Mark Twain's Ideas of Racism in Huckleberry Finn and Pudd'nhead Wilson

Mark Twain's Ideas of Racism in Huckleberry Finn and Pudd'nhead Wilson

Mark Twain had written two very similar novels that are based on the ideas of racism, or prejudice against certain races,(in this case, Afro-American during his lifetime. These two novels, Huckleberry Finn and Pudd'nhead Wilson, depict a very satirical yet realistic view of the way society behaves and how people in general live and grow in different social systems or positions. Huck Finn depicts a strong basis on racism and society, where as Pudd'nhead Wilson illustrates how slavery and racism are portrayed in his society.

There is a major argument among literary critics whether The Adventures of

Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, is or is not a racist novel. The question focuses on the depiction of Jim, the black slave, and 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 often 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 where Twain describes using all of the above characterizations and more. In Mark Twain's novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain develops the plot into Huck and Jim's

adventures allowing him to weave in his criticism of society. The two main characters, Huck and Jim, both run from social injustice and both are distrustful of the civilization around them. Huck is considered uneducated backwards boy, constantly under pressure to conform to the "humanized" surroundings of society. Jim a slave, is not even considered as a real person, but as property. As they run fro...

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...relations with other people. Being legally freed does not save Jim from

humiliation, and does not allow Chambers to gain back his selfhood. Those

who contribute to the formation of a racist living society, need to first

give up their deeply rooted beliefs. Since that rarely happened, Blacks were

still forced to see themselves as inferiors after being released from

slavery. In Hucks's story however, Twain gives us hope, by implying that if

a person is allowed to rely on his/her own inner standards of judgment,

without being influenced by society, human beings are capable of overcoming

racial barriers and can then coexist in a harmonious manner. These two superb

novels have the power to make its readers reevaluate their values, and

beliefs regarding slavery-a word, which still haunts this world, and is one

of America's unfinished social issues.