In the beginning, Huck feels guilty about helping Jim escape because he was Miss Watson’s slave. Even though Huck never truly enjoyed being around Miss Watson, he did not want to do her any wrong. She was the one who was teaching him and helping him to become an educated young man. She had never truly done anything to upset Huck and he felt like helping Jim get free would be like betraying her. He knew he should have taken Jim back or found a way for him to get back but then he began thinking. Had Jim been taken back to Miss Watson, he would have just been traded down the river and taken further away from his family. Huck could not bear the thought of Jim being taken away from his family so in the end I believe he did the right thing by just keeping Jim with him.
The river plays quite a few roles in this novel. The first role of the river would have to be the role of escape route. Both Huck and Jim crossed the river to get to the island they were staying on and get away from where they had been. Huck needed to get away from his alcoholic and abusive father. Jim needed to just get away. Another role the river played would have to be the role of a route to freedom. Jim needed to get to a free state so he could go around and not be seen as a slave anymore and Huck needed to move away from the area because sooner or later someone was going to find him. Huck and Jim also found a great amount of adventure on the river. They met robbers and other fugitives that could have possibly gotten Huck and Jim into quite a bit of trouble had they stayed with them longer than they did. Another adventure Huck and Jim got into was when Jim was caught and thought to be a runaway. Huck did everything he could to keep Jim safe because Jim had done the same for him. The last role of the river was a freedom route once again. Jim had been set free in Miss Watson’s will, so now he could travel the river freely and go find his family.
I think it is correct that this novel can been seen as Huck’s search for a father figure. I definitely think that Pap is one of the characters that is not an acceptable father figure. He only cares about drinking and getting money without working. Pap thinks that everything should be handed to him and Huck should wait on him hand and foot. The two men Huck and Jim met running from the law that claimed to be a Duke and a King would also not be considered good father figures. They both only make it in life by cheating people and stealing. They have probably lied about who they are all of their lives after they were found to be frauds. They would more than likely sell Huck out in a heartbeat and not think anything about it because they wanted some money. Mr. Thatcher would probably be a very good father figure for Huck. There is not very much heard about him throughout the story but what little is told proved him to be dependable. He kept Huck’s money for him and helped him make more. Mr. Thatcher also had a dependable job showing he could provide for Huck, but he is not the best father figure I found. The Sheperdson’s father would make a good father figure. That family took Huck in, no questions asked, and treated him like he was one of their own children. But this is not the best father figure yet. I think the all time best father figure for Huck throughout this whole novel was Jim. The two seemed to get along very well and Jim was extremely protective of Huck. Jim and Huck both took care of each other as they went down the river and it seemed like Jim truly loved Huck like he was his own son. It did not matter to them that they were different races, they were the closest thing to family either of them had the whole trip down the river and they were close like family the whole time.
