2.  Jim is pining for his family, and Huck seems surprised, which indicates he still doesn’t think of Jim as quite human, even if he is friends with Jim.  Jim’s account of his actions toward his deaf daughter shows us how human Jim really is.

3.  “…I do believe [Jim] cared as much for his people as white folks does for their’n. It don’t seem natural, but I reckon it’s so.”  In the slave-holding society of Huck’s time, African Americans are regarded as cattle, incapable of experiencing any of the deeper of finer human feelings.  Therefore, their God- ordained role is that of insensible beasts of burden.

4.  Huck does not consciously question the values of his society.  Thus, he initially has difficulty accepting Jim’s humanity: The concept that a black man has the same capacity to love his family as white people runs contrary to everything Huck has been taught.

5.  It is Huck’s loving heart that allows him to rise above the conditioning of his society and recognize Jim as a fellow human being with a soul.  Although Huck never questions the rightness of slavery, his acceptance of Jim’s humanity unconsciously denies any moral justification for slavery.

6.  The plan to have Jim get in costume on the raft is a plot device that allows Huck and the con men to stay in town for several days.  The town’s reaction to the con men’s story about being the deceased man’s relatives made Huck say to himself, “It was enough to make a body ashamed of the human race.”

7.  Why does Huck go along with this shameful behavior? Jim, whom Huck knows is in a dangerous situation with these ruthless characters.  Twain expresses disgust with more than the con men – he also is disgusted with the narrow vision of the townspeople. It all adds up to an indictment of humanity.

8.  Imposter: one who practices deceit or fraud by pretending to be someone he is not.  The King is a double impostor: He is not really a king and is now assuming the false identity of Parson Harvey Wilks so that he can steal from the deceased Peter Wilks’s estate.

9.  The novel is filled with impostors, thus pointing up the hypocrisy of the society.  Even Huck becomes an impostor on several occasions, although, when he assumes a false identity, it is to either protect Jim or himself rather than commit fraud.

10.  Huck is startled and puzzled by the discovery that in a tight spot it might actually be better and safer to tell the truth than lie.  He compares himself to Judas, however – in keeping with his low self- image.  Mary Jane’s willingness to pray for Huck may lead him to fall in love for the first and only time in his life.