Why does Jim care for Huck?

Why does Jim care for Huck? 

Throughout the novel Jim shows characteristics of being kind and caring to Huck. Even though Huck still has the morals of the southern white society that sees Jim as a dehumanized version of himself, Jim still portrays these characteristics and has a sort of protective mindset over Huck. When they both arrive at the island, they decide to form a type of truce to help each other survive and get off the island. While Jim is aware of the thoughts Huck has about him, he still decides to help him. This protective mindset is shown in Chapter 9 when they arrive at the floating house and their is a dead man in the house. Jim tells Huck to close his eyes because he soon realized that it was Huck’s father. Jim acts as a father figure to Huck in order to protect him from the horrible sight of his dead father. 

“It’s a dead man. Yes indeedy; naked too. He’s ben shot in de back. I reck’n he’s Ben dead two er three days. Come in, Huck, but doan’ look at his face— it’s too gashly.”

As the story continues, the bond between Jim and Huck starts to grow and a friendship starts to blossom. A main reason for this is Huck’s morals start to develop and he begins to see Jim as a human being. By the end of the novel, it is apparent that Jim and Huck have both realized each other’s worth and value. Thus, Jim knows that it is the right thing to do to care for Huck throughout their journey. His position as a father figure grew once they both progressed into a friendly and supportive relationship.