James

James

by

Percival Everett

Huckleberry Finn is a young boy who lives in the care of Miss Watson. He is the close friend of Tom Sawyer. While Huck was raised believing Pap Finn and Huck’s mother are his parents, Jim eventually reveals that he is Huck’s biological father, making the boy biracial. Until Huck learns the truth, he treats Jim as a friend and frequently pesters him with questions. Huck fakes his own death in an attempt to flee from his abusive father, and he travels with Jim along the Mississippi River. Huck is primarily characterized as innocent. As a young boy growing up in the South just before the Civil War, Huck finds himself caught in the tension between his own whiteness and Black enslavement. He often expresses discomfort with the practice of slavery, especially around Jim, who he understands is a human being, capable of feeling all the same things he feels. When Huck learns the truth about Jim, he feels betrayed and goes through an identity crisis, unsure whether he is Black or white. Though Huck chooses to continue to pass as a white boy in the end, he plays an integral role in helping Jim recover his family, and he goes on to support the Union in the Civil War.

Huck Quotes in James

The James quotes below are all either spoken by Huck or refer to Huck. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Speech, Performance, and Willful Ignorance Theme Icon
).
Part 1, Chapter 1 Quotes

Those white boys, Huck and Tom, watched me. They were always playing some kind of pretending game where I was either a villain or prey, but certainly their toy. They hopped about out there with the chiggers, mosquitoes and other biting bugs, but never made any progress toward me. It always pays to give white folks what they want, so I stepped into the yard and called out into the night,

“Who dat dere in da dark lak dat?”

Related Characters: James (Jim) (speaker), Huck, Miss Watson, Tom Sawyer
Page Number: 9-10
Explanation and Analysis:
 Part 1, Chapter 11 Quotes

At that moment the power of reading made itself clear and real to me. If I could see the words, then no one could control them or what I got from them. They couldn’t even know if I was merely seeing them or reading them, sounding them out or comprehending them. It was a completely private affair and completely free and, therefore, completely subversive.

Related Characters: James (Jim) (speaker), Huck
Related Symbols: Books
Page Number: 73
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 1, Chapter 18 Quotes

I could believe it, I thought, pretending, in slave fashion, not to be there. After being cruel, the most notable white attribute was gullibility. As evidenced by Huck’s reaction. He said, “You fellers are amazin’.”

Related Characters: James (Jim) (speaker), Huck (speaker), The Duke, The King
Page Number: 106
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 1, Chapter 21 Quotes

“Yes, but them people liked it, Jim. Did you see their faces? They had to know them was lies, but they wanted to believe. What do you make of that?”

“Folks be funny lak dat. Dey takes the lies dey want and throws away the truths dat scares ‘em.”

[…]

“I reckon I do that, too,” the boy said.

“What say?”

“I kin see how much you miss yer family and yet I don’t think about it. I forget that you feel things jest like I feel. I know you love them.”

“Thank you, Huck.”

Related Characters: James (Jim) (speaker), Huck (speaker), The Duke, The King
Page Number: 126-127
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 1, Chapter 22 Quotes

The Duke swung his belt and caught me at my knees. It did hurt. He laughed and did it again. I didn’t wince.

“You see that?” the King said. “I say, did you see that? They don’t even feel like no human man.”

[…]

“Don’t tear him up too much,” the King said. “We gotta be able to sell him. We cain’t get a dime fer him if’n he’s torn all asunder.”

“Hell, man,” the Duke said. “He ain’t no proper people. He don’t feel pain like we do. He need a lesson he kin remember. Nextwise, he’ll get it into his head to run again. That’s the way these creatures is built.”

Related Characters: The Duke (speaker), The King (speaker), James (Jim), Huck
Page Number: 132
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 1, Chapter 24 Quotes

“Why is that, Jim? I thought we was friends. I thought you trusted me.”

“I does trust you, Huck. Cain’t you see dat? I trusts you wif my life.”

[…]

“I understand why you talk the way you do.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I mean it makes sense.”

I studied his face. He was talking with his eyes closed, as much fighting sleep as losing to it. There was a lot of this in that face. “You be a smart boy, Huck.”

Related Characters: James (Jim) (speaker), Huck (speaker), Easter
Page Number: 144
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3, Chapter 1 Quotes

“Why me, Jim?”

Maybe because I was tired of the slave voice. Maybe because I hated myself for having lost my friend. Maybe because the lie was burning through me. Because of all of those reasons, I said, “Because, Huck, and I hope you hear this without thinking I’m crazy or joking, you are my son.”

Huck shot out a short laugh. “What?”

“You are my son. And I am your father.”

“Why are you talking like that?”

“Are you referring to my diction or my content?”

“What? What’s content?”

Related Characters: James (Jim) (speaker), Huck (speaker), Norman, Huck’s Mom
Page Number: 253
Explanation and Analysis:

“Belief has nothing to do with truth. Believe what you like. Believe I’m lying and move through the world as a white boy. Believe I’m telling the truth and move through the world as a white boy anyway. Either way, no difference.” I looked at the boy’s face and I could see that he had feelings for me and that was the root of his anger. He had always felt affection for me, if not actual love. He had always looked to me for protection, even when he thought he was trying to protect me.

“Liar,” he cried.

