Huck's first encounter with Jim happens when the two are both escaping town, and wind up together on an island in the middle of the Mississippi. He struggles over the idea of turning Jim in. He tries to justify the situation because he did not have anything to do with Jim's actual escape. However, he knows that society would not approve of the fact that he didn't turn Jim in. He even tells Jim, "People would call me a low down Abolitionist and despise me for keeping mum" (p. 46). His struggle over whether to turn in Jim is remarkable. Even though his society has told him that a runaway slave is not a good slave, he questions society's notions and decides to form his own opinions.
             After traveling down the river for some time, Jim believes that they are nearing Cairo and starts to imagine his life as a free man and the possibility of reuniting his family. He resolves to go ashore and turn Jim in, which immediately relieves his guilty anguish. As he takes off in the canoe, supposedly to find out if they have reached Cairo, Jim makes an incredibly timely show of his love and trust for Huck, concluding with, "Dah you goes, de ole true Huck; de on'y white genlman dat ever kep' his promise to ole Jim"(p. 110). Huck struggles over whether to go through with his plan, and in the end, Jim's show of emotion is too much, and he cannot bring himself to follow through. Huck's struggle with society and its ideals become clearly evident at this point.
             Huck's constant battle between what his heart tells him and what society expects of him is at times painful for Huck. Throughout the book, he shows his discomfort with society. He runs from people who want to "sivilize" him, like Aunt Polly and Aunt Sally. He seems much more comfortable floating down the river or lighting out on a new adventure, where he is away from the oppressive claws of society.
             As readers, we are impressed with this fourteen-year-old boy's abil...