Huck and Jim: a few musings

Hmm...what can I say without repeating what was said in class yesterday? The loyalty that Huck and Jim feel for each other which develops throughout the book is certainly stronger than friendships in many other novels—not only is it radical in the sense that the bond is between a Black person and a White person, (and even what I’ve read of modern authors don’t seem to make those kind of attachments very often; perhaps they are afraid of somehow ending up crucified in our hyper-p.c. society) there are not many who would choose to go to Hell for the benefit of the other (whether they were correct in that belief or not). It’s interesting that Jim’s name is the homophone of “gem,” an item of great worth, although before cutting and polishing that value is hidden, while a huckleberry has traditionally been associated with the idea of something very small and insignificant, albeit with affection, as huckleberries are a favorite with people who know them (I had a high-school speech teacher from up north that was obsessed with them).