James (Novel) Chapter 1 Highlights

1. It always pays to give white folks what they want, so I stepped into the yard and called out into the night, 'Who dat dere in da dark lak dat?'




2. Those boys couldn’t sneak up on a blind and deaf man while a band was playing.




3. What if’n you wake Jim? I ain’t gonna wake nobody. Thunder can’t even wake a sleepin’ nigger. Don’t you know nuffin? Thunder, nor lightning, nor roarin’ lions. I hear tell of one that slept right through an earthquake.




4. What you suppose an earthquake feels like? Huck asked. Like when you pa wakes you up in the middle of the night.




5. You cain’t jest take an old lady’s candles, Huck said. That’s stealin’. What if’n they blamed Jim for that? Here, I’ll leave her this here nickel. That’s more’n enough. They won’t ’spect no slave. Where a slave gonna git a nickel? Now, let’s git outta here befo’ she shows up.




6. No, missums. I seen dem books, but I ain’t been in da room. Why fo you be askin’ me dat? Oh, he found some book off the shelves. I laughed. What I gone do wif a book? She laughed, too.




7. The corn bread was wrapped in a thin towel and I had to keep shifting hands because it was hot. I considered having a taste because I was hungry, but I wanted Sadie and Elizabeth to have the first bites.




8. I’ll be sure to take this towel back to her tomorrow. White folks always remember things like that. I swear, I believe they set aside time every day to count towels and spoons and cups and such.




9. Sadie had the corn bread on the block—a stump, really—that served as our table.




10. Took a bite and so did Lizzie. We looked at each other. But it smells so good, the child said. Sadie shaved off a sliver and put it in her mouth. I swear that woman has a talent for not cooking. Do I have to eat it? Lizzie asked. No, you don’t, Sadie said.




11. But what are you going to say when she asks you about it? I asked. Lizzie cleared her throat. Miss Watson, dat sum conebread lak I neva before et. Try "dat be," I said. That would be the correct incorrect grammar.




12. Change in diction alerted the rest to the white boys’ presence. So, my performance for the boys became a frame for my story. My story became less of a tale as the real game became the display for the boys.




13. Waited till midmorning so I wouldn’t wake any white folks. They could sleep like nobody’s business and always complained to wake up too early, no matter how late it was.




14. Well, the way I sees it, Huck, is if’n you rake a fish’s back wid a fork head ta tail, ain’t gone matter much to him, but if’n you go ta other way…




15. It seem sumtimes you jest gotta put up wif your friends. Dey gonna do what dey gonna do.




16. Jim, you work the mules and you fix the wagon wheels and now you fixin’ this here porch. Who taught you to do all them things? I stopped and looked at the hammer in my hand, flipped it. Dat be a good question, Huck.




17. So, who did? Necessity. What? ’Cessity, I corrected myself. ’Cessity is when you gots to do sumptin’ or else. Or else what? Else’n they takes you to the post and whips ya or they drags ya down to the river and sells ya. Nuffin you gots to worry ’bout.