Why in the world would Jim tell a little white boy that he escaped from slavery? That makes absolutely no sense. Can Jim honestly be that ignorant of the situation he put himself in the moment he told Huck that he escaped? I understand that he lived with Huck in Miss Watson's house, and that Huck isn't a stranger to him. Even so, telling a white male that you, being a black slave, have escaped from your owner is simply absurd. Does he have any idea how much power white males had in those days? I think Jim telling Huck his situation made the book that much more unrealistic; I was really starting to get into it when I read about Huck's bizarre but wise escape from his drunken father. I don't think that was a very smart thing for Jim to do. He could easily end up right back in MissWatson's house and then he'd never be able to escape again. Or, he could be imprisoned, tortured, and/orkilled.
I also don't understand this sudden bond between Jim and Huck. The two are from completely different worlds and have absolutely nothing in common. Well, maybe a few things, but nothing substantially important. The chances of them meeting are insanely unlikely, and then once they do meet on the island, they develop such a strong bond. I think this is very strange. I guess Huck's father's strong racist feelings towards blacks made Huck not want to be that kind of person. Still, Huck and Jim's friendship strikes me as odd. Hopefully something will greatly benefit the both of them in sharing this bond and blow my theory out the water. I would like to see something interesting come out of this loyal relationship between Jim and Huck.
posted by Amanda R.
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I agree that it is odd that Jim, a runaway slave tells a white boy, Huck about his escape from slavery. However, although it might seem odd that Jim told Huck about his great escape, it is not out of the ordinary. I think Jim told Huck because Jim knew that Huck also had secrets. Why else would Huck fake his death and run away? In addition, if Huck did go back to his town with Jim, then both of them will face trouble. Huck will probably have to face his biased, indolent, drunken father, while Jim will once again face the brutal life of slavery. By the time, Jim told Huck about his escape, both of them were alienated from society in fundamental ways. By this point, their fates are linked. Jim has had no control of his own fate as an adult than Huck has had as a child. However, I would also like to see something interesting coming out of their convoluted, but lucid relationship.
ReplyDeleteRanu N.
I strongly disagree, I think the relationship between Huck and Jim is very realistic. You have to understand where they're both coming from. They once lived under the same roof and now they're in the same situation. They have no one to relate to and they almost feel that they understand and trust each other. Anytime you run away or do something that your not suppose to, you want all the support you can get.
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