Huckleberry Finn: The Most Racist, Non-Racist Story In History

The Most Racist, Non-Racist Story in History Seen as a landmark novel in American history, Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn has served as the basis for racial disputes since the release in 1885. The novel covers the tale of adolescent Huckleberry Finn and his struggle to free himself of the chains of society. As Huckleberry Finn finds himself in far too many sticky situations, the help of a former slave brings on a conflict of interest in Huck’s conscience. Racism becomes a huge factor in the story, and though Twain meant for the story to be an emotional novel unveiling the cruelty behind slavery, many people view the book as no more than “racist trash.” The debate on whether the story is racially charged or not is still in swing today. From the novel, however, it is clearly seen that “Huckleberry Finn” was not made as a racial slur,

Jim is the moral center of the story. He brings reason to situations, although unorthodox at times. He is depicted as a man with a kind heart and with no urge to hurt a soul. In the book, Jim does a lot of major things for Huck, but he is also kind and generous when it comes to little things: “I went to sleep, and Jim didn't call me when it was my turn. He often done that” (23.30). Here it is seen that Jim takes care of Huck just by letting him sleep a little longer. Another time when Jim looks over Huck is when the two find Huck’s father in the floating house: “It's a dead man. Yes, indeedy; naked, too. He's ben shot in de back. I reck'n he's ben dead two er three days. Come in, Huck, but doan' look at his face—it's too gashly" (9.18). Jim knows very well that the dead man is Huck’s father, but he wants to protect Huck from seeing his father in this condition. Other qualities of Jim that don’t seem to line-up with a racist novel include his unconditional trust in Huck and his loyalty for the people he cares