Huckleberry Finn - A Racist Novel?-

A detailed Summary of 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

Approximate Word count = 666
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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