“Jim always kept that five-center piece round his neck with a string, and said it was charm the devil give to him with his own hands… but he never told what it was he said to it.”
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, while emphasizing race, actually seeks to remove race from the criteria that is used to define a person’s character. Race becomes only the surface of what differentiates people in the novel. While the idea of eliminating racial identity is controversial, we see evidence throughout the text to support this idea. Hierarchies are not just bound to racial superiority, where whites reign atop, but become hierarchies of knowledge, and belief. The systems of control in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn use race as a visual surface that only indicates further difference in individuals. The value of race becomes minimal as people come to be judged not by their color, but the content of their beliefs.
The concept of superstition in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, especially when it comes to the beliefs and practices of Jim. In the excerpt written above, Jim is convinced that he is bewitched and the symbol of this bewitchment is the necklace supposedly given to him by the devil himself. This goes against the religious ideals that have been portrayed throughout this novel. Instead of assimilating to orthodox religious beliefs, we see Jim siding with the devil, which makes him stand out in his own special way. While this may be something that makes Jim unique, it also stands out in a way to show how the corruption of the society of Huck’s day not only happened among the white people, but also the very victims of such corruption
The topic of witches is not only relevant in the life of Jim, but also in the very culture of the slaves. In the book it says “Niggers is always talking about witches in the dark by the kitchen fire;” which is like them coming together as their own kin to discuss legends. However, such discussion and awareness of witches brings about a type of hierarchy that one would not expect. While the whites are above the blacks at the time of Huck Finn, over here we see a new type of the hierarchy. A hierarchy of knowledge, rather than race, becomes evident as we see Jim’s knowledge of “witches” and contact with the devil imposes him above the rest of the slave population. Because Jim has been bewitched, he stands out to the crowd, so everyone comes to him for their concerns. They look up to him and fear him to a certain extent, like they would with their masters. Even within the slave community, an order of hierarchy is clear.
While Jim is sided with the devil, the other slaves that come to him for advice do not dare to touch the necklace that he wears since they are afraid that the devil has touched it. They will not touch the necklace because of its sinful origins, but they will accept it for their own benefits. This reflects the views of the people through out this novel. Things that are wrong, are seen as wrong, but continued for the benefit of the people themselves. The biggest example, no matter how played out it may be, is the institution of slavery. Thus, again we see the nature of the slaves mirroring that of the people who owned slaves to begin with. This brings us to question if it was the society that was corrupt or if such reaction were just human nature.
