CHAPTER SUMMARIES WITH NOTES

CHAPTER 34: We Cheer Jim Up Summary

Tom notices one of the servants taking food outside and discovers where Jim is being held. When the servant comes back, he gives a key to Uncle Silas, which means that Jim is locked up like a prisoner. Huck and Tom now have to plan how they are going to release him. Huck has a very simple plan. He tells Tom that they should steal the key and set Jim free. Tom feels the plan is much too simple. Huck points at a hole in the wall of the cabin that has only a plank nailed across it and tells Tom that Jim can remove the plank and escape through the hole. Tom does not agree to this plan because it is neither complicated nor elaborate enough.

Tom wants to have an adventure, so he creates an alternative plan, with some imagination and grandness to it. He tells Huck that they should dig a hole big enough to smuggle Jim through. Before they start work, they make friends with the dogs and the servant, and with his help, they meet Jim. When the servant steps out for something, Huck and Tom reassure Jim that they are going to help him gain his freedom.

Notes

In this chapter Tom again takes the leadership role in formulating the plans for JimÂ’s escape. His penchant for dramatic, elaborate solutions is clearly contrasted to HuckÂ’s desire for the simple and practical. In TomÂ’s presence, Huck becomes more dependent and lets Tom make decisions for him.

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