Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Chapter 13 - 16
Jim and Huck quietly search for the robbers’ skiff but just before they can enter the boat, the robbers some out onto the deck of the steamboat. They return inside to collect more money, and Huck escapes with Jim on their skiff along with the treasures they had found on the steamboat. They retrieve their raft along with their canoe and sink the skiff after recovering the booty. Huck is discomforted when he realizes that his actions would lead to the death of the robbers who would sink along with the wrecked boat, and he elicits the help of a watchman with a fake story but alas the ship sinks with the robbers. Later on, Jim and Huck discuss the adventure of the steamboat which Huck had found to be immensely joyful but Jim feels that it had been far too dangerous for his taste. Huck examines Jim’s reasoning and concludes that Jim was right about the unnecessary danger they had taken on by going aboard the ship.
They find a lot of useful things among the booty from the ship, but the books tend to be of most interest to Huck. He tells Jim about the stories of kings and queens from far-off lands, and they argue about the legendary king Solomon who had suggested cutting a baby in half to settle a dispute. Jim refuses to hear Huck’s reasoning as to why Solomon had been a wise king and seems unable to comprehend the concept of a language other than English. The two of them are planning to journey to Cairo, and then take a steamboat up Ohio to the free states where Jim can be a free man. Their journey on the river is suddenly interrupted by the appearance of a severe fog in which Jim and Huck become separated from one another. Huck and Jim both do their utmost to try and find other again on the river but are unable to do so as they both fall asleep on their vessels. Huck comes awake first and sees that the fog has lifted. This allows him to find Jim rather quickly, but he decides to play a prank on Jim as he pretends to be asleep. Jim wakes up to find Huck and is brought to tears to be reunited with him, but Huck makes him believe that it had all been a dream. Jim believes him at first, but he sees the debris on the raft and comes to understand that Huck had been playing a game with him. He admonishes Huck for being callous and reminds him that friends need to treat each other better which leads to Huck apologizing to Jim.
As they approach what they believe is Cairo, Jim begins to share his plans with Huck. He wants to save money in the free states so that he can buy for his wife and his children. He has also made plans to hire abolitionists to break out of his family in case the slave owners refuse to sell them. Huck begins to worry that he is betraying Miss Watson’s trust by allowing her slave to escape and create plans for the liberation of other slaves. He convinces himself that it would be right to report the matter so that Jim can be recaptured but he finds himself unable to do so when presented with an opportunity. Huck goes out with his canoe to find out whether they are near Cairo and runs into some men looking for a few runaway slaves. The men suspect that Huck might have a former slave with him, but Huck manages to discourage their curiosity by implying that the inhabitants of his raft had smallpox. He also learns that they had crossed Cairo due to the fog. Jim overhears all of Huck’s conversation with the men and appreciates him for being a good friend.
A steamboat appears out of the darkness and runs over their raft, nearly drowning both of them. Huck finds his way to the shore but he soon becomes surrounded by a pack of barking dogs.
Analysis
In this sequence, we see further development of the relationship between Huck and Jim, and it begins with the adventure of the steamboat. Huck seems quite pleased with the adventure that they had managed to find, but Jim informs Huck that he had felt uncomfortable due to the danger that it had posed. Huck does not dismiss Jim’s view outright and finds that it is quite rational, however, we see the reflection of a bigoted society as he qualifies that compliment by calling Jim a racial slur. Later onwards, Jim and Huck are separated from each other by the fog, this causes both of them significant worry. Huck displays his naïveté when he attempts to prank Jim even though Jim had appeared mortally relieved to be reunited with Huck. Jim acts the part of a loving parent who experiences relief at being reunited with his charge, and he later admonishes Huck in a paternal manner as he explains how Huck’s actions had hurt him.
Huck responds with an apology, and though this may seem like a natural response, the reader must remember the setting of the novel. The southern states had a maxim during the times of slavery that expressly states that the white man was always right, and by apologizing to Jim, Huck shows the reader that he chooses not to believe in that racist ideology. He further reinforces that viewpoint by choosing not to turn Jim in to the authorities for the simple reason of wanting to be free along with his wife and children.
