Racism In The Gilded Age

Since its publication in December of 1884, Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, has created a great deal of controversy in American society. This well-known story follows a troubled young boy and a run away slave as they adventure down the Mississippi in search of new lives. Huck Finn longs for freedom from both his father, and from the society he has been exposed to. Jim longs for freedom from slavery and racism. Readers have argued over the matter of whether or not this novel should be banned from schools due to the frequent use of the “n-word”. It has caused many to question Twain’s intensions throughout the book, and is often seen as offensive. Although slavery has remained a difficult and upsetting issue in our nations

What is racism? Racism is the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially to categorize it as inferior or superior to another race or races. Racism has changed a lot over the last century.

People often hesitate to accept what they do not understand. In the absence of love and compassion, it is no question that fear, ignorance, and hatred, all contribute to a melting pot of negativity in the world. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, is about the love and friendship cultivated by a young boy and a black slave on the Mississippi River. Despite the pair’s differences, they are able to endure the struggles and difficulties that the toilsome journey brings. Mark Twain, in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, emphasizes the shift in Huck’s view towards slavery by contrasting Huck’s initial tone of reflectiveness to his assertive tone, both collectively addressing the issue of racism in society.

Black Americans faced several harmful social, economic, and political conditions in the United States of America during the Gilded Age. One of the unfair social conditions they faced was segregation. For example, in Florida, Kentucky, and Mississippi, the Jim Crow Laws required separate schools for white children and children of color. In Georgia, blacks barbers were not allowed to serve white women or girls. In Virginia, theaters that attended by white and black people had to separate the two races into different sections of the theater. Many argued that the two races were separate but equal, however that could not be further from the truth. Separate does not equal equality. There was a racial pyramid in the country with white people at the

In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Jim, a runaway slave, faces many obstacles in his journey to freedom. Huck Finn, a teenage boy and friend of JIm, is also facing difficulty with whether or not he should be helping Jim escape slavery. Many characters throughout the novel struggle to deal with conflicts. A conflict that people in today’s world are struggling to deal with, is the controversy over whether Huckleberry Finn is a racist novel or not. All-in-all, Huckleberry Finn is profoundly antislavery. Twain creates Him as a man who is brave and heroic. Twain also demonstrates that the blacks and whites relationship is not the only concern over racism, and reveals the voice of a slave attempting to survive in a white slave culture.

As class played a crucial role in influencing the character of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, race to some degree also played an integral part impacting the immigrant experience of the Chinese and Southern Europeans, how African Americans faced ill-treatment, and showcasing how racism correlated with imperialism.

It is hard to turn on the news today without being reminded that the world that we live in still has distinct traces of racism from bygone eras, with racially charged protests towards police brutality and accountability. Racism can affect many different groups of people and can be expressed in countless ways. While we have made advances in the treatment and relative equality of others, remnants of a racist time are lodged within our society. Mark Twain’s novel “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” can be seens as one such remnant, due to its portrayal and attitude towards African Americans. Mark Twain writes the character Jim to be what was a stereotypical African American slave in the mid nineteenth

Mark Twain’s classic novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn took place during a tense period in U.S. history. Heated debate over the morality of slavery had sparked and deep divisions were emerging between the northern and southern states. Born in Missouri, a slave state, the novel’s protagonist Huckleberry Finn was raised on values of racism and prejudice. He adhered to these principles as they were all he knew. However, over the course of his journey, Huck’s formerly provincial morality was challenged by his real-world experiences, and he was forced to derive a new set of morals for himself. At the start of the novel, a blind acceptance of slavery was present in Huck’s mind. This was revealed when Huck thought, in reference to Jim’s plan to free his children, “Here was this nigger, which I had as good as helped to run away, coming right out flat-footed and saying he would steal his children – children that belonged to a man I didn’t even know; a man that hadn’t ever done me no harm” (137). Although grateful for Jim’s companionship and reluctant to report him to the authorities, Huck still believed slavery to be a moral practice. As evidenced by this thought process, Huck held on to the values of the slave-owning states in the south, believing that Jim’s children, as slaves, were property. He even felt remorseful at the thought of a man’s slaves being stolen. Regardless of his budding friendship with Jim, Huck was still concretely in favor of slavery. This static view on

In Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the young protagonist Huckleberry Finn runs away from his abusive father with Jim, a black slave. Throughout the novel, Huck encounters people that fail to understand the injustice of slavery and violence, despite their education. Although Huck lacks any substantial education, his moral values and judgment are highly developed. In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain uses uneducated, colloquial diction and deliberate syntax to provide ironic contrast between Huck’s rudimentary level of education and profound use of moral judgment.

