Once the main plot sets in, the main plot being Huck and Jim's adventures down the Mississippi river, there begins a new friendship and partnership between the two that within itself contains some interesting dynamics. The duo themselves wouldn't have exactly been a common sight at the time of Huck's life, however, they would have been an unusual sight anyways looking beyond their racial differences. One of the most interesting dynamics in the novel is their behavior to one another.
Other than race, two particular traits come into play in Huck and Jim's friendship and partnership, one being age, and the other being social status. Often these two traits clash. Looking at their friendship from an age standpoint, Jim becomes the father figure in the duo, the leader bred out of life experience, and a guardian to Huck. Jim talks of superstitions for Huck to watch out for, dangers to be aware of, and takes care of Huck. However, looking at the friendship from a social status standpoint, Huck becomes more of the leader, the adventurous boy who always drags Jim into trouble. Jim grew up as a slave, and for most of his life had to follow orders from his owners. While Jim is a free man now, this mentality still occasionally shows up around Huck, as often, Huck decides the path for their adventure to go, and Jim just tags along with him, protecting him. Due to their constant tradeoff of leadership, they are truly an equal partnership, with the roles balancing out among them.
Being as they were never truly friends before their paths crossed, this partnership breaks off from the usual story of a tried and true duo facing hardships together. Rather, we see throughout the novel, the friendship form, between these two strangers, who both must get to know each other, in this case, just as fast as the reader does.
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