In one scene Jim worries about his children back at home, and Huck observes, “I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their’n” (Twain 117). Huck describes Jim having normal human emotions that are comparable to those of a White man. The acceptance of a Black man regardless of the color his skin is almost unheard of in the world of the 1880s where Blacks are considered unintelligent animals. Huck’s epiphany on the river demonstrates his mentality of acceptance that differs from the rest of society. The Mississippi river also presents an opportunity of freedom for Huck and Jim. When Huck and Jim run from the King and Duke, the two adventurers for a moment believe that they are free from the oily grip of human nature. Huck states, “So, in two seconds, away we went, a sliding down the river, and it did seem so good to be free again and all by ourselves on the big river and nobody to bother us” (Twain 155). Distance from the fraudulent King and Duke makes Huck almost instantly feel free again; but separation from corruption is not the only way in which Huck and Jim are free. On the river Huck is mentally free from society’s expectations and abuse, while Jim is physically free from the people who enslaved him. The river symbolizes the mentality of acceptance and freedom, qualities that separate Huck and Jim from the rest of