First and foremost, the novel Huke Finn is distinctly American through its choice of words. Mark Twain uses the dialogue between the characters to represent the distinct American tongue of the time. Instead of telling the story through a third person point of view, the story is told first person through the voice of Huke Finn. One can distinguish the distinct American southern accent through the voice of Huck. We can see the hearty, southern voice in dialogue: "What's the use you learning to do right when it's troublesome to do right and ain't no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same?" (Twain 128). Through this quote we can see the clear southern slang used. Twain uses the southern vernacular to give a true to life American representation. …show more content…
The word is used by Huck and many others throughout the novel to refer to their African American counterparts. However, the use of the word in the novel reflects the distinct American attitudes of the time and how people viewed African Americans. Huck's time was marked by a time of inequality and dehumanization. The word was representing a time when African American individuals were simply seen as property and nothing more; they were simply objects to people and were treated in an inhumane way. The word has been a social faux pas in today's modern culture due to its wicked presence in America's history. In other words, use of the word reflects the social inequality of African American people during the early years of America. We can see how both the use of the word in the novel reflects the attitudes and perception of African Americans during the time: "It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger; but I done it, and I warn't ever sorry for it afterwards, neither" (Twain 120). Huck has to "humble" himself because he feels he is apologizing to someone lower than him. And for the time, he