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literary analysis of adventure of huckleberry finn
huckleberry finn as a social satire
Huckleberry Finn as a social novel
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Introduction When a book uses the "N-word" 213 times (Carey-Webb 24) and portrays the African American characters as inferior to their white counterparts, it becomes easy to assume that the book’s author Mark Twain is using this novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as a form of racist propaganda to display upon America in the late 19th century post-Civil War Era. By the late 19th century slavery had finally ended across the United States, but racial tension, discord and discrimination were still very much at large. For those opposed to slavery in its original iteration, and, therefore, opposed to its continuation in this form, the only thing left to do was to continue fighting the battle for equality and rights in any way they knew how. …show more content…
The way Jim acts tends to depict blacks in a negative light, based on his language throughout the novel, that makes the African American character sound ignorant. Fishkin debunks this argument by saying “Jim’s speech represented Twain’s ‘pains-taking’ efforts to accurately record, to the best of his ability, “Missouri Negro Dialect.”...His use of eye dialect (like ‘wuz’) is minimal. His primary concern is communicating Jim’s very pain.” (Fishkin …show more content…
The largest debate as to why the novel is a racist work is because of the use of the "N-word." Although there is an abundance of evidence pointing towards the theory that Mark Twain was a racist, therefore making the book itself a reflection of his ideologies, Huckleberry Finn is created as a form of social commentary, on the racism of the time period. As reflected in the essays in Satire or Evasion?, the perspectives on the views of racism in Huckleberry Finn vary widely (Arac 113) and it can be concluded that “there is no single ‘black’ position on Huckleberry Finn any more than there is a monolithic white one” (Leonard
The lessons Mark Twain teaches throughout his book are vital for every High School student to experience. One of the major points for arguing that The Adventure’s of Huckleberry Finn should be banned is the repetitive and overuse of the N word. On a surface level, the way the N word is used could seem very disrespectful however as one dives deeper into analysis, Twain seemingly uses the N word loosely to portray a message. Throughout the book, Jim is always looked upon with a negative attitude and being just a typical black person because of these traits. However, as Huck and Jim venture along the Mississippi river, Huck begins to act more and more like Jim is an actual person. A prime example of this is when Huck says “they’re comin for us” (Twain 63) rather than saying they’re coming for you. Huck sees him and Jim as a relationship rather than just him and a slave. Another example is when Huck says, “It was 15 minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a n----” (89). Huck’s apology shows how Huck’s mindet towards not only Jim but all black people has changed, and that he actually has feelings for them now. The overall lesson tha...
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
The book, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is an arguably controversial novel. It explores the idea of racism and slavery (among other topics) through a young white boy during slavery in the far south. Throughout the novel, Huckleberry Finn struggles with the idea of slavery and differing moral codes than what he was raised with. He flip-flops between the typical expected thought process of slavery to a new radical, almost abolitionist, viewpoint. Twain uses anti-slavery satire to show how slavery is wrong, the current social attitudes and Huck’s search for morals to demonstrate the need to question social views at the time.
Huckleberry Finn is an entertaining story, but its frequent use of a taboo word is a stain on the novel’s history. The use of the “N-word” in Huckleberry Finn has been hotly contested. Many schools have banned the book for its use of the slur. The slur is used many times throughout the book, in a heartbreakingly casual manner. Huckleberry Finn’s continual use of the N-word is shocking, offensive, and outdated. This is authentic to the time period, but upsetting to the modern person. But I believe that Twain’s use of the N-word is necessary to the story.
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.
This book has been banned from school libraries all over the country because of the main character's teenage angst, which many feel is too graphic for teenagers, and its profanity. Profanity, whether it be frequent or a rare occurrence, is a characteristic of many literary classics, as is the use of racial epithets.In the book Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (ranking number 2 on the list), an epithet is use many times over to describe the people of color in the book. Now since the book was published in 1885 and such language was common at the time, I do not belie...
To consider banning this novel simply because it has situations and characters that are considered racist is superficial. The novel does show the relationships between blacks and whites in the nineteenth century. However, it shows these situations not to promote racism against blacks, but for the reader to better understand the subject. The character of Jim is shown to be caring and considerate towards Huck and more mature and human than the society allows him to be. Although he is shown to be this way, Twain shows the irony and hypocrisy of treating a mature man like simple property. The novel also shows how a boy, who is a product of this hypocritical society, comes to realize the true nature of his friend Jim and how deranged the societies beliefs are. In showing these ironic situations and the transformation that Huck goes through the reader sees racism in a real life setting. People who want to ban the book miss the idea entirely. Instead of getting rid of something that is supposedly racist, they only perpetuate racism by denying others a good source of material on the subject.
