Diversity In Mark Twain's The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn

Despite all the criticism, of racism and other questionable material for young readers, Mark Twain’s The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn is a superbly written novel, which in the opinion of this reviewer should not be remove the literary cannon. Twain’s novel is a coming of age story that teaches young people many valuable lessons and to some extend makes students reexamine their own lives and morals. The most common argument for its removal from the literary canon is that the novel is too racist; it offends black readers, perpetuates cheap slave-era stereotypes, and deserves no place on today’s bookshelves.  However one must ask if Twain is encouraging

Since the release of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1885, the way that different races relate to each other (specifically people of European and African descent) has changed astronomically. In some ways it’s improved dramatically, but some aspects of inter-racial relations have changed in ways that are not necessarily positive since the books release.

Mark Twain has always been one of the most controversial authors of all time. Though in recent years, there has been increasing controversy over the ideas expressed in his novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In some extreme cases the novel has even been banned by public school systems and censored by public libraries. The basis for this censorship is the argument that Mark Twain's book is racist, but in reality Twain was against racism and used this book to make people aware of what was going on in the south. He did this by using the regional dialect of the south, showing the attitude of the other characters in the novel toward black people, and showing his depiction of black characters. If one were to "read between the lines"

Throughout the realistic, historical fiction novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, the main character, “Huck,” shows blatantly racist ideologies. Constantly, Huck’s internal conflict between helping a fugitive slave and turning him in divides him. Huck ultimately ends up helping the slave, Jim, but treats him as subhuman, and takes advantage of his companionship. Shown in the novel, Huck does not learn to stop being racist. This is made clear in chapters where he allows others to make fun of Jim, refers to Jim as “ my nigger,” lies to Jim, etc. Huckleberry Finn was brought up in the south during the 1830’s-1840’s, where slavery was legal, black people were treated as subhuman, and racism was heavily influenced. Although it may not be Huck’s fault that he is racist, due to all of the societal pressure and influence he receives, his words and thoughts show that he is undoubtledy a racist.

The main messages and themes of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are supported by the main symbols of the novel which are the raft, the river, and land. Themes of this novel are racism and equality, freedom, and the importance of friendship. The raft that Huck and Jim spent many days floating on symbolizes equality whereas the raft was the only place that they could speak together as equals despite the colors of their skin. The Mississippi river which Huck and Jim floated down shows how free they are compared to being on land. Land represents the exact opposite of the river. It shows how Huck and Jim don’t have freedom and aren’t equal. Eventually, Huck and Jim find out freedom and equality can only be found temporary and not last forever.

     When one is young they must learn from their parents how to behave. A child's parents impose society's unspoken rules in hope that one day their child will inuitivly decerne wrong from right and make decisions based on their own judgment. These moral and ethical decisions will affect one for their entire life. In Mark Twains, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck is faced with the decision of choosing to regard all he has been taught to save a friend, or listen and obey the morals that he has been raised with. In making his decision he is able to look at the situation maturely and grow to understand the moral imbalances society has. Hucks' decisions show his integrity and

In 1955, 90 years after the abolishment of slavery, Martin Luther King Jr. became the leader of the first non-violent negro demonstration in the United States. King had been a baptist since he was young and was even a pastor at a baptist church for years. King fought for the rights of his fellow African Americans and tried to stop racism for all races. In his arguments King often backed up his statements with his religious beliefs and quoted the bible several times. Although race and religion are two completely different topics, they are widely argued and can be used to defend certain beliefs.

Some literary critics agree with Ernest Hemingway that "all modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn… it's the best book we've had. All American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since,” (Hemingway). While others feel that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn does not belong in the literary canon and that it “is itself literally incoherent” (Jehlen). Unquestionably, it is now one of the “most often debated major work in American literature” (Fertig). Although The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has caused several controversies, one major debate is whether if it is racist or not.

Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel about a young boys coming of age in Missouri of the mid-1800s. The main character, Huckleberry Finn, spends much time in the novel floating down the Mississippi River on a raft with a runaway slave named Jim. Before he does so, however, Huck spends some time in the fictional town of St. Petersburg where a number of people attempt to influence him. Before the novel begins, Huck Finn has led a life of absolute freedom. His drunken and often missing father has never paid much attention to him; his mother is dead and so, when the novel begins, Huck is not used to following any rules.

Pakistan has long not allowed women to attend school due to the Islamic regime in the country, it is now considered the social norm for women to not attend school. Malala Yousafzai decided to break this status quo and attend school, however, she was brutally shot in the head by the Taliban. Although, she survived and continues to break the status quo by encouraging women to attend school and has even won the Nobel peace prize for her efforts. Similarly, Twain, Shakespeare, and Dick challenge the status quo though their use of characters to break the status quo of racial superiority in their literary works.

Society controls an individual of what they want them to think or do. Society shapes and individual of their ideas and morals leading to conflict of what one wants to do but also what society wants him to do. But when one becomes separated from society, they’re able to think for themselves more but are still conflicted by society. Eventually the individual will be able to make their own decisions without having to think about what society want them to do. This is what happens in The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn, the main character Huck is conflicted in multiple situations of what he believes is right and what society believes is right. In Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck’s alienation from society illuminates Twain’s central message that being away from society can lead to an individual becoming more independent, following his own ideals and morals.

When Racism was Socially Acceptable Racism was not always looked upon as offensive and arrogant. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huckleberry, also known as Huck, constantly uses the ‘n- word,’ along with many other characters. Today, this would be socially offensive. However, in Huck’s time, he is raised to describe African Americans this way unlike modern times.

It is no secret that racism was a big problem in the America during the early 1860’s. Authors and artists found a way to incorporate the ways of life during this time into their work. One of the most famous pieces of literature that involves racism was Mark Twain 's, Huckleberry Finn during the Realism period. The Harlem Renaissance happened 30 years after the publication of Twain’s Huck Finn, and their works still talked about problem with racism and segregation. Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston were two of the most influential African American writers during this time period. Racism and the treatment of African Americans has changed dramatically from time period to time

For decades the constant battle of racism has filled an aspect of our lives that controls much of our actions or non-actions and our moral beliefs as an individual and as a society. During the time of the antebellum South, African Americans were poorly treated and lived in inferior circumstances. They were looked down upon by others in society and were not given a fair chance at success. There was little to no education for African Americans and any chance of moving up in society was limited. White people did not see blacks as humans, they saw them as less than themselves and as property that did not deserve respect or fair treatment, resulting in harsh

An issue of central importance to Huckleberry Finn is the issue of race. The story takes place in a time of slavery, when blacks were considered inferior to whites, sometimes to the point of being considered less than fully human. But Huckleberry Finn challenges the traditional notions of the time, through its narrator and main character, Huckleberry Finn. While in the beginning, Huck is as unaware of the incorrectness of society’s attitudes as the rest of society is, he undergoes many experiences which help him to form his own perspective of racial issues. Through the adventures and misadventures of Huck Finn and the slave Jim, Twain challenges the traditional societal views of race and