Huckleberry Finn saving Jim

Huck’s decision to rescue the captive Jim in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was a significant development in Huck’s character.  Throughout the book Huck had been wrestling with the morals he had grown up with.  He knew he had been helping Jim escape slavery since they first decided to travel together, and Huck believed that it was wrong to help Jim.  Since Huck had been taught that slaves like Jim were property, he was essentially stealing Jim from his Miss Watson.  Huck had been ignoring his morals until Jim was turned in by the King and the Duke.  Huck was torn between his newly developed friendship with Jim and doing what his society said was right, letting Miss Watson know where Jim was.  After a while, Huck made the decision to rescue Jim, saying “All right, then, I’ll go to hell” (p. 223).  Huck made the decision to go fully against his moral sensibilities.

Due to the difference in culture between me and Huck, I didn’t like Huck’s earlier comments on Jim, since he didn’t see him as a human being.  Huck acts very racist and that put me off even though I understood that he was from a different culture.  As the story progressed, Huck’s uneasiness with helping Jim escape still left me unsympathetic for him.  When Huck finally came to the realization that Jim deserved freedom, I began to really connect with Huck for the first time.  As the escape progressed, I became proud of Huck for doing what was right with a real will.  When he, Tom and Jim came were shot at during the escape, I nearly applauded.  Huck really grew as a character, and this was his finest moment.