Racism In Huckleberry Finn

In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, racism is one of the main topics that the story is based around. The story’s protagonist Huck, has grown up around slaves and even has a father who would rather never vote again than to see an African American vote freely. “When they told me there was a State in this country where they’d let that nigger vote, I drawed out. I says I’ll never vote again…I says to the people, why ain’t this nigger put up at auction and sold?”. (Twain 24). Even though Huck has been subjected to all of society’s views on blacks in the community and their only usefulness as being a slave, Huck eventually finds himself in the situation where he cares more for a black man, than he does his own father. The novel was written

The reader can see this is true for the reason that so many characters in the novel are themselves white slaveholders, such as Miss Watson, the Phelps, and the Grangerford family who own over one hundred slaves. The protagonist of the novel Huck, has grown up around the idea set by society that African Americans are supposed to serve the white men and that is all they are good for.
In the novel, there are a few times where the reader can see how the white characters are profiting from owning slaves or from merely just having an encounter with a runaway slave. One of these times is when Miss Watson learned she could sell her slave Jim for

En when I wake up en fine you back agin’, all safe en soun’, de tears come en I could a got down on my knees en kiss’ yo’ foot I’s so thankful. En all you wuz thinkin ‘bout wuz how you could make a fool uv ole Jim wid a lie.” (Twain 77) From this quote Huck learns that Jim truly does care for him, and that both white and black men can be hurt, they have the same ability to love and feel sadness. Huck comes the conclusion that both he and Jim are very much alike no matter the different color of skins “I knowed he was white inside.” (Twain