James Part Two, Chapters 5–9 Summary & Analysis

Summary: Part Two, Chapters 5–9

Part Two, Chapter 5

Jim makes his way back to the meeting place and tackles the man he sees there with Sammy, only to discover that it is Norman. Norman questions why Jim would make their mission even more difficult by stealing a slave, and Jim explains that she reminds him of his daughter. Knowing that Henderson’s dogs are after them, the trio heads south by land. Jim’s wounds slow him down, and the group eventually has to stop to let him rest. Sammy and Norman do their best to care for Jim before he falls asleep.

Part Two, Chapter 6

When Jim wakes up, Sammy and Norman are eating together and offer him some food. They soon decide to keep moving, and Jim suggests that they try to cross the river. When they finally arrive at the Mississippi, they decide to make a raft. Jim and Sammy work together while Norman goes off on his own to find wood. Jim asks Sammy more about her life, and she reveals that she was born at the mill, does not remember her parents, and Henderson frequently raped her. Jim emphasizes his commitment to protecting her. Norman returns screaming, revealing that Henderson is after them. He and two other white men with pistols soon emerge from the brush as the trio attempts to set sail on their raft, a vessel which promptly collapses. They each grab hold of a log, and Jim eventually gathers everyone together. When they are finally safe, they come ashore and discover that Sammy has died of a gunshot wound. Jim and Norman resolve to bury her, digging a sandy grave. Horrified by these events, Jim declares that he will never be a slave again.

Part Two, Chapter 7

Jim and Norman wake in the morning and discuss their next steps, ultimately deciding to steal a boat and make their way north. They set out along the river and eventually come to a trotline full of catfish and an unattended skiff nearby. Jim takes four fish, and they eat while waiting for the boat’s owners to return. That evening, a man and a boy come to retrieve the fish on the line. Since they leave the boat but take the oars, Jim and Norman fashion their own oar out of sticks and twine before setting sail in the dark. They soon catch sight of a riverboat ahead, and Jim instructs Norman to help him position their boat right in front of it so that they can tie themselves to it. This plan almost ends in disaster, but Jim manages to pull himself and Norman onto the riverboat before its paddle destroys the skiff. Relieved to be alive, they search for a place to hide on board.

Part Two, Chapter 8

Jim and Norman find themselves in the ship’s boiler room, and a Black man soon appears asking what they are doing. Pretending that Norman is his master, Jim lies and tells the man that he is being punished. The man acknowledges the color of Norman’s skin and leaves them alone, although he remains suspicious. Jim and Norman search for clean clothes among the luggage on the ship so that Norman can fit in among those on the upper decks. Once he leaves, the Black man returns, introducing himself as Brock, and threatens to tell his master about their presence if Jim does not shovel coal. Jim obliges, and as he works, he attempts to find out more about Brock. He learns that Brock virtually never leaves the boiler room and has his food delivered to him outside the door, but he cannot get a clear answer on when “Massa Corey” will come down to check on him. Norman eventually returns and reveals that Emmett and the rest of the minstrel group is on board. He also explains that many of the passengers are headed north because war has broken out. Jim begins explaining that Brock loves being a slave and even begins to suspect there is no “Massa Corey,” but he is interrupted when the boiler begins screaming.

Part Two, Chapter 9

The boiler room begins to shake, and panic sets in. A rivet flies off the wall, almost hitting Norman, and Brock looks at them both with terror in his eyes. The next thing Jim knows is that he is in the water surrounded by people and objects from the sunken ship. He searches for Norman, eventually catching sight of him clinging to a plank of wood. Jim also hears Huck’s voice calling out to him, and he sees his friend thirty yards in the opposite direction of Norman. Jim is desperate to rescue both but unsure of how to do so.

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