What is Pap's Role in Huck's Journey?/Relationship With Huck

Although the character of Huck's father Pap only appears briefly in the story, I think that he plays an important role. First off I think that Twain included Pap to show the disconnect from "Sivilized" life to freedom/life on the river. For the first part of the novel Huck experiences life on the river with Pap and tell the audience that he would rather live with his drunk Pap than go back to being"sivilized" by Miss Watson. This new life of Huck I think is our first look into Twain's "if only" world, the ideal way to live. Also I think that Pap's role in the beginning was to show the greedy nature of mankind when Pap continues to try to get Huck's money so he can go get more whiskey. I think that Paps other purpose was to show the difference between himself and Jim. As the story progresses it seems to me that Jim becomes more of a fatherly figure towards Huck than Huck's father ever was. Jim is always concerned that something bad might have happened to Huck or that he got killed or something but my point is that Jim was always so happy to see Huck again and it was a heartfelt emotion. I think that Twain through Pap in the story to show the greedy ways of society and people and to establish Jim as a person and move his character away from just Miss Watson's slave. This question of what role did Pap play in Huck's journey also plays into the question of the relationship differences between Pap and Jim. I find that Jim's fatherly qualities become most apparent when he and Huck find the dead person and Jim provides so excuse so that Huck will think nothing of it and turn away. We find out later in the book that Jim was actually protecting Huck from seeing the body of his dead father. This I think especially provides ground for the opinion that Jim is the real fatherly/ protecting/guardian figure to Huck in this book. Overall, Pap is a bum and nobody really cares that he is dead, and Jim is cool, so there.