Chapters 16-30

Chapter 16:

pg. 81: "He said he'd be mighty sure to see it, because he'd be a free man the minute he seen it, but if he missed it he'd be in the slave country again and no more show for freedom."

        Freedom meant a lot to the slaves back then, to their masters in the south, they weren't human at all, just mindless muscle that did whatever it was told to do. Slavery was big back then, before the Civil War. They knew that when they went north they could be free, but it probably scared them too, what did they do with their new lives? Most of them only had one chance to gain that freedom and many were too scared to take it. Jim had his chance for freedom, but it was wrought with dangers.
 

Chapter 18:

pg. 104: "Dey's mighty good to me, dese niggers is, en whatever I wants 'm to do fur me, I doan' have to ast 'm twice, honey."

         The term nigger was commonly used a lot back then, it was term to determine you status, in this case, Jim uses it in a way to show that he is a higher status than the niggers, whether they think so, he definitely does. The slave owners use it to show their status as Master. For Jim to call them niggers, means he is accepting of the term, even though it's racist. The blacks use it just as much as the whites, even then, it's strange how it was hurtful for a white person to call them that, but when another called them that it was semi-acceptable. They understand that was what they were, they had it integrated into them for a very long time and they accepted it, even adopting the phrase.


Chapter 19:

pg. 113: "I am the rightful Duke of Bridgewater; and here I am, forlorn, torn from my high estate, hunted of men, despised by the cold world, ragged, worn, heart-broken, and degraded to the companionship of felons on a raft!"

        That time, as any other time, was filled with many lies. Immigrants with no money and job, claimed to be royalty, wronged on their voyage, some believe them and some don't, most of the time they receive benefits though. They use the lie, whatever it might be so much, that they begin to believe it, in his case English Royalty. The man starts with the lie that he is royalty and doesn't consider the others like him. Others do that and it is very difficult to determine whether or not someone is telling the truth. Those lies made life very difficult for the people.


Chapter 22:

pg. 134: "The average man's a coward. In the North he lets anybody walk over him that wants to, and goes home and prays for a humble spirit to bear it. In the South one man, all by himself has stopped a stage full of men, in the day-time, and robbed the lot."

      There is much prejudice between the North and the South, since it is set in Pre-Civil War times, when conflicts between Slave Masters and Abolitionists was very strong. The North believed that all men were equal, and since many of their necessities were made from machines, they didn't need as much man power as the South did to harvest crops. The North, since it believes all men are free and wants to respect everyone and their differences, they don't say anything insulting, they were probably to afraid of getting criticized and getting pushed away as not accepting others for who they are, they still had the right to speak their opinions as any free person did. In the South, there were Masters and Slaves, they drew the line between the people and races, and could speak their minds freely because of their status. They weren't afraid to beat a slave who spoke out, so they weren't afraid to shoot a man who spoke out against their views. It was the different atmospheres they were raised in that made them two different entities.


Chapter 24:

pg. 144: "I never knowed how clothes could change a body before. Why, before, he looked like the orneriest old rip that ever was; but now, when he'd take off his new white beaver and make a bow and do a smile, he looked that grand and good and pious that you'd say he had walked right out of the ark, and maybe he was old Leviticus himself."

      Leading back to the deceiving that most people did in that time to make their lives seem more than they were worth, the clothes add to that. Many people didn't want to acknowledge that their life was how they lived, mainly the lazy ones who didn't work, or the very deceitful ones that bought things that made their lives seem better. They wanted other people to be jealous and want to be more like them, even though they were the same as them, their appearance mattered greatly though. Nice clothes gives a person self confidence and the attitude, any nice, new thing would accomplish that as well.

Chapter 26:

pg. 160: "I says to myself, this is a girl that I'm letting that old reptile rob her of her money! Then Susan she waltzed in; and if you'll believe me, she did give Hare-lip hark from the tomb! Says I to myself, And this is another one that I'm letting him rob hers of money!"

     Back then, there were less bad people than good people, but because of all the bad things they did, it seemed like much more, it was also focused on a lot more. Those who lied were necessarily bad people, they have faults like everyone else, Huck Finn is a good example of this. Everybody lies, no one is perfect, it also depends on the extent of the lies and how they affected the lairs life. Good people were easily conned out of their money and land because their wasn't much safety besides a gun, their lives were always hard and unpromising.


Chapter 28:

pg. 170: "I reckon a body that ups and tells the truth when he is in a tight place, is taking considerable many resks, though I ain't no experience, and can't say for certain; but it looks so to me, anyway; and yet here's a case where I'm blest if it don't looked to me like the truth is better, ans actually safer, than a lie. I must lay it in by in my mind, and think it over some time or other, it's so kind of strange, and unregular."

      Here, people's morality comes up a lot, in this book and in that time, one of the main themes of the book is morality, I am guessing. Good people back then, who wanted better lives for themselves and loved ones were sometimes forced to do things that would weigh heavily on themselves. Those who do bad things, once they start, most of the time they do not stop, it is addicting to not get in trouble with a simple excuse, it doesn't get the person hurt, but it hurts the person on the receiving end.




Chapter 29:

pg. 186: "..he was so glad I was back and we was shut of the king and the duke..."

        Even though they do bad things too, they didn't like being with the truly bad people who stole from innocent orphan girls and made an entire village their enemy. At that time, you didn't want to be involved with bad people, they ruined your life and your chances of succeeding dwindled with each lie. As much as they wanted to have easier lives, the peace and security they once had, have now diminished with each deed.