James: A Novel

Jim is waiting at Miss Watson’s door. He notices Huck and Tom in hiding in the yard and, not wanting to deal with their shenanigans, loudly exclaims that he is about to take a nap. The two boys sneak into Miss Watson’s house, take several of her candles, and leave her a nickel. Although Jim observes the theft, he does not breathe a word of it to Miss Watson, even when she asks if he has been in her kitchen. Later, he gathers with a group of enslaved people to tell a story about a dream he’d had. Although the enslaved people speak in standard English among themselves, they speak in dialect when in the presence of white people. As they hear white people approaching, they code-switch and begin to speak in dialect.

Later, while Jim is fixing the front steps for Miss Watson, Huck stops by. Jim asks why he is not with his friend Tom, and Huck shares that Tom is bossy and a little hard to be around at times. Jim reflects that friendship can be complex, but Huck is still not sure about Tom. When he finishes with the steps, Huck leaves and Miss Watson tells Jim to look after Huck. His abusive father has returned to town, and she is worried.

In the cabin that he shares with his wife, Lizzie, and their daughter, Sadie, Jim instructs the young people on how to keep themselves safe in a world divided into the enslaved and the free. He teaches them to code-switch to hide their linguistic abilities from the white people whom they encounter, and to always pretend to be less intelligent than their enslavers. He teaches them that God, such as white people define him, does not exist: How could a divine being allow enslavement and serial abuse? He explains that the white, Christian god is merely a tool of control, encouraging enslaved people to obey orders in hopes of a happier life in heaven after they die.

Later, Jim runs into Luke, another enslaved man. The two have a conversation that code-switches back and forth between standard English and vernacular as various white men walk by. The two agree on the inherent foolishness that characterizes the world of white people.

Jim is chopping wood in preparation for a winter storm. As he works, he stashes a few pieces away to give to some elderly people in need. He understands that he is stealing Miss Watson’s wood, but he does not care: There is little equity in their lives, and he is fine with evening the field a bit. Huck approaches. He is worried about his father’s return. Jim, wanting to help the boy, pretends to use a ball of “magic” hair to divine Huck’s future. He tells Huck that he will experience hurt in this life, but that he will be okay.

Jim finds out that Miss Watson intends to sell him at a market for enslaved people in New Orleans. Quickly, he heads to nearby Jackson Island. He realizes local white people will assume that he fled north, and he hopes to hide on the island while he figures out what his next steps will be. As he is laying low in the bushes, Huck appears, covered in blood. Huck faked his death and ran away from home after his father beat him. Although Jim realizes that he will be blamed for Huck’s “death,” he has compassion for the boy. The two remain hidden together, watching a group of men shoot cannonballs into the water to dislodge Huck’s body, which they presume to be in the water.

Jim and Huck discuss superstitions and premonitions, and Jim tells Huck that it is going to rain the next day. Huck asks Jim how he knows this, and Jim replies that it is because he sees so many hawks out hunting, and they always make sure to have a final meal before a storm. The next day it does indeed rain, and the island begins to flood. They see a damaged house float by on the Mississippi River, and they wade out to see if they can find any food or other useful provisions. In the house, Jim spies a dead body and tells Huck that he is too young to see something so upsetting. Later, as the two sit by their fire, a rattlesnake bites Jim. He cuts the wound and sucks the poison out.

Jim is weak and feverish because of the snake bite. He has dreams in which he speaks with Voltaire, an author whom he read during one of his many clandestine afternoons in Judge Thatcher’s library. Voltaire tells him that he does believe that all men are equal, but only because Africans have the capacity to be taught to act European. When Jim wakes, Huck tells him that he was speaking strangely in his sleep, and asks him what “hierarchy” means.

Jim is feeling better. He encourages Huck to dress up in some girls’ clothing, which they took from the damaged house, to secretly head back and find out what Miss Watson and others knew of their disappearances. After Huck leaves, Jim sits down with pen and paper and begins to write a manifesto of sorts. He writes that he will not be defined by the condition of enslavement and that he recognizes the brutality and inherent inhumanity in one man enslaving another.

