By Jim Janus
Contains spoilers
This tribute to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which is told from the perspective of Jim, is a quick read that held my attention. Simple dialogue dominates the pages, while description of people and settings is sparse.
I appreciate that the author emphasizes for contemporary audiences the evil of slavery–and the truth that all humans are intelligent and deserve freedom.
More than a hundred years before James, novels such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Uncle Tom’s Cabin emphasized the horror and truth of slavery. I read those (decades ago) and they engaged me with richness and depth. When I read them, I was convinced of the intelligence and heart of the slaves even though they didn’t speak the same way the white characters did.
I like the premise of this story that Jim knows how to read, and he does so just as well as the white characters. I also like that Jim and the other slaves in the story speak just as white people do, but understandably when no white people are near.
Key to the story is that Jim acquires pencil and paper, and is set on writing about the horror inflicted upon himself, his family, and his peers. This richness in Jim’s character isn’t shown to the degree that it could be. We don’t see Jim writing more than an opening line.
In the story, the proof of one’s intelligence and one’s equality is the ability to speak as a white person. My question is whether using that measure risks undermining at least part of what I understand as the author’s point: The truth that all humans are intelligent, equal, and free regardless of race, level of education, formal language usage, and their plight.
It’s important that literature continues to be created to emphasize this truth. Thus the novel James is noteworthy. Parts of the story could be used in junior high or high school for discussion. Though one scene near the end–which is necesessary to emphasize the truth and horror of slavery–is likely too graphic for young readers.
Jim's Writing 