In a 21st Century Pulitzer Prize winner, this character introduced in an 1876 work is biracial

On the Jeopardy episode airing Wednesday, January 7, 2026, contestants faced a compelling clue in the category “Literature”:

Clue: In a 21st Century Pulitzer Prize winner, this character introduced in an 1876 work is biracial.

The correct response was:

Who is Huckleberry Finn?

The correct answer to this clue references “James”, a 2024 novel by Percival Everett that reimagines Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn through the voice of Jim, the enslaved man who traveled with Huck down the Mississippi River. While Twain introduced Huck Finn in 1876 in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and expanded his story in the 1884 sequel, Everett’s retelling introduces a major narrative shift: Jim is not only Huck’s travel companion but, in a stunning revelation, is also Huck’s biological father.

This reworking renders Huck biracial, a fact hidden from him throughout much of the narrative in James. This element is pivotal in Everett’s version, reframing Huck’s internal conflict with slavery and race not just as social commentary, but as a personal reckoning. The reinterpretation also serves to confront the racial dynamics in Twain’s original while giving deeper agency to Jim.

From Twain’s Huck to Everett’s James

Mark Twain’s Huck Finn is one of the most recognized figures in American literature—a white boy fleeing abuse and seeking freedom. In Twain’s original, Jim is portrayed as kind but often stereotyped, and Huck slowly begins to question the morality of slavery through their shared journey. While Huck’s moral growth is central to Twain’s novel, the original narrative still centers Huck’s white experience.

Everett’s James, however, turns the focus inward on Jim. Through his narration, readers gain a fuller view of his intellect, internal life, and strategic self-presentation in a hostile world. This reframing changes the power dynamic of the original story. The most profound shift comes when Jim reveals that Huck is his son. This secret, held tightly for the boy’s safety, alters Huck’s understanding of race, family, and self. His biracial identity becomes a symbol of hidden truths in American history.

Pulitzer Recognition for a Groundbreaking Novel

James won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2025, marking a significant literary achievement. Its author, Percival Everett, was already widely respected for his inventive and socially conscious fiction, but James became one of his most celebrated works. In addition to the Pulitzer, it earned the Kirkus Prize and National Book Award for Fiction, underscoring its critical and cultural impact.

The novel’s acclaim stems not only from its powerful storytelling but also its ability to interrogate a canonical American text. By giving voice to Jim and adding complexity to Huck’s character through the lens of race and identity, Everett challenges readers to reexamine assumptions about heroism, narrative authority, and the legacy of slavery in literature.

The Transformation of a Classic Character

In James, Huck Finn’s transformation into a biracial character is not a superficial twist but a profound narrative decision. Huck, unaware of his Black heritage for most of the story, embodies the blurred lines of identity in a racially divided America. When the truth is finally revealed, his reactions are mixed—betrayal, confusion, and ultimately, a deeper bond with Jim.

This development redefines Huck’s coming-of-age arc. Rather than simply being a white boy learning to see a Black man as fully human, he becomes a young person forced to navigate his own place within a system that has defined him by falsehoods. The moment Jim calls himself Huck’s father is a climactic shift, re-centering the story’s emotional core around paternal love and racial truth.

Lasting Impact and Cultural Resonance

Everett’s James is a literary response not just to Twain’s novel but to the historical silences and distortions in American storytelling. By making Huck biracial, Everett reclaims and reimagines a story that has long been central to the American literary canon. The decision deepens the novel’s exploration of identity, resistance, and freedom, while challenging modern readers to reconsider how race has shaped not just the characters but the narratives themselves.

This Final Jeopardy clue did more than test knowledge of a literary fact—it gestured toward a larger conversation about reinterpretation, legacy, and the evolving understanding of America’s past through its fiction. As literature continues to evolve, works like James play a vital role in expanding the stories readers tell and the voices that tell them.