Jim reflects on the body he saw in the damaged house. Although he hadn’t told Huck, it was Huck’s abusive father. Jim was worried at the time that the shock of seeing his father dead, despite the man’s predilection for violence, would have upset Huck. Jim notices a fire burning on the far side of the island and begins to grow worried. Huck returns shortly and reveals that he lit the fire himself, thinking that he was being pursued by a group of men and wanting to throw them off. Jim is proud of Huck for his quick thinking, and the two prepare to make a hasty departure in the canoe that Huck hid.

Jim finds out from Huck that both Huck’s father and Jim are wanted men. There is a bounty out on both of them. Huck reports that Jim’s wife and child looked sad, and that the town’s children are being kept inside because the town believes that Huck’s killer is on the loose. Jim knows that it is imperative that they leave the island. The Mississippi River moves swiftly, and Huck and Jim struggle to navigate their small canoe. They get caught in the wake of a riverboat, but escape, hopefully unseen.

The two continue their journey, traveling at night and hiding during the day. They come across a stranded riverboat. It looks abandoned and Huck wants to search it for food or “treasure.” Jim does not think that such a search would be safe, and he remains behind on the bank. Huck comes running out after a while, exclaiming that he ran into some robbers who were dividing up their spoils. He tells Jim that they have to run. Their canoe is, unfortunately, floating away and Jim realizes that Huck hadn’t tied it properly. They are able to escape in the robbers’ skiff and find a cache of valuables and books. Jim wants to keep the books, which puzzles Huck, who does not know that Jim is an avid reader.

Jim and Huck talk about genies, which Huck learned about from his friend Tom. He explains the concept to Jim, who thinks about how difficult it would be to come up with three wishes that wouldn’t ultimately cause an individual sadness: Eternal life, for example, would mean watching one’s loved ones die. He idly wonders what Kierkegaard would have wished for. Eventually Huck falls asleep and, although it is risky, Jim pulls out a book and reads.

Jim and Huck find the lost raft and canoe and decide to use those instead of their stolen skiff. Huck asks Jim what his last name would be if he could choose one, and Jim says “Golightly.” Huck asks Jim how he can tell right from wrong, and he often wonders aloud how humans can enslave one another. It is clear to Jim that the boy is trying to better understand the world, and he does his best to provide him with answers to his questions.

Jim wakes up. It is daylight and he hears voices. He wishes that he hadn’t fallen asleep. He is conscious of being covered by a tarp, and he hears Huck talking to a group of men. The men ask Huck his name, and Huck responds “Johnny.” They ask what he is doing, and he tells them that he’s fishing for catfish. They ask if he’s seen a Black man nearby, explaining that he is a fugitive from slavery. Huck tells them that he hasn’t. They can tell that there is a body underneath the tarp and they ask about it. Always quick with words, Huck tells the men that it is his uncle, sick with smallpox. The men fall silent. One exclaims that he does not want anything to do with “the pox,” and they let Huck go, but not before giving him $10. After this close call, Huck and Jim set off, but their raft breaks into pieces and Jim almost drowns. The two are separated.

Jim is worried for Huck’s safety, but he knows that as a fugitive from slavery, he cannot go looking for him. He falls asleep and awakes to the presence of several Black men. They introduce themselves as Josiah, George, and Pierre. They tell Jim about the area, noting the presence of vicious white enslavers who use dogs to chase enslaved people who try to escape. Realizing that he is putting these men in danger just by being near them, he tells them that he can find his own food and does not want them to risk their safety by stealing anything for him. He does ask if they can get him a pencil, and one of the men agrees.

Hidden in the woods, Jim reads the books that he and Huck took from the riverboat. Although he finds philosophy compelling, he cannot help but notice logical holes in much of what he reads, and he realizes that white writers are motivated by racism that they do not fully comprehend. He wishes that he could write. It helps him to organize his thoughts. He is grateful when George returns with a pencil. He stole it from his enslaver. The young man encourages him to tell “his story,” and as Jim is contemplating this idea, he hears the baying of hounds in the distance. Silently, he waits to see if they come closer.

Jim begins to write down his life story. He notes his familial origins on the continent of Africa and writes that he is a man cognizant of the world around him, someone who loves his family. He remains hidden in the same thicket for days, foraging and eating what he finds. Periodically Josiah, Pierre, and George return to visit. Eventually, Jim realizes that he must leave. He comes across an enslaved man being beaten in a clearing. It’s George. He has been found out for the pencil that he stole. George notices Jim in the woods and silently mouths the word “run.”