Racism In Huckleberry Finn

Although combative to many, The American novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn allows people of the 21st century to understand how times have changed since the book was written in the late 1800’s. Today, it is used as a common resource in some American classrooms to show America’s past culture and how the immoral treatment of African Americans shaped our society in the present day. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by author Mark Twain in 1876, is an extremely controversial American novel that creates nationwide tension based on the argument questioning if this novel is a novel that is racist or does it promote racism. The novel is debated due to the fact that Twain uses the “n word” 219 times. This explains why Huck Finn has

In Chapter 16, Huck is speaking of Jim when he says “Here was this nigger, which I had as good as helped to run away, coming right out flat-footed and saying he would steal his children—children that belonged to a man I didn't even know; a man that hadn't ever done me no harm”(92). Jim, the runaway slave, vows to take his own children from the man who owns them. When Huck speaks of Jim, he is not being overtly hateful or malicious, he is simply using dialect of his time. It would be unnatural for “nigger” to be replaced with a word such as “slave” or “African American.” These words, though accurate, do not effectively portray how poorly black members of society were treated. “Nigger” was the common word of the time, it is part of our history, and should not be altered or censored to protect mature members of our society. Twain explicitly states himself that the use of another word would not be right, and would alter the books integrity drastically. Throughout the whole novel Huck struggles with morals. Morals involving himself, Jim, and what society thinks is right. For example, Huck thinks to himself, “my conscience got to stirring me up hotter than ever, until at last I says to it, “Let up on me—it ain’t too late yet—I’ll paddle ashore at the first light and tell.” I felt easy and happy and light as a feather right off. All my troubles was gone” (93).When Huck decides he would rather burn in hell than sell out jim he defeats the prejudice, most people in his society believe and tried teach him, called civilization. Tatum states: “Prejudice is one of the inescapable consequences of living in a racist society. Cultural racism- the cultural images and messages that affirm the assumed superiority of Whites and the assumed inferiority of people of color- is like smog in the air”(Tatum). Prejudge leads to racism. Prejudice is apart of society