Huck Finn

A detailed Summary of Huck Finn

Mark Twain's, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is one of the best-known American novels. It is said to be one of the greatest novels ever written, "A national epic" (Janows). Almost everyone knows the story of Huck, either by reading the novel, or hearing about it. And why is it so popular? Huck Finn is a classic "children's" story of adventure and friendship, as well as being the cause of tremendous controversy. The novel has been banned from classrooms and libraries nationwide because of its "racist" views and offensive writing. Many believe Twain was a racist because of the repetitive use of the word "nigger", and the stereotyping of slaves. Did Twain do this purposely? Did he support the ideas of slavery, or was he using the language and ideas to describe the era realistically? Julius Lester states, "Twain did not take slavery, therefore black people seriously" (Lester, 343). Though I can understand why Huck Finn may offend some, I believe Twain was opposed to slavery, and wrote this novel to make fun of the ignorance of racism. When I first read the novel, I thought it reinforced slavery. The word "nigger" was used so repeatedly, I was offended, and it seemed Huck saw himself superior to Jim because of his skin c

The descriptions of Twain's characters are very important in the understanding of his views of racism. All of Twain's characters in the novel are southern white adults, with the exception of Jim and Huck. At the start of "Huckleberry Finn", Jim, a slave, was portrayed as illiterate, childlike, ignorant, and very superstitious. This is what the stereotypical characteristics of a slave at that time were. Slaves were not allowed to be educated, to think and speak up for themselves, and were constantly mistreated and abused. Why wouldn't Jim be illiterate, ignorant, and childish? Yet, Twain discreetly portrays Jim as the only intelligent character of this novel. One must be sure to pay attention to the fact that Huck's concept of Jim isn't necessarily racist, but the ideas of society implanted into his mind. Huck was growing up in the south during the mid-1800s, a time when slavery was an ordinary thing. He simply did not know any better. For thousands of years, minorities have been mistreated and thought of as inferior to the

Twain's description of Huck is also important to the understanding of the intent of this novel. Huck is a young boy, around age twelve, who has lived a rough and therefore rebellious life. He has no mother, and he never sees his father, who is an abusive alcoholic. He lives with the Widow Douglass and Miss Watson, and while he doesn't mind living with them, he doesn't like that they want to make him civilized. He does not agree with civilized ways because he doesn't like being restricted. This is what caused

olor. I obviously failed to read it carefully enough, though. After rereading it, the satire was clear. Justin Kaplan said, "It seems unlikely that anyone, of any color, who actually read 'Huckleberry Finn', instead of merely reading or hearing about it, and who allowed himself or hers

man who can think for himself before he can endure the pressures of society. Twain's descriptions of Jim and Huck, the main characters of this novel, may seem stereotypical and racist, but you must read between the lines of this novel to attain its true meaning. These characters, along with the many other characters we meet, are just the people of their time. Twain's historical accuracy cannot be determined as racist.

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Approximate Word count = 1630
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English