.
Andre, I would like to add to you're statement about Jim being superstitious, for he was not only tricking people into thinking he had special powers, but also taking their money.
ReplyDeleteJim had taken full advantage of the situation by telling others that he was a fortune teller with the magical hairball he had. Yet, he told whoever wanted their fortune that the hairball would only talk if they gave it money. He slowly gained popularity among the slaves, and made plenty of profit through his lies.
Jim acts the way he does because he's not only smarter than the average slave, but smarter than Huck as well, which serves to break the stereotype of slaves being lesser people. However, just because Jim is smart, doesn't mean he has lost his beliefs in certain superstitions. When Huck asks Jim if he has a hairy breast, Jim responds, "Don' you see I has?" (pg 46) Jim takes this as a sign that he will be rich one day, even after he was rich once before, when he had fourteen dollars. Jim's belief in superstitions are primarily what cause him to act the way he does. Jim may be smart, but when his smarts cross paths with his superstitious beliefs, Jim will take great care to follow to superstitions.
ReplyDeleteJim’s smarts are the other factor in why he acts the way he does. When Huck wants to go to shore to see what’s going on in town, he tells us that , “Jim like that notion; but he said I must go in the dark and look sharp.” (pg 54)Jim is firstly, smart enough to not risk going into town and getting caught, so he let’s Huck go by himself. And secondly, know that if Huck were to be caught, it would be bad for his own freedom as well. This is why Jim devises the plan to dress Huck up as a girl, to disguise him and reduce the risk of him getting caught. Jim’s a smart boy, but unfortunately not smart enough to go against his own superstitions if it should ever come to that, perhaps that is Jim’s one true downfall.
Quinn said that Jim acts dumb around white men so as not to feel superior to them and because he knows his place. Then she says that he acts different around Huck. As if he is trying to gain respect when he’s around Huck. This makes me wonder why Jim thinks of Huck differently from all other white folk. How does Huck act differently then everybody else.? Does Huck see Jim as a friend and not a slave? And if so, what implored Huck to have a different view than everyone else. The relationship between Huck and Jim is atypical for that time period. So something must have happened to make these two characters have a relationship that veers from the norm.
ReplyDeleteJim really doesn’t have much to lose as a slave who has been stripped of most basic human rights, so being able to make a name for himself among his peers and make an extra wage doing it is quite an accomplishment, given his bleak situation. Jim turned just a regular hair-ball into a clairvoyant crystal ball that “sometimes…wouldn’t talk without money,” (17) and a seemingly-simple five-center piece necklace into another device that could work miracles. As for the fortune he gives Huck, he basically gives him a vague response, but just specific enough to constitute a ‘reading;’ this becomes rather obvious by the time that Jim tells Huck that “dey’s two angles hoverin’ roun’ ‘bout [Huck’s father].” (18) Jim does seem to think that Huck was a ghost, and it’s hard to blame him. He had probably heard what had happened to Huck, and thought that he had been confirmed as dead. Jim does have many superstitions, and appears to believe in ghosts. Jim also hid Huck from seeing the dead man, most likely because anything to do with the dead is bad luck, or possibly because the person could have been someone that Huck would recognize. That’s also most likely the reason why Jim wouldn’t discuss with Huck the manner in which that man was killed. This isn’t too far out of the ordinary, as Huck can also be rather superstitious. He feared he would have bad luck once he “flipped [a spider] off [his shoulder] and it lit on the candle.” (3) He even “turned around in [his] tracks three times” while crossing his breast, and “tied up a little lock of [his] hair with a thread to keep witches away.” (4)
ReplyDeleteJim may not ‘need’ Huck to survive, but an extra set of eyes, ears, and common sense could help anyone out a great deal. Huck also has a relatively large haul of supplies, including a gun. Huck is also helpful in situations where being seen could have gotten Jim lynched or capture, being a run-away slave in a racist world.
During their time together, Huck learns to respect Jim more as a comrade instead of just “Miss Watson’s big n***er,” (4) even lying through his teeth, claiming that Jim’s white and has smallpox (90). On page 70, he refers to Jim and himself as “we.” A major turning point in their relationship is when Huck feels terrible for trying to pull one over on Jim, telling him that he was dreaming when he thought he lost Huck. He truly cared about Jim’s feelings, and he cared for Jim as if he was as close as friends could be. (87)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete(In response to Jon)
ReplyDeleteI think that Jim only seems more intelligent than the other slaves because Jim gets to build his reputation with Huck, rather than how the slave population's reputation is built entirely from racist slave-owners and people who look down upon African Americans. I think that all slaves are pretty much as intelligent as Huck and Jim, but they don't have the chance to educate themselves like most Caucasians due to the hostile slave-driving environment in which they were raised.
In response to Jon, I don't really agree that Jim is smarter than Huck. Jim may know more from experiences than Huck, but I think Huck is still above Jim in that way.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Jim is not crazy, he is simply intelligent. He knew how to play people so well that “[they] would come from all around there and give Jim anything they had...” (pg 6). No crazy person would be able to keep people thinking they received a necklace from the devil for the amount of time Jim did. Jim showed his intelligence with his ‘hairball’ that “wouldn’t talk without money” (pg 17). Jim knew how to get money and become respected by the people for being able to listen to the ‘hairball’. Although Jim is very intelligent, we all tend to believe some superstitions and Jim though Huck was going to harm him. However Jim finally becomes convinced that Huck is still alive and believes him. Since Jim uses his intelligence he decides that Huck doesn’t need to see the dead man’s face it showed that Jim truly cared about Huck. Jim also had respect for the dead man as “Jim throwed some old rags over him” (pg 50). During the time these two spent together, Huck really learned to respect Jim and felt sorrow and pity for lying and making up a story to tell Jim about losing him. Huck learned a lot about Jim and didn’t treat him as just a slave as the book progressed.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Jon's post, I believe that while Jim is intelligent, Huck still is smarter. And like TJ pointed out, all slaves are people and if they were allowed to put their brain to work and receive an education they would be just as intelligent as everyone else. Also, as Andre'-Anne said, Jim is wiser than Huck because Jim has lived through worse conditions and knows how to react better than Huck.
ReplyDelete