Racism In Huck Finn

Narrow-minded readers will misinterpret the meaning behind great American novels. In July of 1876, exactly one century after the American Declaration of Independence, Mark Twain began writing his novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Huckleberry Finn is a novel that illustrates the social limitations that people become bound in because they are exposed to society. This novel has erupted generations of controversy regarding the racist aspects it contains. Critics who claim the novel is racist mainly argue that the depiction of a character, Jim, is drawn up to be negative. This assumption derives from Twain’s profound use of the word “n****”. At the time the novel was being written, the usage of this word was very common towards slaves and blacks. Even though this word is used countless times through the novel, Twains reason behind using the word was not to identify any characters with negative traits, but to satirize the users of the word and knowledge of white superiority with racism. He satirizes and explores the ignorance of Southern and religious whites. The novel is about a young boy named Huckleberry Finn who because of his adventurousness, curiosity, and fear of his father, runs away from home. Shortly after escaping Huck encounters a runaway slave he is familiar with named Jim. Together Huck and Jim drift down the Mississippi River avoiding society at all costs. Though out their adventure they develop a friendship. Many assumptions are made on how Twain intended readers to perceive Jim. Furthermore, Twain exposes the ignorance and racist views held by civilized and “wholesome” people to create a positive illustration of Jim along with his influence on Huck.

Although using the offensive word “n****” commonly t...

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...n could have avoided using it, except without its use it would have been difficult for Twain to illustrate Jim as the opposite of the negative person he had been labeled as. Given the structure of Twain’s approach, it is not surprising that many critiques and readers pin the book to be racist. Those who do are clearly misunderstanding or simply ignoring the novel’s antipathy of racism. Again, with Jim’s proof of intelligence and morality, he strives to gain distance from those dark people he is surrounded by. Overall, Twains focus on Jim to be a positive, moral, and equal person who brings good influences on Huck accomplishes his meaning to place racism behind the curtains. For any person whom reads Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn and derives from this story nothing but racism and a negative story, has committed the worst crime in American Literature history.