The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain is set on the Mississippi River. Huck Finn escapes his abusive father and finds himself in the hands of a runaway slave, Jim, as they head down the Mississippi River to find freedom. Along the way, they become equals in their venture and Huck's belief system that was formed by the society he lives in, is shattered. Many readers believe that Twain is "poking fun- at the ignorance of African Americans. However, this is an unfounded assessment of the novel. Despite the complaint that Jim is portrayed as a minstrel figure, it is Twain's actual intent to reveal his humanity. .
Jim's humanity is first addressed when he comments on the moral issues of stealing and lying, the difference between wrong or right. Along their journey down the Mississippi River, Huck frequently slips into fields to "borrow- food. He explains, "Jim said he reckoned the widow was partly right and pap was partly right; so the best way would be for us to pick out two or three things from a list and say we wouldn't borrow them any more "then he reckoned it wouldn't be no harm to borrow the others- (Twain 77-78). While it is the assumption of society that the color of Jim's skin means that he has no logic for reasoning, he knows that stealing is wrong. He uses his reasoning to explain to Huck that the only way stealing would be acceptable is if they limited the stuff they were going to "borrow."" Later, after a steamboat has hit the raft and Jim and Huck have been separated for a time, Huck reunites with Jim, who is asleep on the raft. Jim wakes up, worried about Huck and believes he had dreamed of the separation, and Huck tries to trick him into thinking the dream was real. Jim angrily states, "En all you wuz thinking bout .
wuz how you could make a fool uv ole Jim wid a lie. Dat truck dah is trash- (102). Jim is not oblivious to Huck's uncouth trick, using logic and reasoning to fetter out Huck's lie.
