James Characters

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Rating	4.47
Reviews	41,487 reviews
Total Ratings	384,178 ratings
5 Star Rating	223,069 (58%)
Genres	Historical Fiction
Pages	300

Here is the full list of all the James characters. I’ve divided it into Main, Supporting, and Minor & Cameo sections, and every name or role that appears in the book is included – nothing omitted.

Character	Description
James (Jim) Golightly	Smart, literate enslaved man who escapes Miss Watson’s estate to reunite with wife Sadie and daughter Lizzie.
Huckleberry “Huck” Finn	White boy, Pap Finn’s son and secretly Jim’s biological son; his companion on the river journey.
Sadie	Jim’s wife, enslaved with their daughter; Jim’s motivation for freedom.
Lizzie	Jim and Sadie’s young daughter learning survival codes.
Norman	Light-skinned Black man passing as white; Jim’s ally, co-conspirator in escape and minstrel acts.

Another table of James characters lol…

Supporting Characters

Character	Description
Miss Watson	Jim’s owner in Hannibal; strict and plans to sell him downriver.
Tom Sawyer	Huck’s imaginative friend; creates adventures and schemes.
Judge Thatcher	Local law figure who’s cruel to Jim.
Albert	Older enslaved man, Jim’s friend and advisor.
Doris	Enslaved man in Jim’s storytelling group.
Old Luke	Wise elder in the enslaved community.
April & Cotton	Very old enslaved persons on Miss Watson’s property.
Bessie Thatcher	Judge Thatcher’s daughter in society.
Sadie’s Mother	Teaches survival skills to Jim’s family.
Brock	Engine-room slave on steamboat; loyal and hardened.
Sammy	Teenage enslaved girl beaten by Henderson, escapes with Jim and Norman.
Easter	Elderly blacksmith who helps Jim secretly.
Wiley	White livery owner who briefly owns Jim.
The Duke (Bridgewater)	White con man scamming on the river with the King.
The King (Dauphin)	Older con man posing as royalty, Duke partner.
Daniel Decatur Emmett	Founder of the Virginia Minstrels; hires Jim as tenor singer.
Cassidy	Trombonist in the minstrel troupe and friendly to Jim.
Big Mike	Clarinetist in the minstrel troupe.
Henderson	Sadistic sawmill owner who abuses enslaved workers.
Luke	Sawmill enslaved man with injured hand.
Rainbo	Sawmill enslaved worker.
Pierre	Free Black man skeptical of newcomers in Illinois.
Young George	Banjo maker who befriends Jim.
Old George	Elder man in Illinois community.
Josiah	Former runaway enslaved man scarred by capture.
McHart	Constable/schoolteacher in Bluebird Hole.
Polly	White woman interested in Jim during minstrel tour.
Polly’s Father	Suspicious white man who notices Jim’s makeup.
Mr. Corey	Imagined “Massa” of steamboat slave Brock.

Another table of James characters lol…

Minor & Cameo Characters

Character / Role	Description
Pap Finn	Huck’s abusive father; deceased during story.
Widow Douglas	Huck’s caretaker who tries to civilize him.
Miss Holiday	White neighbor; part of Jim’s coded language lessons.
Bessie the cat	Miss Watson’s pet cat.
Shepherdsons & Grangerfords	Feuding white Kentucky families symbolizing violence.
Sophia & Harney	Lovers whose elopement causes deadly feud.
Raleigh Nuggets	Missing former minstrel tenor.
Virginia Minstrels	Blackface minstrel troupe performing with Jim.
Party guests and townsfolk	Unnamed white townspeople and onlookers.
Steamboat passengers & crew	Various transient characters on riverboats.
Corey’s ghost	Mythic unseen presence for steamboat engineer Brock.
Emmett’s wife	Referenced musical associate.
Slave buyers/catchers	Individuals pursuing runaways.
Sawmill and cane field slaves	Work crews and anonymous oppressed laborers.
Paw & Ma (Huck’s parents)	Referenced offstage figures in Huck’s life.
Historical thinkers (Voltaire, Rousseau, Locke)	Appear in Jim’s fever dreams.
Denmark Vesey & Venture Smith	Historical Black resistance figures referenced in dialogue.
Dead bodies in river	Symbolic imagery along the Mississippi.