Huckleberry Finn: An Unintentional Racist

Throughout the novel, Huck Finn, a thirteen year-old boy, befriends Jim, a slave, during the 1830’s and 1840’s in the south. Huck Finn is a genuine boy who reaches beyond society’s thoughts on becoming friends with a slave (Newell 4). Because Huck does not realize racism is a bad thing, he treats Jim as a friend rather than a slave (Newell 5). In the middle of the novel when Huck Finn felt terrible for stealing Jim away from Miss Watson, Huck writes a letter telling Miss Watson where she could find Jim. Soon after he wrote the letter, he realized that writing that letter was going to destroy his friendship with Jim, Huck responded saying, “I was a trembling, because I’d got to decide, forever, betwixt two things, and I knowed it. I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself: ‘All right, then, I’ll go to hell’ --and tore it up” (Levin 2). This states that Huck shows his emotional feelings towards Jim and helping him. Huck does not fully understand the concept of racism during the 1830’s and 1840’s in southern society, which is why Huck tries to help Jim whenever Jim is in need. Huck and Jim have a relationship consisting of each other caring for one another’s well being (Newell 4). During this time, society does not truly understand the concept of racism being a negative, which leads to Huck’s friendliness

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.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain is often criticized as a racist text; however, it may have helped to dismantle racial prejudices. The classic satire piece was written in the late 1800s and follows a young boy named Huckleberry Finn on his journey down the Mississippi river. Huck soon joins with Jim, a runaway slave, as they both flee from their unfortunate situations. When the book was published, it was highly controversial, due to the questionable morals of Huck Finn, and the candid portrayal of slavery. Today, Twain is often denounced for what many see as an overuse of the “n” word, and a comically negative portrayal of African Americans. Many argue that Jim is depicted as a caricature, similar to the exaggerated and offensive

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.

In the time and setting that this book takes place, most people would think that Huck Finn was the worst person. Saving a slave during that era is just about as bad a crime as kidnapping or stealing. Many people are on the hunt for Jim and Huck both, even putting a reward out for whoever finds them. Our story begins with Huck meeting Jim and wondering why he’s on the island.  Jim asks him not to tell anyone and Huck agrees. Huck Finn is able to relate to Jim and understand their shared dilemma.“People would call me a low-down abolitionist and despise me for keeping mum-but that don't make no difference I ain't a-going to tell and I ain't a-going back there anyways” (p. 43).  Huck knows that letting Jim go is against the law and helping Jim is worse. But Huck has also just run away and can understand a little of what Jim is going through.

At the beginning of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huck treats Jim as nothing more than Miss Watson’s Negro that does all the dirty work. Huck regards Jim as simple, trusting, and gullible; in fact, Huck never really notices Jim because of his color. Huck’s society treats Negros as objects of no importance to the world. Huck figures out for himself that Jim is a real human with a heart just like he has. Throughout the novel, Huck goes through several experiences which help him form his own perspective on race. As Huck and Jim take their journey down the Mississippi River, Huck’s views change toward Jim and their bond is strengthened.

Racism is a major factor in our world today, many people are not aware of how racism affects our local schooling, the places we work, and even our social lives at home. In the novel “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, Mark Twain explains how the horribly the whites treated the blacks and how awful racism can actually be. Pap is the type of person to be totally racist, he doesn’t care what other people think of him. On the other hand Mary is a sweet girl who wants slavery to end and to make the racism stop. Then there's the doctor who tries to stick up for the blacks but does it in a way that is not the appropriate way to do so. Racism is a bad thing, but it will never go away.

Many believe that Mark Twain wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to be a completely racist novel with no second thought of how offensive it is. Although many believe this, there is evidence that proves otherwise. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a work of satire in which stereotyping and racist remarks are intentionally being used. Mark Twain is not being racist; he over exaggerates and under exaggerates the characteristics of the typical slave owner to force a better understanding of how it is immoral. Reasoning to believe that Twain is being completely racist throughout the novel may stem from the lack of

Slavery: a condition in which a person is enslaved and forced to work without remuneration or appreciation. Racism: the belief that members of each race possess characteristics, abilities, or qualities specific to that race as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another. Both slavery and racism are most present and very noticeable concepts of Mark Twain’s novel, ‘The adventures of Huckleberry Finn’. The conveying of Huck’s exposure to racism plus his altered view on slaves as the book progresses and difference in societal status of Jim and Pap demonstrates the concepts of slavery and racism.

Many students, scholars, and teachers agree that Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, is a racist book pushing racist ideologies. Are these individuals correct in their beliefs, or are they completely missing the point of Huckleberry Finn. Many of these persons say that Mark Twain was racist, and they say that his book, Huckleberry Finn, is just a tool that he used to spread his racist feelings. While many people may feel that this is the case, they have some key issues to their argument.

Literature is what keeps the American culture alive through generations. The novels The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, and Reservation Blues, by Sherman Alexie capture parts of American culture, and the themes in the novels are what allow people to understand what past or foreign cultures were like. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Reservation Blues are American reads because of the themes, or overall message that the novels portray. Racism and defying the stereotype are some prominent themes in the novels.

Mark Twain, one of the most well-known and appreciated writers in America, wrote many novels based on racial tension in the nineteenth century including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and its sequel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Upon publication, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was highly discussed because of the racial stereotypes and slurs included. As a result, the novel became popular in a short amount of time and was temporarily banned due to the rising fuss it had created about slavery and racism. Although there was strong evidence pointing the book towards racism, a deeper look into the novel showed that there was actually an anti-racism theme. This anti-racism theme is proved when Huckleberry Finn, a white teenage boy, and Jim,

Being the writer of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, some scholars, in addition, feel that Twain himself was racist and therefore intertwined his feeling throughout the book. To begin, scholars cannot overlook that Twain was in the Confederate Army fighting for slavery (Wallace 23). This within its self makes it hard to believe that Twain was against slavery, but some critics find it more compelling that Twain was apparently fighting against racism but used negative terms for blacks, making him a hypocrite (Lew 16). Other experts find that Twain did not take the issue of slavery seriously. Lester believes that he wrote Huck Finn as a scapegoat for what whites put African-Americans through (Lester 201). Lester also felt as though Twain did

A person’s looks can not determine how they feel about a certain race of people. Some of the nicest looking peoples harbor deep feelings of hatred towards races other than their own. Characters like Aunt sally, Uncle Earl, and Miss Watson all seem like very nice people, but they all accept and participate in, whether they realize it or not, racism. Almost all of the characters in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain seem to have pre-conceived ideas towards blacks, and the author does not seem to have any trouble writing the words of their pre-conceived thoughts or ideas. Mark Twain has an accepting attitude towards racism in his book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Mark Twain is seen by some as being a racist because of the style of his writing in his novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In the seventeenth century, white people owned slaves and treated them as property. Twain wanted to show people in today’s society how black people were treated during the time of slavery. Some critics accuse Mark Twain of being a racist, however, in the novel Huck and Jim have a friendship which proves otherwise. Twain did not intend the book to be racist. Some parents, teachers, critics, and many others may find this book inappropriate and feel it should not be permitted to be taught in classrooms. However, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, should be taught in schools in order to educate students about the past use of the “n-word”, treatment of blacks as property, and man’s prejudice against man during the seventeenth century when blacks were slaves.