It's important to remember the time and conditions of the period when this was written. Your opinion of the characters is not wrong. Tom Sawyer represents civilization and society. When Huck and Jim are around him, they have to conform to expectations and fulfill the roles society expects of them. It's only as they're in the "wilderness" that they become free to be themselves. Clemens is speaking to that duality and reminding us that we sometimes see people not as they are but as society makes them out to be. Jim may be free, but society enslaves him in a different way.
jhnadler t1_jefdih8 wrote
Reply to I just feel so betrayed by "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Someone humble me as to what I am missing. by goodmorninga
It's important to remember the time and conditions of the period when this was written. Your opinion of the characters is not wrong. Tom Sawyer represents civilization and society. When Huck and Jim are around him, they have to conform to expectations and fulfill the roles society expects of them. It's only as they're in the "wilderness" that they become free to be themselves. Clemens is speaking to that duality and reminding us that we sometimes see people not as they are but as society makes them out to be. Jim may be free, but society enslaves him in a different way.