“Next morning I said it was getting slow
and dull, and I wanted to get a stirring up, some way. I said I reckoned I
would slip over the river and find out what was going on. Jim liked that
notion; but said I must go in the dark and look sharp. Then he studied it over
and said, couldn’t I put on some of them old things and dress like a girl? That
was a good notion, too” (Twain 64).
In this passage we see Huck’s desire to
leave the raft and go ashore to acquire more information. At this point Huck
and Jim have been on the raft for some time and Huck feels it is important to
see what has come of his “faked death” and Jim’s decision to run away from Miss
Watson, “I said I reckoned I would slip over the river and find out what was
going on.” In this instance, Huck and Jim both recognize that their decisions
to leave the town have put them into a dangerous position and as a result, they
feel that it is important for them to stay informed in order to protect
themselves from any potential threats that may arise.
Throughout most of the book there is a
clear distinction between Huck and Jim’s life on the raft and their life on the
land. Time on the raft symbolizes a sense of freedom where Huck and Jim can
openly talk to each other and where they are free to enjoy the sights and
sounds of the nature around them. With this being the case, however, after more
time on the river, Huck and Jim find that their life is becoming a repeated
occurrence of events, which leads Huck to claim, “it was getting slow and dull.”
As a result of this, Huck decides to “stir things up” by taking a big risk and
going ashore to collect information.
Conversely, Huck and Jim’s time on land
symbolizes periods where they are constantly absorbed with the fear of getting
caught and the reality of being punished for their decision to run away. Although
Jim recognizes the importance of Huck inquiring as to their “status” in the
town, Jim also believes that it is important for them to maintain their current
level of discretion with respect to their situation, “Jim liked that notion;
but said I must go in the dark and look sharp.” Throughout the book most of the
main action points occur while Huck and Jim are on the shore and as a result,
Huck and Jim choose to take extra care as not to get tangled up in business
that may cause them trouble. This is exemplified by Jim’s idea to dress Huck up
as a girl as an added level of protection before he goes ashore, “then he
studied it over and said, couldn’t I put on some of them old things and dress
like a girl? That was a good notion, too.” Jim acknowledges that taking extra
measures to ensure the discretion of their situation is the only way he will be
able to survive and ultimately get into the free states and out of slavery.
As the story goes on Huck plays a number
of different “roles” in order to protect Jim’s safety. Both Huck and Jim recognize the
importance of being informed but also the significance of being discrete about
their situation. As Huck’s fondness for Jim grows, Huck starts to recognize the
steps he needs to take in order to maintain the status quo. Huck comes to
discover that the only way to keep Jim on this journey with him is to keep
their “secret” alive. Huck’s outward appearance as a white male adds an initial
layer of protection to their situation but both Huck and Jim are aware that it
is important for them to take additional precautions to stay safe, as their
situation is quite sensitive to the whims of those who they encounter.
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn. New York: Penguin, 1985. Print.
I liked how you lead us to your analysis by using plenty of evidence from the text. I also agree that Huck did his best to deceive people because he cares about Jim. The main question that comes to my mind after reading your post is this: why do you think Twain had Huck behave this way? What did he want the readers to understand about Huck in this moment?
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