Mark Twain a Racist? Absolutely not!

Celebrating its 135th anniversary this year, Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a classic of American literature and is read by millions across the nation every year. However, many claim that the book promotes and endorses the heinous act of racism. In their attacks on the classic, many of the book’s critics employ evidence such as the use of the n-word 211 times (Powers, 2010) and the novel’s repeated inferior depiction of African-Americans. Many supporters of the novel, though, hail it for being so controversial. They claim that the dialogue started when discussing the book is a great chance for students to broaden their views on many controversial topics. As Harris puts it (2000), "If it isn't a dangerous book, there really is no reason for anybody to read it or teach it". Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn unquestionably does not promote racism, and actually serves to question the very idea of racism itself, as shown by Twain’s use of realism, the use of a child narrator, and the author’s deliberate intention to criticize the act of slavery and racism.

Throughout Huck Finn, Mark Twain employs realism to accurately portray life along the antebellum Mississippi River. Merriam-Webster defines realism as “the theory or practice of fidelity in art and literature to nature or to real life and to accurate representation without idealization.” Throughout the novel, Twain uses realism to show readers how life was and how blacks were treated. Many critics of the book criticize the language used in the book. As Powers puts it (2010), “The controversy exploded in 1957, when the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People condemned its 211 uses of the n-word, the infamous epithet for African ...

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...-old boy show them the true path of equality and fairness. Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn clearly does not promote racism, and actually defames it, and the universal lessons taught in the book can still be applied today.

Works Cited

Camfield, G. (2005). Race. Retrieved from http://dig.lib.niu.edu/twain/race.html

Harris, E. (2000, September 26). 'huck finn' still pushes buttons, professor says. Retrieved from http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=3637

Powers, M. (2010, May 05). Mark twain’s “adventures of huckleberry finn”. Retrieved from http://www.america.gov/st/peopleplace-english/2010/May/20100505151725naneerg0.2608759.html

Salwen, P. (Unknown). The quotable mark twain . Retrieved from http://salwen.com/mtquotes.html

Twain, M. (1986). The adventues of huckleberry finn. New York, NY: Penguin Books Ltd.