In desperate need of a father figure, Huck, the title character in Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, connects with a runaway slave named Jim. A father is someone who thinks of the child before himself and loves unconditionally. Huck's biological father, Pap, does not possess these qualities, but his friend, Jim does. Even though their meeting is a coincidence, Jim and Huck develop a type of relationship, while on their journey to freedom, that is uncommon during the period of the 1840's.

             It is natural for a father to love his son and a son to love his father; but in the case of Huck and Pap, there is no love. Pap is a user. He sees Huck as his possession and believes that he can do anything he wants with him. At one point Pap says, "Looky here- mind how you talk to me; I'm a-standing about all I can stand . . . I've been in town nearly two days, and I hain't heard nothing but about you bein' rich . . . That's why I come. You git me that money tomorrow- I want it." Pap's only desire is to get his hands on Huck's money. There is never any compassion heard in Pap's voice, only anger. This anger is a result of Pap's alcoholism, which has a direct affect on Huck. When Pap drinks, he either physically or verbally abuses Huck. As a result of this household environment, Huck realizes he needs to escape, not just from his father, but from "sivilization".

             Jim and Huck meet up and begin their adventure on Jackson's Island. Their encounter of one another is a coincidence, but Jim and Huck end up staying together for the remainder of the novel. In the beginning of their journey, the two appear to be very different. Jim, a runaway black slave, who according to society is not human and Huck, a young white boy who was raised in the values of that same society, forge a lasting bond. Before a bond is created, the two must look past the differences between them. Although the two seem to be different, Jim and Huck's goal are one in the same; they are looking for freedom.