How Does Mark Twain Use Inequality In Huck Finn

When Huck finds out about the Duke and Dauphin’s plan to cheat the Phelps sisters out of their inheritance, he states "Well, if I ever struck anything like it, I'm a [n-word]. It was enough to make a body ashamed of the human race" (Twain, 1986, page 175). In this quote, Huck appears to be racist and insensitive, however, he is just acting the way he has been taught his whole life. Huck’s racism is not the product of an immoral soul, just an immoral society that raised him. However, Twain’s choice of a young and apparently racist boy in the novel can be accounted for by his own childhood experiences. Twain is quoted as saying “In my schoolboy days I had no aversion to slavery. I was not aware that there was anything wrong about it. No one arraigned it in my hearing; the local papers said nothing against it; the local pulpit taught us that God approved it, that it was a holy thing, and the doubter need only look in the Bible if he wished to settle his mind — and then the texts were read aloud do us to make the matter sure” (Camfield, 2005). This quote has been a lightning rod for controversy, as critics claim that it proves Twain’s racism. However, just as Huck grows to detest the institution, Twain soon realized slavery for the evil that it was and began to detest it. Just like Huck, he grew up comfortable with demeaning

Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, has sparked debates on the repeated usage of the n-word. While some argue that the n-word is offensive and a contribution to today’s existing racism, others argue that the use of the n-word in the story accurately portrays the time period of the novel. Twain uses the n-word purposely as a racial slur to accent the hatred towards African Americans in American society during the 1830s-1840s.

From the “n” word to how Huck treats Jim, racism is all over the place, or is it. People see the “n” word and the first thing that comes to mind is, “well is the person who said it black?” Unfortunately for Mr. Twin, the answer is no, so the next most logical step is to assume the Mr. Twain is racist, right? But, Mark Twain did not include the “n” word in Huckleberry Finn because he is racist; he used it because that was what was common at the time. The “n” word is merely a form of regional dialect. It gives justice to what the characters are saying. Without it, the book would not feel authentic to the time period. Individuals also sight how Huck and others treat Jim, but, like the “n” word, how they treat Jim is just like people would have at the time the book is based around. If Mark Twain did not include this, the book would seem far to made up to be taken seriously. Huckleberry Finn is far from a racist

but upon further inspection and a little context it’s revealed that this statement is only offensive to make a point. And that point is that Huck has a hard time humbling himself to a nigger, not a slave, not a black man, a nigger. Because Twain chose this term the readers get to see that Huck begins the process of escaping the southern values instilled in him. Huckleberry Finn should be read by students in classrooms across the country even if it be a sanitized, because the book is too significant to pass

For example, on page 4 Huck flicked a spider into a candle and states “I didn't need anybody to tell me that was an awful bad sign…” This example therefore highlights Huck’s hypocrisy as well as his own lack of understanding in the world. The deeper point that Twain is trying to make is about the racial prejudice that formed the foundation of southern white society. Even in the purest of its population (the youth), there is still a negative view towards blacks, despite the fact that they may be doing the exact same thing. I would again agree with this point, due to the fact that hypocrisy and racial discrimination was found clearly in every aspect of southern

But according to Michael Meyers, “It is in the classroom, exactly, where the word ‘nigger’ belongs. It does not belong in the street, in casual conversation among whites or between blacks.” (67). John Wallace feels that because the word “nigger” appears over 200 times throughout the story, it “has caused him to be traumatized as a high-school student when it was required reading.” (“View of Slavery Still a Hot Topic”). Wallace went so far as to change the book, replacing any words that he felt were offensive to black people with other non-offensive words like slave or black man. When Wallace changed this book to what he felt was less offensive, the novel lost its irony, and its values (“View of Slavery Still a Hot Topic”). Other people argue that the text is harmful for young African-American students to read, but they must realize that Twain was writing for the time of the story. He wrote these words as a reminder that the way people acted in the past was unacceptable, and should not be tolerated, nor repeated. He knew that the way he had the characters treat Jim and the other slaves was wrong, but he was writing a period piece. These actions fit the way people acted in American society in the 1830's and 1840's (Cryer 60). Twain goes on to show that even though Huck has been brought up to think of blacks as only slaves, and that he knows that freeing a slave, is not only

