The Friendship Between Huckleberry Finn and Jim

A Special Friendship

Racial equality has been an issue throughout the history of the United States. The problem stems from the legalization of slavery. From then on, people of all the different races have advocated for the rights of minorities. One of those such people, who strove to break the barriers, was Mark Twain. In his novel, The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn, A young white boy named Huck sets out in adventure with a black slave named Jim. Throughout it, Hucks relationship grows from one of acquaintance to one of friendship, teaching Huck to go against society.Twain makes a social statement that a color should not define a person.

In the beginning of the novel, Huck’s relationship with Jim is one of only acquaintance. He has had minimal contact with Jim and sees him as merely just slave.Huck doesn’t fully acknowledge the fact that he has feelings. He even allows Tom to play a trick on Jim, “Tom said he slipped Jim’s hat off and Hung it on the tree”(Twain 6). Although he did try to stop Tom from doing, Huck doesn’t think much about it , as he doesn’t really care about Jim since he is just a slave. After the incident Jim comes to believe that witches rode him all over the world and that the hat was left on the tree. Huck never tells him the truth. By the time Jim and Huck have set out in the raft, they’ve developed a special bond. Huck doesn’t fully understand this until he plays a mean joke on Jim that leaves Jim deeply hurt,” when I got all wore out wid work, en wid calling you, en went to sleep my heart was mos broke bekause you woz los, (...) , en all you could think of how you make a fool uv ole jim, (Twain 55) After the incident, Huck comes to the realization that Jim isn’t just a slave but a person. Huck knows he has feeling and from this point on he begins to question the morality of slavery.

Huck’s relationship with Jim eventually grows into friendship. They both care about each other and look out for one another. In many instances...