The novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, has many intriguing characters. One of those characters is their slave, Jim. He has many diverse qualities that portrayed through his actions, speech and appearance. These qualities include loyalty, compassion and superstition. These qualities show us how Jim is a good person.
First, Jim shows the quality of being obedient and loyal. This is shown by how Jim stays with Tom Sawyer after he was shot. The doctor that treated Tom described Jims actions. “So there I had to stick plumb until daylight; and I never see a nigger that was a better nuss or faith fuller, and yet he was risking his freedom to do it, and was all tired out too, and I see plain enough hed been worked main hard lately. I liked the nigger for that. (p.
286)The doctor was describing what an honest, loyal man Jim was. Jim stayed with Tom out of loyalty to Huck. Tom was Hucks best friend . He could have left and been free. Instead he sacrificed his freedom out of obedience. This shows how Jim is loyal by what others (the doctor) say about him.
Another point that shows how Jim is loyal is when he wears the Arab costume. “He dressed Jim up in Kings Leas outfit-it was a long curtain-calico gown, and a white horse-hair wig and whiskers; and then he took his theatre paints and painted Jims face and hands and ears, and neck, all over a dead dull solid blue, like a man thats been drowned nine days. Blamed if he warnt the horriblest looking outrage I ever see. Jim could have complained about this arrangement. But he said nothing and just wore the silly costume.
The last point that shows how Jim is loyal is when Jim fixes the raft. This quote tells how Jim waited for Huck so they could leave together. He fixed up the raft and risked waiting for Huck. The risk was that the longer Jim stayed on land, the bigger chance he had of being caught.
He took that risk by waiting for Huck. This evidence all proves that Jim is a very loyal and obedient person. But thats just one of his intriguing qualities. Jim is a very compassionate person.
This is shown through many circumstances. For example, he comforts the King and Duke for the loss of their kingdoms. “Jim pitied him ever so much, and so did I. We tried to comfort him,, but said it warnt much us, he couldnt be much comforted.
. . ” (p. 123)The King and Duke lied and told Jim & Huck that they were past Kings that lost their Kingdoms.
Huck saw through their lies, but Jim believed them. He felt extremely sorry for them and tried to comfort them. Jim shows compassion when he takes Hucks watch for him. “I had the middle watch, you know, but I was pretty sleepy by that time, so Jim said he would stand the first half of it for me; he was always mighty good that way, Jim was” (p.
128)Huck and Jim had a long day , they were both very tired. Huck wanted to sleep so Jim stayed up, even through he was dead tired, and stood part of Hucks watch for him. Jim also shows compassion when he wont let Huck see his dead father. “Doan you member de house det was floatn down de river, en dey wuz a man in dah, kivered up, en I went in en unkivered him and didn let you come in? Well den, you kin git you money when you wants it, kase dat wuz him.
(p. 293)Jim is exceptionally compassionate here. He carried the secret that Hucks father was dead for a long time to protect Huck. It would have hurt Huck to see his father dead, made him slow down and not do what he wanted to do. So out of kindness Jim didnt let Huck see or know about his fathers dead body.
Being compassionate is the second of the three intriguing qualities Jim possesses. Another point is that Jim has a hairball he believes possesses magical powers. Miss Watsons nigger, Jim, had a hair-ball as big as your fist, which had been took out of the fourth stomach of an ox, he used to do magic with it. He said there was a spirit inside of it, and it knowed everything. (p. 17)Jim believed that his hairball had magical powers, fortune telling and such.
This shows just how superstitious Jim was, to believe a bunch of hair was magic. The third piece of evidence is Jims reaction to seeing Huck.
