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... he could exert control over another person to use for his own selfish gain. He did not want to provide for Huck nor was he even remotely happy when good things happened for Huck. Huck and Tom found money. Instead of being happy for his son, he wanted to take it all from the boy. Instead of thanking the widow for taking care of his boy and providing for him the things and the life he could not give Huck, he scolded Huck for 'Puttin' on airs" (Twain, 11).
He threatens to give him a cowhide if he caught Huck going to school or church or staying with the widow and become' 'sivilized'. He was utterly jealous of his son and did not know what it meant to love anyone but himself. He did not care about providing for his son. Finally, Jim provided Huck with a healthy relationship and his presence alone taught virtues and characteristics. Huck guarded Jim and learned what it meant to care for another person. Jim made Huck question morals and ethics that had been socially conditioned into him.
He gained a sense of respect for Jim. "He had a pretty level head for a nigger" Huck declares one day (Twain, 58). He begins to see Jim as a person from whom he can learn. Jim fostered affection from Huck. This sense of concern for another person is proven when Huck told Jim to " lie down in the canoe since it was pretty light out" (Twain, 39). When Huck plays the trick on Jim and makes him think that their trial in the fog was a dream and Jim plays along and then Jim gets angry at Huck for thinking he was dumb enough to fall for such a gag Huck feels genuinely bad. When I got all wore out wid work en wid can for you en went to sleep my heart wuz mos' broke bekase you wuz los en I didn't k'yer no mo' what become er me...
en when I wake backup you back agin' all safe en soun' de tears come en all you wuz thinkin about was how you could make a ool uv ol' Jim wid a lie. Then he got walked into the wigwam without saying anything, but that was enough. I felt so mean, I would't have done that if I know it'd make him feel that way. (Twain, 65) This passage illustrates many points. It shows that Huck had feeling for Jim.
He cared how he made him feel and thought of him as a friend. He felt bad for lying and wanted to apologize. It also shows that Jim put Huck safety before his. He said he did not even care what happened to himself as long as Huck was safe and fine. That shows the true love and compassion of a parent.
Also, when Huck declares fine, Ill go to Hell he demonstrated that even though he believed it was wrong to help Jim escape and that he would be severely punished by God, he helped him anyways (Twain, 162). Huck had learned compassion from his travels with Jim. Jim loved Huck and Huck loved Jim, they were friends and they were both better people because of their friendship. Yet, because of Jims age and Paps absence, Jim served more as a father than as only a friend.
Huck and his biological father did not foster a wholesome rapport. Pap did not provide Huck with any sort of basis for any moral or ethical system. He, himself, did not possess any ethics or virtues and thus could not imbue any to his young son. The only legacy that he did leave Huck was what not to do and what not to be.
He showed him that whiskey was corrupting and that it can wreck a man. Pap did not learn from his son and the things Huck did learn were lessons that he would have learned anyways. Consequently, Huck did not benefit at all from having Pap around and Pap did not grow from having Huck around. It was not a healthy relationship. Pap did not care about Huck and he put his own needs before his sons, if anything, he did the opposite. Only biologically can Pap be considered as a father to Huck.
Jim and Pap are very contrasting characters, and accordingly affected Huck differently. Jim embodies the qualities and values that a good citizen and a good father need to exemplify. Pap is a parasite of society, feeding off of charity, other peoples kindness and most of his all son. He possesses no admirable qualities or work ethic. A father figure is supposed to teach his son morals, lessons and provide for his son. Jim met all the requirements; Pap did not meet any.
Huck learned principles, love, respect, empathy and consideration. He only learned about the evils and pitfalls of man from Pap. Pap beat and abused Huck. Such as when they were in the cottage after he kidnapped Huck.
I used to scared of him all the time, he tanned me so much. (Twain, 14) No nurturing father instills fear in their children. He did not provide for his son or even care about his son. He thought of his son as property and only wanted to be in possession of his property. However, Jim thought of Huck as a friend, a person.
He helped Huck and provided for him throughout their travels down the Mississippi. Yet, all being stated, it really only comes down to how Huck felt about and thought of the two men. He did not love Pap. He despised the drunken freeloader and feared his visits.
However, Huck did love Jim, or at least he cared about Jim. This is established when Huck lied to Jim about the fog and then Jim disclosed his concern for the missing Huck and the hurt Huck caused when he lied to him, and Huck felt bad. He wished he hadnt lied and made Jim feel like so bad. This shows that Huck cared about what Jim and their relationship. Because Pap was detrimental to Huck and Jim was a positive influence and role model, Jim can be seen as a father figure and Pap as only an inebriated user. Works Cities Twain, Mark.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Dover Publications, Inc. : New York, New York, 1994.
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