CHAPTER 43 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Q: How much money does Tom give Jim in the last chapter?

Tom Sawyer gives Jim forty dollars for being their prisoner so patiently and playing his part so well. Jim is overjoyed by this payment, exclaiming that the sign of his hairy chest—which he described back on Jackson's Island—has come true: he was once rich and is now rich again. While forty dollars was a significant sum for the era, the payment also carries an uncomfortable irony, as Tom is essentially compensating Jim for an elaborate game that exploited his already-existing freedom.

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The first time I catched Tom, private, I asked him what was his idea, time of the evasion?- what it was he'd planned to do if the evasion worked all right and he managed to set a nigger free that was already free before? And he said, what he had planned in his head, from the start, if we got Jim out all safe, was for us to run him down the river, on the raft, and have adventures plumb to the mouth of the river, and then tell him about his being free, and take him back up home on a steamboat, in style, and pay him for his lost time, and write word ahead and get out all the niggers around, and have them waltz him into town with a torchlight procession and a brass band, and then he would be a hero, and so would we. But I reckened it was about as well the way it was.

We had Jim out of the chains in no time, and when Aunt Polly and Uncle Silas and Aunt Sally found out how good he helped the doctor nurse Tom, they made a heap of fuss over him, and fixed him up prime, and give him all he wanted to eat, and a good time, and nothing to do. And we had him up to the sick-room; and had a high talk; and Tom give Jim forty dollars for being prisoner for us so patient, and doing it up so good, and Jim was pleased most to death, and busted out, and says:

"Dah, now, Huck, what I tell you?- what I tell you up dah on Jackson islan'? I tole you I got a hairy breas', en what's de sign un it; en I tole you I ben rich wunst, en gwineter to be rich agin; en it's come true; en heah she is! Dab, now! doan' talk to me- signs is signs, mine I tell you; en I knowed jis' 's well 'at I 'uz gwineter be rich agin as I's a stannin heah dis minute!"

And then Tom he talked along, and talked along, and says, le's all three slide out of here, one of these nights, and get an outfit, and go for howling adventures amongst the Injuns, over in the Territory, for a couple of weeks or two; and I says, all right, that suits me, but I ain't got no money for to buy the outfit, and I reckon I couldn't get none from home, because it's likely pap's been back before now, and got it all away from Judge Thatcher and drunk it up.

"No, he hain't," Tom says; "it's all there, yet- six thousand dollars and more; and your pap hain't ever been back since. Hadn't when I come away, anyhow."

Jim says, kind of solemn:

"He ain't a comin' back no mo', Huck."

I says:

"Why, Jim?"

"Nemmine why, Huck- but he ain't comin' back no mo'."

But I kept at him; so at last he says:

"Doan' you 'member de house dat was float'n down de river, en dey wuz a man in dah, kivered up, en I went in en unkivered him and didn't let you come in? Well, den, you k'n git yo' money when you wants it; kase dat wuz him."

Tom's most well, now, and got his bullet around his neck on a watch-guard for a watch, and is always seeing what time it is, and so there ain't nothing more to write about, and I am rotten glad of it, because if I'd a knowed what a trouble it was to make a book I wouldn't a tackled it and ain't agoing to no more. But I reckon I got to light out for the Territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally she's going to adopt me and sivilize me and I can't stand it. I been there before.

THE END. YOURS TRULY, HUCK FINN .

Frequently Asked Questions about CHAPTER 43 from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

What is Tom's plan for Jim at the end of Huckleberry Finn?

Tom Sawyer reveals that if the escape had worked, he planned to run Jim down the Mississippi on the raft, having adventures all the way to the river's mouth. He would then tell Jim he was already free, bring him home on a steamboat in style, and organize a torchlight procession with a brass band. Tom also intended to pay Jim for his lost time, turning the entire ordeal into a grand romantic adventure rather than addressing the moral reality of Jim's situation.

Who was the dead man in the floating house in Huckleberry Finn?

In the final chapter of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Jim reveals that the dead man they found in the floating house on the river was Huck's father, Pap Finn. Jim had recognized the body at the time but deliberately prevented Huck from seeing it, keeping the secret throughout their entire journey. This revelation explains why Pap never returned to claim Huck's money from Judge Thatcher.

What does Huck mean by "light out for the Territory"?

At the end of the novel, Huck declares he must "light out for the Territory ahead of the rest" because Aunt Sally plans to adopt and "sivilize" him. The Territory refers to the unsettled American West, likely Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma). This famous closing line represents Huck's rejection of civilized society's constraints and his desire for personal freedom. It also suggests that the cycle of fleeing civilization is ongoing—Huck has "been there before" and will always resist domestication.

Why does Jim tell Huck about Pap's death at the end of the novel?

Jim finally reveals Pap Finn's death because the journey is over and there is no longer a reason to withhold the truth. Throughout the novel, Jim protected Huck from this painful knowledge, demonstrating his deep compassion and parental concern. The timing also reassures Huck that his six thousand dollars is safe, since Pap can never return to steal it. Jim's long silence on this matter highlights his selfless character and the genuine bond he shares with Huck.

How much money does Tom give Jim in the last chapter?

Tom Sawyer gives Jim forty dollars for being their prisoner so patiently and playing his part so well. Jim is overjoyed by this payment, exclaiming that the sign of his hairy chest—which he described back on Jackson's Island—has come true: he was once rich and is now rich again. While forty dollars was a significant sum for the era, the payment also carries an uncomfortable irony, as Tom is essentially compensating Jim for an elaborate game that exploited his already-existing freedom.

What is the significance of the ending of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn?

The ending of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is significant on multiple levels. Jim's legal freedom is confirmed, completing the novel's anti-slavery argument. Huck's decision to head west reaffirms the theme of freedom versus civilization that drives the entire narrative. Mark Twain also breaks the fourth wall as Huck complains about the difficulty of writing a book, adding a metafictional layer. The open-ended conclusion—with Huck heading into uncharted territory—leaves the character's future deliberately unresolved, suggesting that the quest for freedom is perpetual rather than something that can be neatly concluded.