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
Jim wakes to find it is daylight and Huck has hidden him beneath a tarp. The boy is being questioned by some white men who are looking for a runaway slave. Huck claims to be fishing with his uncle, who is sick with smallpox. Afraid of getting sick, the men do not investigate Jim’s concealed form. They give Huck 10 dollars as charity and tell him to keep an eye out for the slave, who is supposedly dangerous. Jim and Huck return to the river at night to find their canoe stolen. They set out on the raft, but it is broken apart by passing riverboats. The two become separated, adrift in the river.
Huck’s quick thinking saves Jim’s life in this moment, proving his loyalty. Huck’s deception also complicates his character, suggesting a deeper understanding of the world’s darkness than his innocent demeanor implies.