James Part One, Chapters 20–22 Summary & Analysis

Summary: Part One, Chapters 20–22

Part One, Chapter 20

As the sun rises, the Duke and the King make plans to head ashore and into town. Huck suggests that he and Jim stay behind to guard the raft, but the Duke and the King force them to come along so they do not run away. After clearing through the brush, the group comes upon a surprisingly empty town. They ask a lone man in the street where everyone is, and he reveals that most people are at a revival. This event piques the interests of the Duke and the King, who see it as an opportunity to take advantage of gullible people. As the group makes their way toward the edge of town, Huck challenges the King and demands to know why he does not sound French, despite claims of French heritage. The King is in the middle of dismissing this point when they come upon three hundred people gathered on the hillside. The preacher calls for the next sinner to approach, and three women come forward and claim that one of them, Jeanette Booth, has a short leg. The preacher prays until she suddenly starts walking normally, a sight which causes the crowd to applaud and give their money to the “soldiers of the preacher.”

Seeing how easily the crowd parts with their money, the Duke enters and begins telling the preacher and the crowd a story about how God saved him from his past life as a pirate. He also claims that he served as a missionary, converting people like Jim to Christianity. The King sends Huck to collect money from the crowd, and he begins performing Shakespeare monologues. After attempting to deliver a scene from The Merchant of Venice that references Jewish people, the crowd begins to question the Duke and the King’s authenticity. The preacher attempts to throw them out, people demand their money back, and one man suggests they be hanged for their lies.

Part One, Chapter 21

Jim grabs Huck and starts running as fast as he can away from the revival, leaving behind a chaotic scene as well as the Duke and the King. They see a sign in a store window offering a $300 reward for a runaway slave, and both Jim and Huck fear that Jim is the runaway slave in question. They watch as the Duke and the King, who are chasing after them, notice the poster as well. Knowing that they would turn Jim in for the reward, they keep running. Jim even picks Huck up and carries him until they recover their raft. Once safely on the river, they see the Duke and the King waving at them from shore. Huck questions if it is right to leave them to face the angry crowd, and Jim emphasizes that they were liars, despite the fact that people wanted to believe their lies. This leads Huck to confide in Jim that although he often forgets about how much Jim misses his family, he knows he loves them. As night falls, Jim reveals to Huck that he knew his mother and that she was a kind woman. Suddenly, they catch sight of a steamboat on fire.

Part One, Chapter 22

Since traveling south has not thrown pursuers off of Jim’s trail, he wants to make his way to the Ohio River and travel north. Only traveling at nighttime slows their progress, however, and the Duke and the King catch back up to them. Angry that Huck and Jim left them behind, they propose a new, brutal scheme where they repeatedly sell Jim to make money. Huck boldly declares that they cannot do such a thing because Jim belongs to him, but the King emphasizes that, according to the law, minors cannot own slaves. To ensure that Jim does not try to run away, the Duke and the King humiliate him by lashing him across the legs with a belt. Jim refuses to show his suffering, but this response leads his abusers to claim that he is inhuman because he feels no pain. Huck wants to protect his friend, but Jim’s glance tells him to step back for his own safety.

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