Huck Finn: racism
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not a racist novel, nor is Mark Twain a racist author. The novel was a satire on slavery and racism, that, as well as raising social awareness, was also one of the best American novels of all time. Since it was first published, Huck Finn has caused much controversy for mixed reasons, which recently included the use of racial slurs and accusations that the author himself was racist. Most of this controversy stems from Twain's frequent use of the word "nigger" when referring to black slaves, including one of the main characters, Jim. Today, that term is considered a seriously offensive racial slur. However, in the setting of the novel, and during that time period, this is the term most frequently used to describe African Americans. Since Huck Finn was set in the south before the civil war among slave owning whites, it would have been completely inaccurate to use terms which are now considered politically correct. The use of the term "nigger" was also used for effect. One of the devices Twain applied to call attention to the immorality of slavery was the use of an innocent child to narrate the novel. Especially today, hearing such words come from a child is distressing
Many also take issue to the ways in which Jim's character was portrayed. Jim was comical and uneducated, and in many ways was not exactly a poster child for civil rights. The child-like, sometimes silly behavior of Jim is common of many characters within a satire. Many of the white people were also not sophisticated and intelligent themselves, which was a result of both the setting, and the fact that the novel was an exaggeration of people or groups of people in the south at that time. Unlike material written before it, Huck Finn contained a character that was a black slave, and also was one of the main characters, and most importantly, a human being. Jim had emotions, a family, a sense of purpose (arguably, taking care of Huck), and hopes for freedom. Unlike any major white adult character in the book, he was seen as entirely moral and ethical. All the downfalls of society and evils of humanity that Twain had represented in the novel with characters were all white. Aside from the strength of Jim's character throughout Huck Finn, the novel itself is symbolic of the state of the country and the shift away from slavery and racism. The idea that someone like Twain, a white person that grew up in the south, being a racist would not be entirely surprising at all. However, accusation that Mark Twain was a racist is not consistent with any of his personal history and actions. Twain loosely based Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn on his experiences g
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Approximate Word count = 1014
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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