From Jim to James: Retelling the Adventures for Freedom

Abstract

James is a retelling of the classic American fiction, Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Percival Everett the author portrays the experiences of the negro slave Jim who accompanies Huck and thereby posits a peep into the slave’s experiences from his perspective. Written in a mocking tone, and by switching over dialects Everett projects the hell like life of a slave in America. Jim is in a journey towards self-exploration and identity assertion. His adventure is for possessing a name other than Jim. He is skilled and assertive. The paper analyses the portrayal of identity formation in slaves and how Jim succeeded in overcoming the sense of inferiority instilled on him by the Whites.