Huck and Jim’s Hazy Reunion

            In this passage from Chapter 15 of Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck and Jim have been reunited after getting separated by a thick and dreary fog that almost disconnects them permanently. Jim, being asleep when Huck returns to the raft, wakes up to the wonderful surprise of his presence. This reunion turns sour rather quickly, though, when Huck tries to play a trick on Jim by telling him that the fog and all of its trials were only a dream. In this dialogue from Jim, it’s hard to interpret his exaggerated happiness as genuine or feigned.

            Does this passage show the deepening of a relationship between Huck and Jim? Has Jim turned into a father figure for Huck and are they both just looking out for each other?  Jim even goes as far as to call Huck “chile” when he gets back onto the raft (Twain 63). Does Jim think of Huck as his own? It’s hard to say what Twain wants us to take from this passage, but evidence in the text suggests that Huck and Jim love each other and that Jim shows parental care and love for Huck. Jim acts so ecstatic and surprised to see Huck again, and it was “too good for true” that he was safe (63). Jim is thankful that they both made it out of the crippling fog and that Huck is back safe with him. Jim tells Huck that “[his] heart wuz mos’ broke bekase [Huck] wuz los’” (65).  It seems as if Jim was extremely upset by the separation that the fog caused between them. Huck feels bad after hearing Jim say this and this could be interpreted as true feelings of gratefulness and appreciation for each other.

            Why would Jim fake such joy at Huck’s return? Is it possible that Jim has ulterior motives by staying with Huck on their “adventure”? This passage can also be interpreted that Jim is so ecstatic to see Huck again because his chance at freedom and buying his family’s freedom is safe and sound once more. Once Jim lays eyes on Huck back on the raft, he is incredibly pleased and starts to rant about how great it is that Huck “ain’ dead” and that he is “’live en soun’” (63).  Symbolically, one can interpret that Jim’s attempt at freedom for his family is what really “ain’t dead” and this shows that Jim’s run for the free states is still viable. Jim uses many exaggerated terms of endearment when addressing Huck, such as “honey” and he even goes on to say that “de tears come” when they are reunited (63, 65).  Is this just an example of Jim tiptoeing around his words and vying for Huck’s approval and help up the river? We have seen in previous chapters that Jim is dead set on getting to the free states and eventually buying the freedom of his wife and kids. Is his relationship with Huck just a folly?

            It’s impossible to know exactly what Mark Twain wanted us to take from this passage. There are many ways to interpret its meaning beyond the literal and figurative. Did Twain want us to see Jim in a different light at this point? Was this a turning point in their adventure as well as their relationship? Did Jim have some type of paternal love for Huck because he was an honest and good man? It’s all up to speculation.

Works Cited:

 Twain, Mark. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Dover Thrift Edition ed. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 1994. Print.