In Chapter 40, when Tom Sawyer has been shot while carrying out the plan to free Jim from slavery, Jim delays his freedom by insisting that the wounded Tom be treated by a doctor first, a noble gesture that suggests Jim places Tom’s well being above his own. Jim, in fact, does stay by Tom’s side while Huck fetches the doctor. Huck’s response to Jim’s benevolent statement that he is going to stay with Tom is: “I knowed he was white inside” (263, Signet Classics edition). But what does Huck seem to mean here by using whiteness as a benchmark for judging Jim’s character and is his assessment of Jim in these terms without racial bias? In your response, also briefly speculate what Mark Twain may have had in mind in having Huck respond in this way. Post your response (200 words) no later than Thursday, February 11, at 9 am.
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I think that what Huck meant by saying, "I knowed he was white inside" is that on the outside Jim's skin is black, but on the inside with how kind, nice, and caring Jim is, that he is like a white man. Most slaves would not care if a white person was shot, much less put off their freedom until that person received help from a doctor. The way Jim treats Tom when he was shot and how he put Tom's needs first is similar to what a brother or best friend would do. When Huck sees Jim acting in this way, his instinct is that Jim is white on the inside because of how he acts. I believe that there was no racial bias in what Huck said. Huck did not mean to put down African Americans, but just meant that no slave would act as he did in that situation. I believe that by having this in the book Mark Twain was then able to show much both Huck and Jim had changed throughout the story. They both matured greatly, in the sense that Huck seemed to now fully accept Jim for who he was without any prejudice and how Jim has come out of his shell and feel comfortable with Huck and Tom. This was a great way for Mark Twain to portray their evolution as characters.
ReplyDeleteBrian Ricks
In Chapter 40 where Jim stays by Tom’s side, it shows us a lot about what was underlying during this time period. The typical stereotype for an African American during this time was generally negative, which is how Twain depicted him throughout most of the book. Although he does this, he also shows that Jim isn’t just an emotionless being. This was a major conflict and confusion during this time. He never comes out and actually says anything about Jim being like him, instead it is slightly covered up by a statement that is in a way racist. He says that he is “white inside.” By saying this I think that Twain wanted the reader to see that even though society treated African American’s a certain way, that not everyone felt the same. There were some people (although not very out spoken) who attempted in believing that slaves were just as human as they were. The way that he showed that was by having Huck say that about Jim. During this time slaves were not seen as human beings, nor treated like it. This scene helps demonstrate how Jim may not have as much education as a white person did at this time (in most cases), but he was just as humane, and did have feelings.
ReplyDeleteWhen Tom is shot in chapter 40 trying to free Jim, Jim decides to stay back with Tom while Huck goes to get the doctor, instead of running for his own freedom. This act of selflessness is realized from Huck and propts him to say "I knowed he was white on the insdie". The reality of this statement is not racist. Huck having been influenced by the society in which he was raised only associated whites as having compassionate and loving souls. So it was natural for him to make a statment like that considering Jim was black on the outside. In this statement Mark Twain is making a critisism of the conceived stereotypes of blacks in Mississipps at the time. The fact that people say blacks as being without a soul, or at least without souls that know love and compassion was a common conception at this time and Twain was bringing that subtally into question to the voice of Huck.
ReplyDeleteCameron Gammon
i think what is going on that even thought the message is that blacks and whites are the same, and one is not any better then the other, it is still culturally thought that white is superior to black. what wain is doing is showing that even though they are not better or worse then the other the time that they are living in cannot allow this to be accepted and therfore the when the black man does something very good and decent he is refered to as being white on the inside because of the effect of the time period and culture that they are living in
ReplyDeleteThe selfless act of Jim being compassionate towards Tom when he is shot in chapter forty and Huck saying to him “I knowed he was white inside” is a show of respect by all within the party. All three of the characters have been taught that Jim’s life, or the life of any slave, is worthless compared to that of a white person. An example of this is when Huck meets Aunt Sally and she thinks that he is Tom, her nephew. She asks why he was so late in getting here and Huck explained there was an explosion that killed a black man, and Aunt Sally does not consider this any loss. Throughout the story Jim and Huck grow together and when the opportunity arises for Jim to finally be able to be set free, he gives up his freedom to do what is right, something that Huck had struggled with throughout the book. In the time the book was written, doing something that was right and moral was considered doing something white which is why Twain included the line and had Huck say it because they had gone on the journey for freedom together and Huck now saw Jim equal to himself.
ReplyDeleteMike Goins
Huck made a statement which, in today’s world, would put his life on the line. Saying Jim “was white inside” is a huge insult to anyone of a different race. Jim did a bold act, one that not many humans would do for someone they did not know well. He risked his life and his freedom to save another person. By doing that, he got a response of “I know he was white inside”? I know Huck grew up in a world where being racist was the norm, but what gives white people the right to think they are better than anyone else? What Huck said was wrong, but his heart was good. He knew what Jim did was one of the greatest gestures a man could possibly make. Tom Sawyer probably wrote this in because he knew that, at heart, Huck still had racial tendencies. Even though he knew better than to own slaves, his upbringing could not be undone overnight. His actions might be different than other white Americans, but his words say otherwise. He still has a long way to go until he no longer has racial tendencies, and Tom Sawyer shows that perfectly with that one statement.