Freedom is what defines an individual, it bestows upon someone the power to act, speak, or think without externally imposed restraints. Therefore, enslavement may be defined as anything that impedes one’s ability to express their freedoms. However, complete uncompromised freedom is virtually impossible to achieve within a society due to the contrasting views of people. Within Mark Twain’s 1885 novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, numerous controversies are prevalent throughout the novel, primarily over the issue of racism and the general topic of enslavement. The characters in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn along with their development take an unmistakable, resilient stand against racism and by doing such in direct relation

Set in the Antebellum South, Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn documents a landscape that differs greatly from the poised and picturesque scene associated with the contemporary South. Today’s South is synonymous with with ice cold pitchers of tea, ceaseless etiquette exuded on wraparound porches, and seemingly romantic drawls. However, the South that Huck resides in, tells a different story. Specifically, his South is a place where suitable behavior is associated with the acceptance of slavery, and racist slurs pepper every sentence. As a result, any deviation from these behaviors leaves an individual ironically branded with a connotation of being uncivilized. Due to this distorted view of ethics, any character with even a shred

It is a well-known fact that Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is not only difficult to read, but also difficult to teach. It is hard for students to understand Twain’s true message without the help of prepared teachers with the tools to put the story into historical context. The history of American racism and hatred is a particularly ugly one. However, to effectively critique racism, one must experience the racism in all its ugliness. Too often in society nasty bits of this country’s past are swept under the rug so as not to admit that there once was a massive blemish on our nation. This book embraces shameful parts To expose and criticize a racist society is to fully expose racists as they are and use the language they use.

Mark Twain wrote Adventures of Huckleberry Finn during a time when society was full of racism and hypocrisy. Even after the abolition of slavery in 1865, America—the South, especially—was still trying to make sense of the changes that were happening in society. The Reconstruction of the South showed society that these changes weren’t easy, but it more importantly revealed a system of belief with two parts. These systems, both contradictory and separate, divided society into two different groups: the so-called “savages” and the so-called “civilized” (Van den Berghe 26). The themes in Adventures of Huck Finn reveal that Twain was vehemently opposed to this steeply hypocritical belief system.

Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is widely considered a classic - an embodiment of American literature. It rightfully tackles the issue of slavery through the illustration and vernacular of the young protagonist, Huck Finn and his adventures with a runaway slave, Jim. However, beneath a linear challenge towards slavery, Twain’s depiction of Huck’s changing views of Jim reveal Huck’s unique attitude and philosophy towards slavery, and in particular - his partner-in-“crime” - Jim. Although Huck never abandons societal opinions of slavery and never opposes the bondage, his exception for Jim unveils the follies of his society and flawed upbringing.

Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, though a widely controversial book since its publication, delivers a powerful message about the true significance and impact of racism. While his writing contains disputable and coarse language at times, Twain manages to diminish the magnitude of these words with his literary techniques. One of his most prominent approaches is the regular repetition of the word “nigger” in the novel, demonstrating society’s utter lack of class and respect for African-Americans. This reiteration exists not to accentuate the offensive word, but to bring attention to the social tolerance of such hateful speech that transpires in Huckleberry Finn. Secondly, Twain places within Huck an impressionable trait, which, although at times may cause him to conform to society’s unethical norms, eventually improves his set of principles drastically when exposed to influential figures. Lastly, in Twain’s insertion of the character Jim, he provides a strong influence for Huck who comes to directly shape him and his morals. This breaking of social barriers shows Mark Twain’s intention to create a bond between Huck and Jim. Through his ultra-realistic use of the “n-word”, the depiction of an easily influenced mind in Huck, and portrayal of an unlikely friend in Jim, Twain proves that racism is not identified by an individual’s uncouth language or irrational decisions, but the moral measures by which they stand.