Huckleberry Finn - A Racist Novel?-
There is a major argument among literary critics whether Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, is or is not a racist novel. The question boils down to the depiction of Jim, the black slave, and to the way he is treated by Huck and other characters. The use of the word "nigger" is also a point raised by some critics, who feel that Twain uses the word too much and too loosely. Mark Twain never presents Jim in a negative light. He does not show Jim as a drunkard, as a mean person or as a cheat. This is in contrast to the way Huck's (white) father is depicted, whom Twain describes using all of the above characterizations and more. We see Jim as a good friend, a man devoted to his family and loyal to his He is, however, very naive and superstitious. Some critics say that Twain is implying that all blacks have these qualities. When Jim turns to his magic hairball for answers about the future, we see that
his decision. This is again Twain making a mockery of Southern values, make it sound stupid. If Twain wanted to write an historically These claims that Huckleberry Finn is racist are not simply property." While Huck is still racist here, Twain has written the of this in the story. The first one is where Huck is disgusted by African-American would have taken away from the story's impact and attempts to damage the image of a great novel. They come from people However, they must realize that this novel and its author are not society's notion that blacks are inferior. There are two main examples throughout the book. Note that what the author felt is not the way The second example is where Huck doesn't tell Jim's whereabouts, which Huck, however, does not treat Jim as most whites do. Huck looks at hide his face in the daytime and how he is generally derided, are racist, and the purpose of the story is to prove black equality. aspect of the
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 666
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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