Huck, Jim & the Role of Folklore
Huck, Jim & the Role of Folklore
Abstract
The role that folklore plays in the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and the relationship between Huck and Jim are key elements of this novel. Folklore is so full of mystery and Twain uses it to bind the characters of Huck and Jim together. Huck and Jim’s relationship takes many turns during this book. Though many trails and tribulations they establish a close bond as they float down the river to freedom.
Huck, Jim & the Role of Folklore
The novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is full of folklore. Twain uses folklore throughout the book to draw us in and bind the characters together. From the beginning of the book, Huck is drawn to Jim for spiritual advice and Twain uses folklore to establish a relationship between them. The bad omens at the beginning of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn set Huck and Jim on a course that will change their lives forever.
Folklore
Folklore is full of mystery and continues to intrigues us to this day. Mark Twain knew the use of folklore would benefit his book greatly. Ray W. Frantz, Jr. said, “Indeed one may say that in this novel, Twain employed folklore with such care to influence structure, support thematic development, provide plot motivation, and depict character that folklore emerges as organically important to the novel as a whole and fundamental to an appreciation of his accomplishment in this work” (Frantz, 1956).
There are many signs and omens used in the beginning chapters to create suspense and they reach their climax when Huck returns home to find his father in his room. One of the signs leading up to this event was the striking of the spider. This was a sign of death because spiders were considered to be immortal (Frantz, 1956).
Huck has a wide knowledge of death lore and realizes that his father’s death cannot be true, due to the fact that men’s bodies do not float on their backs, they float face down. The body that everyone believed to be his father was found floating face up, so it had to be a woman dressed in men’s clothing and not his father. This sign made Huck look closely at every sign. One morning Huck knocked over the salt shaker and before he could throw some over his left shoulder to stop the evil, Miss Watson stops him and he knows that bad luck is headed his way (Frantz, 1956).
It did not take long for trouble to find him either. Huck finds a footprint with a cross in the left boot-heal. This was done by his Huck’s father in an attempt to keep off the devil. When Huck sees this footprint he knows his Pap is back and nothing good can come from it. This is where Huck and Jim’s relationship begins. Huck knew that he needed to talk to someone wiser in superstition than he was and that person was Miss Watson’s slave Jim. Jim had a hair ball that had a hidden knowing spirit in it. Jim knew that Huck was scared and upset about his Pap’s return, so he gave Huck some hope by saying, his Pap did not know what he was going to do, but to rest easy and let the old man have his way (Frantz, 1956).
Twain continues to use signs to develop plot twists. Huck becomes determined to get away from his Pap after he is almost stabbed in a drunken state. Huck sees that the river is rising and knows that this has always brought him luck. This luck brings him a canoe that he hides and logs that his father can sell for whiskey. When his Pap takes the logs to town to sell, Huck makes his escape. Huck makes it to Jackson Island where he runs into Jim and they begin a journey that will bring them closer together (Frantz, 1956).
Twain sets Jim up has the authority on folklore, so from this point on, Jim makes all the important forecasts. The first one Jim makes is the coming storm. The storm brings them a lumber raft that they can use to float down the Mississippi. Unfortunately, their luck is about to run out. Huck handles a snakeskin and brings back luck upon them. First Jim is bitten by a rattlesnake and almost dies. Of course Jim knows snake lore and has Huck skin the snake and roast a piece of it so he can eat it. Jim also has Huck take off the rattlers and tie them around his wrist. This helps and Jim gets better, but tells Huck that the snakeskin is not done with them yet. The snakeskin omen is blamed for all the bad luck that follows them in the upcoming chapters (Frantz, 1956).
This omen is blamed for them floating by Cairo and Jim missing out on his freedom. The snakeskin is also blamed for the canoe slipping away from the raft and the heavy fog that separates them. When Huck finally makes it back to the raft he tricks Jim into believing that it was just a dream. Jim interprets the dream and this interpretation sets the stage for the King and the Duke. The presence of Jim and folklore are really present in the chapters with the King and the Duke and the book begins to get boring. Twain must have realized this and in the final chapter brings folklore back in with Jim’s prediction of being wealthy coming true. The use of folklore in this novel lays the foundation of principle characters Huck and Jim. Folklore is Huck’s religion. It influences his actions, shapes his values and governs his virtues (Frantz, 1956).