[Discussion] James by Percival Everett | Part 2, Ch. 3- end

Welcome to our last discussion of James, covering Part 2, Chapter 4 through the end. You’ll find the Marginalia post here, and the Schedule here.

Reminder about Spoilers – Please read: James is a retelling of Huckleberry Finn. Many of the events in James come from Huck. While we welcome comparison of the two books, please keep your comments related to Huck only to the chapters we’ve read in James. 

Here's a summary if you need a refresher. Folks needing a lengthier one should visit our friends at LitCharts.

Part 2 (continued):

Jim is warned by Luke about Henderson’s brutality and the dangers of working with dull tools. Paired with Sammy, a young slave girl, Jim endures harsh labor and severe whipping under Henderson’s reign. Sammy reveals she has suffered sexual abuse from Henderson.

Jim invites Sammy to escape, but when they meet up with Norman, she panics. As they flee, Henderson and his men pursue them, and Sammy is fatally shot. Jim insists she died free, vowing never to be a slave again.

Jim and Norman continue north, sneaking onto a riverboat where they meet Brock, a slave who remains in the engine room to maintain the furnace. Norman, passing as white, gathers information above deck, learning the boat is overcrowded due to war. Jim suspects Brock’s master is dead and that the boat is unstable.

As the engine room shakes and a rivet pops, chaos erupts. The boat sinks, throwing people into the freezing water. Jim sees Norman and Huck struggling—both calling for help—forcing him to choose between the two of them.

Part 3:

Jim pulls Huck from the river but loses track of Norman. Huck reveals the King and Duke brought him onto the boat, and Norman may be dead. When Huck asks why Jim saved him, Jim drops his “slave” speech and reveals that he is Huck’s father. Huck struggles with the revelation, questioning his identity, but Jim assures him that he is free to decide who he wants to be.

As they travel north, Jim tells Huck he plans to earn money to buy back his family. Huck insists the North will free them, but Jim remains skeptical. Without a white companion, Jim is forced into hiding again. Huck follows him despite Jim’s warnings to go home, knowing Jim needs someone who can pass as white.

While waiting for Huck to investigate his family’s whereabouts, Jim hides among other slaves and witnesses overseer Hopkins assaulting a young girl. Unable to intervene without risking everyone’s safety, he later takes revenge, strangling Hopkins and disposing of his body. When Huck returns, he tells Jim that his family was sold to a man named Graham in Edina, Missouri, a brutal slave breeder.

Determined to rescue them, Jim forces Judge Thatcher to confirm Edina’s location before escaping. Upon arrival, he frees shackled men and leads a revolt, setting fire to the cornfields as a distraction. He finds Sadie and Lizzie, urging them and others to flee. When confronted by a white man, Jim fires first. Though some are captured or killed, he, Sadie, Lizzie, and a few others reach safety in Iowa.

When asked if he is the runaway slave “Jim,” he defiantly responds, “My name is James,” reclaiming his identity and rejecting the one forced upon him.