In the novel titled The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain was a phenomenal book. Written in the perspective of a young child named Huck this novel shows many events where the unlikely hero is the character Jim. Though Jim was a mid-aged black slave who ran away from his owner, he still achieved heroic status for a variety of reasons. Jim was a hero because not only did he at as a father figure toward Huck; he also risked his life for him, and takes responsibility for Huck as well.

Huck’s father was cruel and treated him horribly, by keeping him in locked rooms and barely feeding him. Jim was the father figure that Huck always needed. One way in which Jim did this was when Jim made sure to hide the face of the dead body ,which was Huck’s real father away from Huck because he knew that Huck would be in a great deal of pain. Another example on how Jim acted like a father figure toward Huck was when Jim told him, “it’s a dead man come in, Huck, but don’t look at the dead man’s face…..it’s to ghastly, as stated on pg.38. This was an event that was quite remarkable for Jim to do because he is protecting Huck from potential emotional pain.

Furthermore Jim showed heroic qualities when he helped the doctor take care of Tom. This was noted as heroic because he could of sat back and did nothing and let Tom suffer. In the text it states, “Out crawls this nigger….done it very well”,pg.214. This shows that what Jim did to help Tom was not only a good deed but he did it well. This is considered to be a heroic event because Jim shows how he realizes that the doctor needs help and he shows his affect on him and risk his freedom to help Tom sawyer.

Jim taking responsibility for Huck was the final way Jim showed he deserved heroic status. An even that showed that Jim took responsibility for Huck was when Jim would take on extra shifts on watching the raft so Huck could sleep, as stated on pg.117. Another event that showed that Jim took responsibility for Huck was in the novel where it says, “I went to sleep and Jim didn’t call me when it was my turn, he often that.” This is a prominent event that’s shows Jim is a hero because he knows that Huck is really tired so he takes the initiative to be the adult and let Huck sleep.

In conclusion, evidence shows that Jim had proven himself to be a hero. Jim was a essential part of Huck’s life. Jim being a father figure, risking his life, and taking responsibility proves that Jim is a hero.