Huckleberry Finn is Not a Racist Work “All modern literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn,” this is what fellow writer had to say about this classic novel. Still, this novel has been the object of controversy since it was published more than 150 years ago. Some people argue that Huckleberry Finn is a racist work, and that the novel has no place in a highschool classroom. This feeling is generated because a main character in the story, Jim, and other slaves are referred to many times as “niggers.” When Mark Twain wrote this book, he was striving to show the general public that society was wrong in the past, that the way white people thought black people were less than human was a wrong viewpoint. The book is also denounced because people feel that this book is anti-American. Russians have even taught this book to show that Americans are generally rotten people (Loeffler, class notes). But this novel is in no way anti-American, everything written about Americans is used as a satire, to make such a poignant book less serious, and to add some levity. Twain also has hidden morals in his messages. Huckleberry Finn should be taught in highschool classrooms because it is a very valuable and educational novel, with a moral and a theme that are needed to be learned by everyone. Racism is a racial preconceived judgement or notion (Mish 963). Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn does not contain this preconceived notion. While some people might argue that Huckleberry Finn is “The most grotesque piece of racist trash ever written,” (Wallace) it is actually the exact opposite. Huckleberry Finn is a fight against racism. “The novel is actually condemning the segregative system and unequal conditions in ... ... middle of paper ... ...heads again. Bibliography: Bearak, Barry. “Huck’s Adventurous 100 Years.” Newsday. May 8, 1984: p 55. Bucci, Richard. “Is Huck Finn a Racist Wok?” Newsday. May 10, 1985: p 99. Churchill, Winston. Class notes May 1997. Cryer, Dan. “Twain’s Classic Before Revisions.” Newsday. October 15, 1996: p 100. Lauriat, Lane Jr. “Why Huckleberry Finn is a Great World Novel” College English October, 1955: pp 292-304. Loeffler, Mr. Class-notes May 1997. Meyers, Michael “Black Book Banning.” Newsday. May 12, 1985: p 67. Mish, Frederick C. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary Tenth Edition Massachusetts, Merriam-Webster, Incorporated Morrow, Lance “In Praise of Huck Finn.” Civilization. January/February 1995: pp 25-27. “View of Slavery Still a Hot Topic” Wallace, John “The Huckleberry Finn Controversy.” Nightline January 17, 1985:
Mark Twain was not a racist because he did not portray Huckleberry Finn as one in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. “People would call me a low-down abolitionist and despise me for keeping mum, but that don’t make no difference”(43). Huck new it was wrong to help Jim escape, but that was his friend and he did not care was the other people thought. “All right, then, I’ll go to hell”(214). Huck decides that he doesn’t want to give up Jim’s locations so he decides to rip up the letter that he was going to send to Jim’s owner Miss Watson, even if it meant that he would go to hell for committing what he believed was a sin. “I saved him by telling the men we had smallpox aboard, and he was so grateful, and said I was the best friend old Jim ever had in the world, and the only one he’s got now”(214).
Why would a man who fought against slavery, injustice, and discrimination write a racist book ? For some time, many students, educators, and scholars debated whether The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain deserves its place in our literary canon. Certain readers find the relationship between Huck and Jim especially problematic due to abundant use of the N word and Twain’s stereotypical depiction of Jim. On one hand, Jim is viewed as an uneducated slave who is always in peril due to Huck’s playfulness and immaturity. Yet, on the other hand, Jim is a complex secondary character crucial for Huck’s development from naiveté into maturity. Despite, the glaring overuse of racial epithets, Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn should remain in the literary canon and continue to be taught as it allows readers to address racial misconceptions, such as racial
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was written by Mark Twain, published in 1884, and according to Alison Flood in the article US school stops teaching Huckleberry Finn because of 'use of the N-word', “one of the most-challenged [novels] of all time.” The story depicts the relationship between a young white boy who is running away from home and a grown slave who is running away to escape slavery. The novel focuses on Huck Finn growing up pre-civil war in deep and very racist south. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should stop being taught to high schoolers because it is too open to interpretation, and doesn't
Mark Twain's novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn depicts how he is a racist. He shows it in many ways in which his characters act. All of the people in the towns are slave owners, and treat black slaves with disrespect. In the time period of the novel slavery was not legal, but racism was. Many scenes in his novel make slaves look like fools. Mark Twain does this purposely to make colored people look and sound like fools, because he is a racist person.