Because of being portrayed during the 1830's and 1840's, racial prejudice was unrestrained. The reason why racism was such a prevalent part of society was due to slavery. Under this oppressive system, whites were deemed to be masters over blacks, and African-Americans were portrayed to be inferior to whites. In fact, whites perceived blacks to be tools to use at their leisure. Consequently, these thoughts of superiority were the fuel needed to light the fire of racism prejudice towards of African-Americans. In fact, various forms of dialogue emanate how whites this oppressive ideology. For example, Huck's father demonstrated these ideals, when he stated, "here was a free nigger there from Ohio—a mulatter, most as white as a white man. He had the whitest shirt on you ever see, too, and the shiniest hat; and there ain't a man in that town that's got as fine clothes as what he had, and he had a gold watch and chain, and a silver-headed cane—the awfulest old gray-headed nabob in the State. And what do you think? They said he was a professor in a college and could talk all kinds of languages, and known everything. And that ain't the worst. They said he could VOTE when he was at home. Well, that let me out. Thinks I, what is the country a-coming to?”(Twain 27) Because of Huckleberry’s father overall mood towards African-Americans, readers can

First of all Huck swears saying the N word all throughout the book to refer to slaves. In the very beginning Huck sees Jim, “We scrouched down and laid still. Miss Watson’s big nigger, named Jim, was settled in the kitchen door; we could see him pretty clear, because

Here Huck says, “It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a n***er – but I done it, and I warn’t ever sorry for it afterwards, neither.” (Twain page 65). This quote alone goes to show how African-Americans were viewed in the 1800’s. Saying this, Huck shows the reader that African-Americans were seen as in superior to all others and that they did not need to be treated like real people at all. This is a common theme throughout the story which helps the reader get a better feel to what everyday life was like for these people. Huck then goes on to say that he didn’t do anything else bad to Jim and wouldn’t have said those things if he knew that it would have made Jim feel that bad. This also shows that even though some people just seem like they are mean to minorities in general, sometimes, like Huck, it is a learned trait from the society that he lived in at the

Mark Twain went against endless amounts of criticism about his racist’s comments in his novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The character of Jim is demeaning to African-Americans as he is portrayed as a foolish, uneducated, black slave. The “n” word is also used in the book describing him and many other African-American characters in the story. However, some see this book as anti-racist and believe that the use of racist’s comments is not racist at all. Those who think that are mistaken because Huck Finn in clearly a racist novel.

Twain’s use of colloquial, homespun diction to veil Huck’s enlightened views on slavery and racism in the novel, creating an

Just because Twain uses the n word in his text, it doesn’t mean he is racist. He wanted the book to be as close to reality as possible and at the time this is the language they were using. Because of the way people spoke back then in the late 1800s, Twain shouldn’t be ridiculed of being a racist. He was simply stating how it used to be. This shouldn’t be taken in the wrong way and said that the novel teaches racism, but instead of a way to reflect and learn about our past.

Furthermore, the consistent repetition of the derogatory N word, and the damaging context it is used in, reinforces the consistent racism in this novel. The N word is repeated at least 219 times throughout the book, which is definitely an excessive amount. When Huck realizes that the two con man stole the gold he says, "well, if ever I struck anything like it, I'm a nigger. It was enough to make a body ashamed of the human race" (Twain 163). Huck is using the N word in a very racist connotation here, because he is ashamed of his own race, and he’s saying that if he did anything like that he might as well be a “nigger”, because in his eyes only they could do something as bad like steal money.

Finally, Twain shows how the slave were treated in the south. The slaves are shown no respect, the slaves are dirt and property only in the white people's eyes. Huck is saying this because that is what Tom’s aunt would want him to say: “‘No’m. Killed a nigger’” (Twain 221). This quote is showing that the African Americans do not matter to the whites. The slaves cannot fight for their freedom because the whites would lynch them so the slaves cannot save themselves. In the article “The Adventures…” they discuss that the African American community cannot own land: “1840s: Under the Slave Codes, enacted by individual southern states, slaves could not own property” (¨The Adventures…” 11). This is showing that slaves are not no contractions people

Mark Twain being raised in a town where slavery existed and slaves were called “niggers” this was normal for him and wasn’t considered offensive to Blacks. This racial term is repeatedly used in the book and today that word is very offensive to most people, but during the era Twain set the book in it was not like that. Black people were just called this without any thought to the name. Throughout the novel, Huck struggles with dealing with how different Jim is, and learns of Jim’s heart and humanity. A word that is commonly used today that we might not find offensive could be in forty years to other people; because they see a meaning behind the word that actually had no meaning when it was originally used. Twain was clearly not writing to offend anyone or make it so people felt uncomfortable teaching it, like he said in the beginning before the novel " Persons attempting to find a