What Is The Role Of Racism In Huck Finn

The novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is an eventful story known across America as one of Twain's most controversial pieces. In this adventurous, jaw-dropping storyline a young southerner, Huck, and a slave, Jim, embark on a journey like no other. Though they develop a strong bond, the struggle of racism is identifiable throughout this book, even within their relationship. Examples can be found in the story as well as sources going in depth about the differences in word choices between nonracist text and intentionally racist context. In this story the setting and the environment and which both characters are brought up in plays a role in the racist aspects of the book as well. While reading this essay the reader will be able to identify the case the writer built against The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and the use of intentional racism.

Twain used him and his environmental background to connect racism to the relationship between Huck and Jim. Jim was a slave but that does but “nigger” is the correct term to describe him even though the author portrays it in this manner. The relationship between these two characters grew very deep with the progression of the novel but so did the understanding racial differences between the two. In chapter 14, Huck says, “Well, he was right; he was most always right; he had an uncommon level head, for a nigger” (Twain 176). Although this may appear to be a compliment, I felt that the positive aspect of this statement was taken away when Huck lacks the understanding of how rude it is to refer to Jim as some “nigger”. The term not only becomes a big part of Hick’s name references to Jim and other slaves, but it shows signs of racism in the main