Is the Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn Racist or Not? The book Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not a racist book. The main arguments against it are the characters’ personalities and the dialect they used. This book is criticized by Twain critics and on the top ten ban list for school reading material. If people just concentrated on the main plot of the story, instead of the fine details that makes the novel realistic, they would agree that the accusation of this novel being racist is ridiculous. Huck Finn was abused by his father all throughout his childhood.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, is a novel that is read by many students in high school classes all across America every year. However, when you have a book that popular among schools, you will start to gain some controversy over it. There has been a recurring debate over the topic of banning this novel from being read in schools due to its 'offensive racial epithets' and other reasons, like poking fun at religion and challenging authority. I disagree with those who say the novel should be banned, and believe that schools should continue to read it and disregard those who say otherwise.
Lauded by literary critics, writers and the general reading public, Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn commands one of the highest positions in the canon of American literature. On an international level, it is “a fixture among the classics of world literature” (Kaplan 352). It “is a staple from junior high . . . to graduate school” and “is second only to Shakespeare in the frequency with which it appears in the classroom . . . ” (Carey-Webb 22). During the push for school desegregation in the 1950s, however, many parents raised serious objections to the teaching of this text. These objections centered around Twain's negative characterization of Jim and his extensive use of the term “nigger” throughout the text. Many people felt this characterization, along with the most powerful racial epithet in the English language, were insensitive to African Americn heritage and personally offensive in racially mixed classrooms.
There is a major argument among literary critics whether Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is or is not a racist novel. The question boils down to the depiction of Jim, the black slave, and to the way he is treated by Huck and others. In the 1950s the effort to banish The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from required classroom reading lists came publicly to the floor again, not chiefly on the grounds that its depiction of black characters and the use of the word “nigger” were demeaning to African-American students. Many feel that Twain uses the word too loosely. However, many believe that Huck Finn should be taught in schools on the grounds that the novel’s racist theme accurately depicted what life was like for a slave in pre- Civil War times.
Mark Twain’s book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, educates high school students on how the Southern society operated at that time. When analyzing the novel, one can see that Twain’s writing clearly does not endorse slavery or the use of derogatory language toward African-Americans. In a petition to remove this book from a high school required reading list, a school board in New Jersey concluded, "the literary value of the book outweighed the negative aspect of the language employed.” (2) Huckleberry Finn is a satirical novel that was written to show the flaws of 19th century American society. It shows how people thought and acted back then, and points out what was wrong with the white supremacy mindset of many Southerners during these years. “The book itself is a great testament that...
When taking a look at Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn, racism is a large theme that seems to be reoccurring. What some may think to be racism in Twain's words, can also be explained as, good story telling appropriate to the era the story takes place in.
Around the world, there have been a plethora of arguments about subjects of racism, freedom of speech and censorship in classrooms. As seen in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, there is much controversy over the use of racist language and how different races are described. Some believe it is useful to read the novel, while others perceive differently.
The Adventures of HuckleBerry Finn by Mark Twain is one of the most controversial and iconic books in American history.There has been a constant conversation about whether the novel is a good or bad novel since it’s publication in 1884. Huck Finn is a great piece of literature and deserves the praise of being called a central Document of American culture. Yes, like all great things it does have it’s downfalls, for example the ending was very disappointing to many people because it stops abruptly but maybe that's because Twain had a deeper meaning to it. The novel also touches upon the ideas of racism but doesn't make racism the complete focus of the novel this is interesting because it is praised for being a book about slavery. Another piece
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel that has caused a great amount of controversy because of the raw, racial offensive language being used. The book has been censored, and many schools have banned this novel from being read. However, Huck Finn is known as a great American novel. Students should be encouraged to read this novel and reflect on American history and the messages the author is trying to prove. In Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, three meaningful subjects are explored in education, self-reliance, and friendship.
... racism is immoral. Huckleberry Finn proves a statement that T.S. Elliot suggests, that Huck, "Has not imagination in the sense that Tom Sawyer has it: he has instead, vision. He sees the real world; and he does not judge it- he allows it to judge itself" (349). This quote also portrays Twain's point of view, one similar to that of Huck, which may lead one to think that Huck's character is taken from Twain's.
On a superficial level The Adventures Huckleberry Finn might appear to be racist, and for the most obvious reason: many characters use the word “nigger” throughout the novel. But since the action of the book takes place in the south twenty years before the Civil War, it would be amazing if they didn’t use that word. A closer reading also reveals Twain’s serious satiric intent. In one scene, for instance, Aunt Sally hears of a steamboat explosion. “Good gracious! anybody hurt?” she asks. “No'm,” comes the answer. “Killed a nigger” (Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn 1409). But anyone who imagines that Mark Twain meant this literally is missing the point. Rather, Twain is using this casual dialogue ironically, as a way to underscore the chilling truth about the old south, that it was a society where perfectly “nice” people didn’t consider the death of a black person worth their notice. To drive the point home, Twain has the lady continue: “We...