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter 40, Jim stays with Tom Sawyer to comfort him after he has been shot while Huck goes to find a doctor. Jim is risking everything by staying with Tom because he would have been free if he left, but by staying he is risking being sold back into slavery or even killed. This is an extremely selfless act on Jim’s part and he does it because he really cares for both Tom and Huck. Jim also does it to show that he thinks more of Tom’s life than his own since Tom is white and Jim is black. Huck says “I knowed he was white inside,” because typically slaves were seen as sub-human and incapable of having feelings or showing emotions and are also thought to be immoral. During this time people thought only white people were moral and could have feelings. Jim shows emotion and his morality in his act of staying with Tom. Huck struggles with morality the entire book about whether he should turn Jim in or not. Huck decides after this he cannot turn Jim in because he is good just like he thought white people were. Huck sees Jim as an equal to himself.
ReplyDeleteAll throughout this entire novel, Huck is making slow progress in acknowledging Jim’s equality as a human being. The journey that he takes downstream can also be seen as a metaphorical journey into understanding. Through many actions, we see Huck become more friendly to Jim, we see Huck realize that Jim has feelings, and we see his remorse at the implications of Jim’s capture and harm. Huck sees Jim lamenting over his family and considers it “unnatural” for him to have feelings. Then he sees the duke and the dauphin sell off the Wilks’ slaves, separating a family, and doesn’t bat an eye. He only becomes concerned in this situation because Mary Jane Wilks is so upset. Later, when Jim is captured again, he goes through a huge moral leap to decide to “go to hell” to try to free Jim again. He believes that it is wrong to free Jim, but he has come to see Jim’s humanity and finds it right to free him. When he and Tom Sawyer finally go to free Jim, they waste way too much time in freeing Jim by turning it into a game. This callousness towards Jim’s freedom shows a reversion back to Huck’s old mentality that Jim’s life is not worth much. Only when Jim makes the sacrifice to stay with Tom after he is hurt, does Huck finally consider Jim “white inside.” It is at this revelation that we see Huck finally come to regard Jim as equal to himself. Huck still stays prejudiced towards blacks and never comes to finding equality with all of them, but he does lift Jim out of the mire of slavery and begins to see him without color.
ReplyDeleteAndrew Woods
When Jim decides to stay with Tom in Chapeter 40, he is showing raw emotion. Huck was taught as he grew up that slaves did not show emotion or mean anything outside of their work. For Jim to show emotion during this time prompted Huck to say, "I knowed he was white inside." Huck had associated emotions with everyone but slaves and now that he was getting to know Jim much more he realized Jim was more than a lowly slave. Huck saw that Jim was more than someone to tease and joke with. Huck is acknowledging the fact that Jim is human and has feelings like everyone else. Huck has previously been judging Jim with a racial bias but at this point he realizes that Jim is like every other person and he should not have judged him. Huck sees that Jim is not without emotions and even though Jim could run away to be with the family he loves, he stays with the injured Tom. Huck recognizes Jim's sacrifice in a way and compliments Jim in a weird way. He sees that Jim is a person just like himself.
ReplyDeleteAustin Wilson
When Tom makes the statement, "I knowed he was white inside," he is making the point that Jim was exactly the same as Tom. Tom would have stayed behind for a fallen friend, if the need presented itself. Tom sees Jim as someone who would do the things that he would do himself which breaks down all social barriers between Tom and Jim.
ReplyDeleteI feel Mark Twain is trying to communicate to his readers that black people are just the same as white people, the only difference is their skin color. If everyone were color blind, no one would see any difference between Tom or Jim. Twain uses his writing and mass following to his advantage by channeling his non-bias towards African Americans. Twain is essentially stating that Jim would care for another person as if it was his own kin, no matter the color of his skin. Twain uses a simple boy's understanding of a true friend to communicate that there truly is no difference between black people and white people.
I believe that the best way for Huck to express how he characterized Jim by the end of the story was to call him white. He did not mean it in a racial way, but he said it because that's how society at the time viewed people. They were judged by color, and the people who were intelligent, respectable, and sensible were white. Though we know this is not the way it really is and these items are not based on color, at the time that was how Huck was told to see things. Huck made this statement because he was saying that Him really did have feelings and smarts about him and that they were more alike than what Huck may have previously thought. I believe that Twain included this in the work because it was the maturing point for both Huck and Jim. He worded it this way because at the time it made a lot of sense. Huck was taught by the way of his racist father and by going through everything with Jim and bonding, he had finally realized that color was not the barrier that society had made it into. I believe it was one of the most important chapters in the book.
