Jim's Role in Huck Finn

When asked who the most important character in Huckleberry Finn is, almost all people would say either Huck himself, or Jim, the black slave. They are both essential to the story, though, and both give to the story an alternate perspective. Huck is the outsider, the nonconformist who just does not fit into society, and Jim is the runaway black slave, fearing for his freedom, being persecuted only on the grounds of the color of his skin. Jim is the representation of all slaves both stereotyped and in reality, just as Tom is the representations of society, and civilization. Not many people can ever really experience either person’s situations, except through this book others like it. Jim plays a major role in Huckleberry Finn by being a role model and he also helps develop the theme.

Jim reveals several things about himself through his actions and by what others say about his actions. There are a few examples of how Jim’s traits are revealed. The first passage I’ll use is in chapter 11. This is the chapter where Huck finds out that some people are going to see if there is anyone on Jackson Island, where Huck and Jim currently are. After Huck tells Jim that men are coming, Huck says this about Jim’s reaction: "Jim never asked no questions, he never said a word; but the way he worked for the next half an hour showed about how he was scared." This confirms something obvious that Jim values his freedom greatly. Once he has experienced a kind of freedom, he understands all the better what he has been deprived of, and isn’t willing to go back to the chains that slavery give him. It also shows that slaves were human. If slaves could feel fear and understand the consequences of getting caught running away, then it follows that they could feel other. He runs away because he doesn’t want to be sold down the river, and then runs away from Jackson Island when he thinks he might be caught. So, it appears that Jim is human, and thus slaves are human too.

Another passage is in...