Chapters 15 and 16 Summaries
In the beginning of chapter 15, Huck and Jim are still floating down the river. Huck ends up floating away from Jim while they are sleeping. Huck has a hard time finding Jim again because it is extremely foggy. Eventually, by chance, Huck ends up finding Jim again, and Jim is extremely happy that Huck is alive. Huck decides to play a trick on Jim and tells him it is all a dream. Jim is fooled for a while, but when he finds out that Huck is joking he gets extremely upset. Eventually Huck begrudgingly apologizes to Jim. In the next chapter, Huck and Jim talk about what they will do when they reach the free states. Jim tells Huck his plan to free his family. Huck considers turning Jim in, but instead decides to keep his promise to Jim. Some people are going to search Huck's raft, but Huck tells him his family is there and that they have smallpox. The men are afraid to search the raft, and they give Huck money to get his family help. In the end the raft gets broken and Jim and Huck get separated, Huck makes it ashore but runs into a pack of wild dogs.
Reflections
In this chapter I was frustrated by Huck's adherence to traditional values and racism. I was relieved when Huck apologized to Jim, but upset that he felt odd doing it. I think that the way Jim reacted to Huck being missing was nice. Jim treats Huck almost like a son, and he worries when he loses Huck. I thought Huck was ingenious when it came to hiding Jim from the people searching his raft. At the end of the chapter I was worried about Huck and Jim because they are seperated. I hope that they can find eachother and both reach safety. I'm especially worried for Jim because they might find out he is a slave and send him all the way back home, but I'm also worried for Huck because although he is smart he is still only a kid.