Huck and Jim as Friends

At the end of Chapter 15, Huck plays a mean trick on Jim. He tells Jim that the ordeal with them both being lost in the fog and separated was just a dream, and Jim believes him for a while until he sees the damage to their raft. He becomes very upset about it and tells Huck that friends don't do that to each other. Huck, in return, apologizes and vows never to do that again to Jim. He says he would "kiss his feet" if it would make Jim feel better about it.

This chapter shows the beginning of Huck's and Jim's true friendship. To Huck, slavery and color of skin don't matter. Jim is still a person in Huck's eyes, and deserves the same amount of respect as he would give Tom Sawyer. In return, Jim views Huck as a friend instead of a slaver or a boss. In each other's eyes, they are equal.

In Chapter 14, I thought it was interesting that Huck was talking to Jim about King Solomon and how he solved the dilemma about the two women claiming ownership of a child. The fact that Jim thought King Solomon was unwise because he would cut a child in two because of his upbringing is a very smart thing to remark on, even though he doesn't have the right idea about the moral of the story. This shows that Jim has more intelligence than society would give him credit for. I also thought it was interesting that Huck tried to convince Jim that French people don't speak English through the Socratic method. In one of my other classes, I'm reading The Republic by Plato, and the way Huck tries to convince Jim is exactly how Socrates tries to convince his companions on justice. Maybe this suggests that Huck would make a good philosopher, or at least has more intelligence than the widow gives him credit for.