TaniaSalinas

Carroll
HonorsEnglishLiterature
November20,2015
MyJim
FinalEssay
InAmerica,libertymeanstobefreeofoppressionfromauthorityinoneswayoflife,
behavior,orpoliticalviewslibertymeanstohavenobarriers.IntheDeclarationof
Independence,ThomasJeffersonsays,allmenarecreatedequal,thattheyareendowedbytheir
creatorwithcertainunalienablerightsthatamongtheseareLife,Liberty,andthepursuitof
Happiness.Thattosecuretheserights,Governments[derive]theirjustpowersfromthe
consentofthegoverned(Jefferson813).Inanotherfoundingdocument,
RemembertheLadies
,
AbigailAdamstalksabouthowthosewhoaredeniedoftheirfreedomcraveitevenmorethe
passionforlibertycannotbeequallystronginthebreastsofthosewhohavebeenaccustomedto
deprivetheirfellowcreaturesoftheirs(Adams14).AccordingtothecriticHelenSchulman,
NancyRawlessaysthattoAfricanAmericans,libertydoesn'tfeellikethefreedomthey
expectedinhernovel,
MyJim.
InSchulmansreview,shesaysRawlescoverterritoryTwaindidnotsuchasJims
endlessstruggleforfreedom,butthestoryismorefocusedonhiswife:Sadie.ToSchulman,
Rawlesdescribestheirfreedominaveryrealisticway,emancipationfeelsalotlikeslavery.
ThewarsoverlongtimeagobutIstillainttastesmyfreedom,Sadiesays(Schulman1517).
HerethecriticusesadirectquotefromthetextshowinghowthroughSadie,Rawlessaysthat
theyweren'ttrulyexperiencingfreedom.Thisshowshowevenlongafterthewar,beingequally

freewasadistantdream.TothiscriticnotonlyisthewayRawlesdescribesSadiesfreedom
veryrealistic,butalsoherexperiencesingeneral:rapes,beatings,pregnancies,andoverallloss.
Evenaftershehadlibertyshestilllostmanythingsdeartohershewasstilloppressedby
inequality,andbydefinitiontohavelibertymeanstobefreeofoppressionfromauthorityin
oneswayoflife.Theydidn'thaveahappilyeverafterbecausetheyweren'ttrulyacceptedas
theywantedtobe,andthatwouldhavebeenbeingfree.
RawlesdoesdescribelibertythewaySchulmanclaims:realistically.In
MyJim,
Rawles
saysthateventhoughtheyaretechnicallyfree,Sadiedoesn'treallyfeelfree,Whenfreedom
finallycomeitaintfeelsitrightaway.Folksthinkfreedomgonnalookonewaybutitlookall
kindsofways.Sometimesitlooklikeslavery.Folksthinkfreedomsomethinglikeabuttonora
tooth.Somethingyoucanholdontoaintgonnabreak.Butyoucanbreakabuttonwithatooth
andbreakatoothwithabutton.Andbothofthemrealeasytolose.Evenwhenyourightwhere
theydropyoustillgonnalookandcan'tfindthem.Iffreedomaplaceitsaplaceyoupass
through(Rawles140).WiththislongdescriptionRawlesshowshowmanyimaginedfreedom
tobe,buthowtheywerealsogreatlydisappointedwhenitwasn'twhattheyexpected,like
SchulmanpointedoutIstillainttastesmyfreedom.RawlestellsthestoryofSadiehowit
couldhavepossiblybeenshedoesn'tsugarcoattheharshrealitythattheyweren'treallyfree.
LikeSadietoldJimthelasttimeshesawhimOnlyonesfreethespirits(Rawles160).This
alsoshowshowinrealitytheyweren'ttrulyfreebecauseshebelievedthattheonlywaytobe
freewasinspirit,asinwhentheyweredead.Thatbringsupabiggerquestion:isanythingreally
free?AsBobDylansaid,Nooneisfree,eventhebirdsarechainedtothesky.

SchulmanclaimsthatRawlesrealisticallydescribesliberty,asthosewhowereonce
slavesstilldon'tfeeltheirfreedomastheyexpected.SincethebirthoftheAmericannation,
thosewhowantedfreedomthemostweren'ttheoneswhorepresentedrevolutionsorthosewho
aremostrememberedforit,butthosewhoweredeprivedoftheirfreedomandstillfought
besidestheirdeprivedtotogetfreedomforthem.Muchlikewomen,AfricanAmericanswanted
achancetobeasequallyfreeaswhitemen,butinsteadweredeniedthissocalledGodgiven
right.ModernAmericanisstillslowlylearninghowtogivefreedomtoallandnotoppress
anyoneswayoflife,behavior,orpoliticalview.