Huck Finn Racist Commentary Essay

Yes or No? Was Mark Twain making racist commentary in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn? The answer is no. For the people who answered yes, you probably thought so because the N-word was used a lot in the book. Mark Twain only used the N-word because the book was written in 1st person point of view of a young boy living in the time slavery was still around. Twain wrote the book where the setting was during the age of slavery to write satires about different points he made. A satire is a message written in a story revealed through humor,irony,or by making fun at it. Satire can be seen by readers who understand it or missed by readers who miss the points the author is trying to make. So while people think Twain was being a racist,he actually

In the story, society views black slaves as unequal and even as degenerates. Huck travels with Jim,a runaway slave, thinking what society taught him was true. However,the longer they travel together,the more Huck realizes that Jim thinks and care as much a white man does. This is seen while they are traveling on the raft when Huck and Jim take shifts sleeping. Huck takes his turn to watch and sees Jim crying about his family,who have been sold into slavery as well . "When I waked up just at daybreak he was sitting his head down betwixt his knees, moaning and mourning to himself. I didn't take notice nor let on. I knowed what it was about. He was thinking about his wife and his children,away up yonder,and he was low and homesick;because he hadn't ever been away from home before in his life;and I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their'n. It don't seem natural,but I reckon it's so." The irony is that a young boy can see a black person thinks and cares as much as a white person,but society can not. Twain was satirizing that black people and white people are the same though society says

Another satire that was in the book was the hypocrisy of “good adults.” This is shown by Jim listening in on Miss Watson talking to a slave trader. Miss Watson promised Jim that she would never sell him down to New Orleans,but then Jim hears her planning to sell him for $800. "Well,you see, it 'uz dis way. Ole missus --- dat's Miss Watson -- she pecks on me all de time,en treats me pooty rough,but she awluz said she wouldn' sell me down to Orleans. But I noticed dey wuz a nigger trader roun' de place considable lately, en I begin to git oneasy.Well,one night I creeps to de' pooty late, en de do' warn't quite shet,en I hear old missus tell de widder she gwyne to sell me down to Orleans, but she didn' want to,but she could git eight hund'd dollars for me,en it 'uz sich a big stack o' money she couldn' resis.'" Twain was satirizing that the “good adults” who seem to be wise and knew what to do were actually not any better than any other