Previous
Part 1, Chapter 13
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in James, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Speech, Performance, and Willful Ignorance
Identity, Narrative, and Agency
Racism, Dehumanization, and Hypocrisy
Innocence vs. Disillusionment
Family, Alliance, and Loyalty
Summary
Analysis
The river sweeps Jim back to shore. He crawls to a clearing, spreads his books out to dry, and falls asleep. When he wakes, there are four Black men nearby, observing him. They tell Jim he is in Illinois, but the white folks who enslave them claim they’re in Tennessee. Jim tells them he has run away from Missouri and is being pursued. One of the men, Pierre, seems suspicious of Jim, perhaps worried he will cause trouble or bring bad luck. Another of the men, Josiah, has run away three times and has always been captured. The other two men call themselves Old George and Young George. Jim does not mention Huck.
That Jim manages to save his books indicates their high importance in his eyes. Jim feels immediately safer in the presence of the Black men, assuming they are his allies. Being enslaved in a free state seems to amuse the men more than it bothers them, suggesting they are too cynical to expect anything better. Pierre’s suspicion of Jim suggests prior experience of runaways bringing trouble, perhaps even collective punishment. That Jim refrains from mentioning Huck implies that friendship with a white boy may tarnish his reputation among other Black people.
Themes
According to the men, some white owners and slaves live in the area, as well as two feuding families, the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons. Pierre approves of white people killing one another, saying, “The fewer the better.” Jim considers hiding in the woods for a while. Josiah advises him to watch out for dogs and tells him how he and others were beaten as penalty for his attempts to escape. Jim assures the men he can survive on his own, not wanting to get them into trouble. He does ask for a pencil, and the men agree to help with this, despite Pierre’s reservations.
Pierre’s indifference toward white people dying indicates that he has dehumanized them the same way white people dehumanize him. Josiah’s story confirms that his enslavers collectively punish enslaved people for the actions of a single person, hence Pierre’s caution around Jim. Jim’s request for a pencil indicates a desire to write more of his story.
Themes
