Huckleberry Finn Quote Analysis

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” was set in the 1830s when language was used differently than in modern times. One of the words used frequently back then and in the book is the N-word. Mark Twain used the n-word many times in the book, to put meaning and accuracy into the story. The N-word was not favorable language, and still is not today. Twain wrote the book to mock racism to prevent it in future generations.

Mark Twain put meaning and accuracy in the book using the N-word in Huckleberry Finn. The way the book is phrased helps to teach a lesson, seeing and reading how the word was used at that time helps students to learn about the word and why it’s wrong to use, if not of the correct skin color. The almost unnecessarily large use of the N-word within the

Twain adding it to the book shows how people talked and acted back then, helping students learn more about the history of the book. A quote from the second chapter of the book perfectly shows this. “Miss Watson's big n*****, named Jim, was setting in the kitchen door; we could see him pretty clear, because there was a light behind him.” This quote shows that it was just the way that people talked back then. In that quote, Huck was introducing Jim. It was the way they spoke about slaves and people of color. Another example comes from the first chapter when Huck was talking about how everyone has gone to bed. “Miss Watson's big n*****, named Jim, was setting in the kitchen door; we could see him pretty clear because there was a light behind him.” This quote shows another way that this was just the common vocabulary. Although the n-word is a slur and very offensive, it was still used at the time to describe people. The book, although using language that would not now be acceptable helps to show why and how it was used. Relating to the paragraph above, by the book mentioning it, students can learn about it and why it would be inappropriate