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Part 1, Chapter 9
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in James, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Speech, Performance, and Willful Ignorance
Identity, Narrative, and Agency
Racism, Dehumanization, and Hypocrisy
Innocence vs. Disillusionment
Family, Alliance, and Loyalty
Summary
Analysis
Jim and Huck continue their journey downriver. Huck asks why Jim doesn’t just cross to the other side, since Illinois is a free state, but Jim doesn’t want to leave the boy alone. One night, during a storm, they come upon the wreckage of a steamboat, grounded on a shoal. Huck wants to search the vessel for treasure and provisions, imagining finding a lamp with a genie inside. Jim does not like this plan but eventually relents, staying behind as a lookout.
Jim’s unwillingness to leave Huck on his own suggests he genuinely cares for the boy. It is also possible to read his avoidance of free states as skepticism that he will actually be considered “free” there. Huck’s excitement over potential treasure emphasizes his youth and suggests he views their journey as an adventure rather than an escape. Jim’s caution, on the other hand, shows that he is understandably more suspicious, and has more to lose.
Themes
Huck returns in a panic. There are robbers in the steamboat, and two of them are planning to kill the third. Jim and Huck discover their boat has drifted away from the shoal, so they hide. The robbers load their skiff with stolen goods before taking shelter from the storm inside the steamboat. Huck and Jim steal the skiff and return to shore. Huck is thrilled by the jewelry and clothing in the boat, while Jim is secretly excited to find books among the plunder. When Huck asks why he is holding the books, Jim replies that he likes the weight of them. Huck remarks that Jim is a mystery to him, calling him the n-word for the first time.
Throughout this ordeal, Huck oscillates between childlike fear and adventurous excitement. Jim hides his own excitement about the books, once again feigning illiteracy and lesser intelligence. This is the first time Jim’s performed identity creates distance between himself and Huck, interrupting their sense of camaraderie. This, of course, is the purpose of Jim’s act—to uphold the illusion that he is wholly separate from white people. Huck’s unnatural use of the n-word suggests he, too, is suddenly aware of their differences but cannot make sense of the racist ideology that affirms them.
Themes