Although The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” has caused some major controversy, it is not a racist book. The major stem of the racial controversy in the novel comes from the “n” word. In the new edition of Huckleberry Finn, a book published in 1885 by Mark Twain, the word “nigger” will be replaced with “slave” over 219 times (Moore, Martha T.). Taking this word out of the book and replacing it is like taking out a part of our culture. As Moore states, “The word is ‘used for a reason’, this can be used to teach younger readers how to deal with more complex readings. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not a racist novel because of Mark Twain’s intentions, the time period in which it was written, and the relationship between Huck and Jim.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the noblest, greatest, and most adventuresome novel in the world. Mark Twain definitely has a style of his own that depicts a realism in the novel about the society back in antebellum America. Mark Twain definitely characterizes the protagonist, the intelligent and sympathetic Huckleberry Finn, by the direct candid manner of writing as though through the actual voice of Huck. Every word, thought, and speech by Huck is so precise it reflects even the racism and black stereotypes typical of the era. And this has lead to many conflicting battles by various readers since the first print of the novel, though inspiring some. Says John H. Wallace, outraged by Twain’s constant use of the degrading and white supremacist word ‘nigger’, "[The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is] the most grotesque example of racist trash ever written" (Mark Twain Journal by Thadious Davis, Fall 1984 and Spring 1985). Yet, again to counter that is a quote by the great American writer Ernest Hemingway, "All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn…it’s the best book we’ve had…There has been nothing as good since" (The Green Hills of Africa [Scribner’s. 1953] 22). The controversy behind the novel has been and will always remain the crux of any readers is still truly racism. Twain surely does use the word ‘nigger’ often, both as a referral to the slave Jim and any African-American that Huck comes across and as the epitome of insult and inferiority. However, the reader must also not fail to recognize that this style of racism, this malicious treatment of African-Americans, this degrading attitude towards them is all stylized of the pre-Civil War tradition. Racism is only mentioned in the novel as an object of natural course and a precision to the actual views of the setting then. Huckleberry Finn still stands as a powerful portrayal of experience through the newfound eyes of an innocent boy. Huck only says and treats the African-American culture accordingly with the society that he was raised in. To say anything different would truly be out of place and setting of the era. Twain’s literary style in capturing the novel, Huck’s casual attitude and candid position, and Jim’s undoubted acceptance of the oppression by the names all signifies this.
Mark Twain’s masterpiece Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a story about an uncultured Southern boy, Huckleberry Finn, and a runaway slave, Jim, who travel down the Mississippi River in search for freedom. Protagonist Huck Finn, following his own conscience and establishing his own principles based on his interpretations of morality, narrates this story. Though Huck himself undergoes a moral transformation in this work, considerable debate rages as to whether he is an epitome of goodness or the exemplification of “racist trash.” While many literary critics praise Twain’s work to be thought provoking, reflective, and rightly critical of the institution of slavery, there are others who believe this novel to be offensive and disparaging of African
Mark Twain is a well-known novelist; his novels contained a wide range of written expressions varying from humor, comprehensive details, and likeable characters. Several of Twain’s written literatures are considered classics, which include, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Twain’s notorious novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, has been and continues to be a very controversial topic due his graphic descriptions of racism. Although the “n” word was commonly used to describe African Americans in the 1880’s, the word is currently considered very offensive. Many critics think that this book is racist because Twain openly states the “n” word throughout the novel, but this is only one form of racism found within the
Ultimately developing a true sense of a white man’s perspective towards blacks. In this novel, racism affects the characters immensely and the view of Negroes is evident as Jim saysz “When they told me there was a State in this country where they’d let that nigger vote, I drawed out. I says I’ll never vote again…I says to the people, why ain’t this nigger put up at auction and sold?” (Twain 1300). This illustrates the attitude toward negroes with a complete disregard of their rights as humans. Consequently, Huck's attitude towards Jim at the beginning of the novel might be viewed as racist. He views Jim as less than a man, uneducated, without ideal viewpoints, and basically a piece of property. This quote describes the lack of respect and rights given to African Americans and their scarcity of representation in governmental offices or justices. Additionally, the reader begins to understand this lack of freedom as Jim, being a black runaway slave “said it made him all over trembly and feverish to be so close to freedom.”(Twain 1342). The reader is able to see the true view of white privilege and the actions and emotions of minorities upon having independence. Jim, Huck’s hideaway slave, was not running away for fun but rather from oppression and enslavement. This emotional response by Jim in
Twain’s choice of language allows the reader to travel back in time to the 1800’s and discover how inhumane the racist society was towards the African American community. As discussed over a National public talk radio between Neal Conan and Alan Gribben, an english professor at Auburn University, “Many scholars and teachers view Twain’s language as an integral part of the story(SourceD).” The word Twain repeats throughout Huck Finn, illustrates America’s past attitude towards African Americans. When we dispose of the uncomfortable diction through censoring, we are masking the truth of our own history revealed through Twain’s expressions. We must explore our heritage and comprehend why the word has such a negative connotation to this day. Because Twain’s choice of delivery is satire, he is making fun of the crude behavior of racists during the post civil war time era. He wants the reader to feel nervous and uncomfortable while revealing how harsh the society of the 1800’s, showing the sensitive language that was permitted at that time. Mark Twain himself wrote that “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter(SourceC).” Though I concede that the slang used is abhorrent and understand why it would be so offensive, especially towards a specific group of persons, I still insist tha...
In general, the mostly African-American critics consider Twain himself to be racist and Huck Finn simply reflects this. Blacks, especially Jim, are portrayed as fools and used as comedic fodder to bolster feelings of white superiority in Twain’s southern audience. Although Jim’s positive qualities are presented in certain parts of the novel, they are overshadowed by his superstitious folly which Twain returns to in the later chapters. The fact that Huck’s narration is intentionally skewed by the innocence and ignorance of an adolescent is little consolation to critics who feel that Twain has committed gross immorality. Also, the incessant use of the epithet “nigger” has been deemed excessive. Despite these condemnations though even the staunchest opponents of Twain find certain redeeming qualities that make it hard to promote all out censorship.
In today 's culture, we are still dealing with the racism. Racism is carried over in the books read in schools. In Mark Twain 's novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the people throughout the novel are dealing with racism against black Americans in the rural south. The novel by Twain was dealing with racism in the late 1870’s and early 1880’s. Mark Twain had to be a little bit of a racist when he wrote this book because of how harshly he writes about black people in the book; and how well he writes about the beliefs of the racist people in the book. Twain’s novel is important to keep in schools because it teaches kids how our nation was just after the 13th amendment was passed. The 13th amendment abolishes slavery in the United States.