I took it.

Related Characters: James (Jim) (speaker), Huck (speaker)
Page Number: 257
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3, Chapter 3 Quotes

Huck showed the excitement of a boy at the sight of our catch. I was reminded that he was just that, a boy. He could have gone through life without the knowledge I had given him and he would have been no worse off for it. But I understood at that moment that I had shared the truth with him for myself. I needed for him to have a choice.

Related Characters: James (Jim) (speaker), Huck
Page Number: 264
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire James LitChart as a printable PDF.
James PDF

Huck Quotes in James

The James quotes below are all either spoken by Huck or refer to Huck. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Speech, Performance, and Willful Ignorance Theme Icon
).
Part 1, Chapter 1 Quotes

Those white boys, Huck and Tom, watched me. They were always playing some kind of pretending game where I was either a villain or prey, but certainly their toy. They hopped about out there with the chiggers, mosquitoes and other biting bugs, but never made any progress toward me. It always pays to give white folks what they want, so I stepped into the yard and called out into the night,

“Who dat dere in da dark lak dat?”

Related Characters: James (Jim) (speaker), Huck, Miss Watson, Tom Sawyer
Page Number: 9-10
Explanation and Analysis:
 Part 1, Chapter 11 Quotes

At that moment the power of reading made itself clear and real to me. If I could see the words, then no one could control them or what I got from them. They couldn’t even know if I was merely seeing them or reading them, sounding them out or comprehending them. It was a completely private affair and completely free and, therefore, completely subversive.

Related Characters: James (Jim) (speaker), Huck
Related Symbols: Books
Page Number: 73
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 1, Chapter 18 Quotes

I could believe it, I thought, pretending, in slave fashion, not to be there. After being cruel, the most notable white attribute was gullibility. As evidenced by Huck’s reaction. He said, “You fellers are amazin’.”

Related Characters: James (Jim) (speaker), Huck (speaker), The Duke, The King
Page Number: 106
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 1, Chapter 21 Quotes

“Yes, but them people liked it, Jim. Did you see their faces? They had to know them was lies, but they wanted to believe. What do you make of that?”

“Folks be funny lak dat. Dey takes the lies dey want and throws away the truths dat scares ‘em.”

[…]

“I reckon I do that, too,” the boy said.

“What say?”

“I kin see how much you miss yer family and yet I don’t think about it. I forget that you feel things jest like I feel. I know you love them.”

“Thank you, Huck.”

Related Characters: James (Jim) (speaker), Huck (speaker), The Duke, The King
Page Number: 126-127
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 1, Chapter 22 Quotes

The Duke swung his belt and caught me at my knees. It did hurt. He laughed and did it again. I didn’t wince.

“You see that?” the King said. “I say, did you see that? They don’t even feel like no human man.”

[…]

“Don’t tear him up too much,” the King said. “We gotta be able to sell him. We cain’t get a dime fer him if’n he’s torn all asunder.”

“Hell, man,” the Duke said. “He ain’t no proper people. He don’t feel pain like we do. He need a lesson he kin remember. Nextwise, he’ll get it into his head to run again. That’s the way these creatures is built.”

Related Characters: The Duke (speaker), The King (speaker), James (Jim), Huck
Page Number: 132
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 1, Chapter 24 Quotes

“Why is that, Jim? I thought we was friends. I thought you trusted me.”

“I does trust you, Huck. Cain’t you see dat? I trusts you wif my life.”

[…]

“I understand why you talk the way you do.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“I mean it makes sense.”

I studied his face. He was talking with his eyes closed, as much fighting sleep as losing to it. There was a lot of this in that face. “You be a smart boy, Huck.”

Related Characters: James (Jim) (speaker), Huck (speaker), Easter
Page Number: 144
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3, Chapter 1 Quotes

“Why me, Jim?”

Maybe because I was tired of the slave voice. Maybe because I hated myself for having lost my friend. Maybe because the lie was burning through me. Because of all of those reasons, I said, “Because, Huck, and I hope you hear this without thinking I’m crazy or joking, you are my son.”

Huck shot out a short laugh. “What?”

“You are my son. And I am your father.”

“Why are you talking like that?”

“Are you referring to my diction or my content?”

“What? What’s content?”

Related Characters: James (Jim) (speaker), Huck (speaker), Norman, Huck’s Mom
Page Number: 253
Explanation and Analysis:

“Belief has nothing to do with truth. Believe what you like. Believe I’m lying and move through the world as a white boy. Believe I’m telling the truth and move through the world as a white boy anyway. Either way, no difference.” I looked at the boy’s face and I could see that he had feelings for me and that was the root of his anger. He had always felt affection for me, if not actual love. He had always looked to me for protection, even when he thought he was trying to protect me.

“Liar,” he cried.

I took it.

Related Characters: James (Jim) (speaker), Huck (speaker)
Page Number: 257
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3, Chapter 3 Quotes

Huck showed the excitement of a boy at the sight of our catch. I was reminded that he was just that, a boy. He could have gone through life without the knowledge I had given him and he would have been no worse off for it. But I understood at that moment that I had shared the truth with him for myself. I needed for him to have a choice.

Related Characters: James (Jim) (speaker), Huck
Page Number: 264
Explanation and Analysis: