Jim is an enslaved man living in Hannibal who possesses a brilliant intellect and a deep philosophical curiosity. He secretly reads books from the local judge's library and frequently engages in imaginary debates with Enlightenment thinkers. To survive, he masks his intelligence by speaking in vernacular around white people, carefully teaching other enslaved individuals the necessity of code-switching. His actions are entirely driven by his profound love for his wife and daughter, pushing him to escape when he learns he is about to be sold downriver.

Huck is a young, resourceful white boy from Hannibal who constantly attempts to escape the brutal beatings of his abusive father. Though prone to impish behavior and small-time scheming, he possesses a unique moral curiosity that sets him apart from the adults in his town. He is the only white character who genuinely questions the ethics of enslavement, making him a willing and loyal companion to Jim as they travel down the river together.

These two opportunistic confidence men travel the river claiming to be an English duke and the rightful king of France. They are ignorant, entirely devoid of a moral compass, and constantly seek to exploit the people they meet. Upon discovering Jim's status as a fugitive, they devise a cruel and repetitive plan to sell him for profit, treating him with immense brutality in the process.

Norman is an enslaved man whose light skin allows him to pass as white within Daniel Decatur Emmett's traveling minstrel troupe. He finds the constant deception of passing exhausting but uses his position to survive. He quickly recognizes Jim's intelligence, and the two men bond over their shared understanding of white supremacy and their mutual desire to locate and free their families.

Lizzie is Jim's wife, an enslaved woman living in Hannibal. She provides Jim with emotional grounding, and her physical safety remains his primary motivation throughout the story. Jim's refusal to immediately flee to northern free states is rooted in his absolute refusal to abandon her.

Sadie is the young daughter of Jim and Lizzie. Jim carefully teaches her how to survive the perilous world of enslavement by deliberately masking her true intelligence and code-switching around white people.

Miss Watson is Jim's enslaver in Hannibal. Though she views herself as a proper and benevolent Christian woman, her arbitrary decision to sell Jim at a market in New Orleans shatters his life and acts as the inciting incident for his escape.

A local authority figure and wealthy enslaver in Hannibal who considers himself a "kind master." His large collection of philosophical texts provides Jim with the material that shapes his intellectual development, completely unbeknownst to the judge.

A violent, abusive, and absent parent whose sudden return to town terrifies his son. His brutal beatings are the direct cause of Huck faking his own death and running away to Jackson Island.

A white man who runs a traveling minstrel show. He purports to oppose slavery by "employing" rather than enslaving Black performers, but his decision to purchase Jim's labor and demand he work off the debt reveals his true participation in racist exploitation.

An enslaved man who discovers Jim in hiding. Understanding the importance of Jim's desire to record his own life story, George takes a massive personal risk to steal a pencil for him from his enslaver.

An enslaved man living in the area where Jim hides out. He provides Jim with crucial information about the vicious local enslavers who use dogs to hunt down escapees.

An enslaved blacksmith ordered by the Duke and the King to place Jim in chains. He silently rebels against the white men by using a spare key to unchain Jim as soon as they leave.

Easter's enslaver. He stops the conmen from beating his blacksmith, but his intervention is purely economic; he demands that Jim work in the forge to compensate for Easter's injuries.

The brutal owner of a sawmill who purchases Jim from Norman. He subjects the people he enslaves to extreme physical violence and sexual assault.

A teenage enslaved girl at the sawmill who endures frequent sexual assaults from Henderson. Her youth and vulnerability remind Jim of his own daughter, prompting him to help her escape.

An enslaved man who works on a riverboat. He exhibits deeply internalized racism, acting overly subservient to Norman simply because he believes Norman is a white man, demonstrating the psychological success of racist ideology.

An enslaved man who chats with Jim. He seamlessly code-switches between standard English and vernacular alongside Jim as different white men walk past them, illustrating their shared understanding of survival.

An enslaved woman who is moved into Jim's former home after his family is sold. She becomes the target of horrific abuse by the property's overseer.

A brutal white man responsible for managing the enslaved people on the property in Hannibal. He routinely uses sexual assault and physical violence to maintain terror and dominance over the people he oversees.

The owner of a remote farm specifically dedicated to "breeding" enslaved people. He treats the people on his property like livestock, keeping the men chained to poles and separating them from the women entirely.

Huck's childhood friend in Hannibal. He is known for being slightly bossy and frequently leading Huck into various shenanigans, though he is entirely disconnected from the heavier moral dilemmas Huck faces.