The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn | Chapter 14 | Summary

Summary

Huck and Jim go through the booty they got from the robbers and find it is an impressive haul. Afterward Huck is excited and tells Jim about how everything happened. Jim is not as excited; he says the fear he felt made it not worth it. Huck considers Jim's thoughts and finds them to be very rational.

Books are part of the booty, and Huck reads one aloud so Jim can hear. The stories are about kings including Solomon, who Jim believes is a fool for cutting a baby in half. Despite Huck's attempt to explain the story, Jim is not convinced. When the conversation turns to the French language, Jim does not understand why people do not all speak the same language.

Analysis

While Huck is happy to experience adventures, Jim is practical and mature. Even during the journey itself, while Huck is also attempting to escape, the stakes are higher for Jim. If he is caught he will be sent back in chains and sold down river. For Jim, making his way to freedom is enough of an adventure.

When Jim says he is not interested in an adventure, Huck praises him: "Well, he was right; he was most always right; he had an uncommon level head, for a nigger." This is a backhanded compliment as it qualifies Jim's intelligence. Despite their time together and his fondness for Jim, Huck remains a product of his Southern upbringing and has not yet come to accept Jim as his equal.

Jim stubbornly holds on to his views about King Solomon and language, but his views make sense when the reader considers his background. Jim views the world differently because of his background and maturity. While Huck has had challenges growing up, he is still part of white society. His life matters. Jim's insistence that chopping the baby in half is cruel and "was[t]eful" shows how much he values life and reminds the reader of a period when black people's lives were not valued.