ReplyDeletePaige Coleman
My paper actually ended up being on this topic. I essentially based my paper off of the oral report I gave in class. And, essentially, it was this topic. Jim does a very selfless act by staying with Tom, knowing he could be sold into slavery. Huck knows this, and by saying “I knowed he was white inside,” he is saying that Jim is human. I pointed out that African Americans were considered subhuman during this time period. They supposedly had no feelings, no thoughts, no souls. Jim clearly, through everything the Huck has learned about Jim, has all those things. As far as Huck is concerned Jim is white, he acts as noble as a white man would, and cares as if a white man would.
ReplyDeleteHuck’s quote means one thing. He has come as far as long as he possibly can with his views on slavery. Huck has been raised in a society where slavery is fine, it’s just a normal part of life. And there’s nothing wrong with it because the black man is less than the white man. He is subhuman , not capable of the intelligence or emotions that white people posses. This is all that Huck has known his entire life.
ReplyDeleteHuck cannot grasp the possibility that all black men could be equal to all white men. He believes an knows that this is not true. But he has me this one black man who is intelligent (even if uneducated) loyal, and compassionate; traits that can’t be found in blacks. So there is only one option, Jim just be white inside.
-Alex Fisher
Throughout the book Huckleberry Finn, the character Jim, a runaway slave can be described as superstitious and intellectual, however as Jim’s friendship with Huck and Tom evolves, their friendship is clearly tested. In Chapter 40, when Tom Sawyer has been shot while attempting to free Jim from slavery, Jim delays his freedom by insisting that the injured Tom be treated by a doctor. Although Jim’s actions was indeed a noble gesture that suggested that he placed Tom’s well being above his own, his actions also demonstrated he genuinely cared for Tom, enough to humbly risk his life. Huck responded to Jim’s noble actions by saying “I knowed he was white inside.” I think that this was a pivotal moment in the book because Huck for the first time looks at Jim as a human being and not just a Black runaway slave. Mark Twain may have had Huck respond in this way to show his audience that a person is not defined by their race but by their character and accomplishments.
ReplyDeleteFaran Brady
If we think about why Mark Twain had Huck to act and talk in such a way because he himself grew up during the time of slavery. Therefore, I believe he wanted to express the knowledge and thoughts that boys like him during that time period. I believe that when Twain had Huck to say, ““I knowed he was white inside” that this meant that Huck had been under the influence of his community, but when he got to spend time with Jim a lot, he soon saw the kind-hearted person that he was. Before, his conscience, thoughts, and feelings towards African Americans tended to be covered up by what other people had told him, which made him be leery of slaves and be cruel to them. During these times where Huck lied to Jim about the foggy night, the time where Huck realized that both he and Jim were being sought , and the time when the men wanted to keep Jim as their own slave, Huck realized how much he cared about the guy and how humane, kind, and compassionate that Jim truly was.
ReplyDeleteElisha Robbins
Mark Twain is trying to get across to the audience that even though Jim is a black man, and a slave, that he is also just a man, and a man with feelings. All through the book the character of Jim surprises the audience with voiceing how he feels, and in Chapter 40 this is a strong image of how he feels towards the boys. Even though it is a strong and very real possibility that he could be captured at this point, he cares about what happens to Tom and Huck, and therefore stays by his side. Although Mark Twain has depicted the slave as ignorant, uneducated and superstitious in order to relay to the audience a familiarity to the African American slave, he is also trying to show them that they are humans as well. He took into consideration that his audience was going to be mostly white, and possibly thought to educate them, whehter they were aware of it or not at the time. Today when this book is taught or read, we analyze every detail in order to understand everything Mark Twain was trying to say to his audience. In this particular chapter he was trying to bring forth that even ignorant, slaves can have feelings, and can care, and can even care about a white man.
ReplyDeleteThe word nigger, although, associated with blacks is also a word for an ignorant person. It is a word like any word and people associate their own thoughts and attributions to it. From a point of etymology, nigger is just a word alteration from Middle French negre, from Spanish and Portuguese negro and from Latin niger. These word simply meant black.
ReplyDeleteWhite being associated with innocence and goodness is used by Huck to describe Jim. These last chapters have many anti-slavery messages, for Huck is determined to help free Jim. Huck wants so much to cross over the racial differences and see Jim as a human being and in his effort this line comes out: "I knowed he was white inside." Thus, Huck meant he knew he was a good person. This creates the obvious argument: cannot a black person be good and black inside?
Of course this is true. However, we should consider the mentality and the era of this writing. People were not evolved enough to think that way.
I believe that Twain has Huck say the words, "I knowed he was white inside," to maintain his neutral, if not white, view of slaves and slavery. Because Twain is a white author writing about a selfless act done by a black slave, the idea might get out that Twain does not believe what the majority of society believe and support, that being slavery. I think he used this statement, and other things like unintelligent vernacular of Jim and his odd spiritual behavior to maintain the overall stereotype of a black slave in that time and to protect himself from any lashes he would receive from the the white community. It is clear that Twain doesn't think that Jim, or in a larger case, all slaves are subhuman, but because this was the popular thought of the time, he had to conceal his true opinions.
ReplyDelete