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Stereotypes In The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain

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Many people argue that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain are offensive. This book takes you back during 1835-1845 when slavery was still active. While some people believe it brings history to our time others believe it is wrong and disrespectful. I however think that Huckleberry Finn is a great book with good intentions, with a splash of hard history. This book is mature, which can be the reason why so many people decline his work. He focused on a time when African Americans were treated badly; he brought this to his novel which brought him bad publicity. You can argue that it is racist but in reality Twain is using the real language of the time to capture and portray the South at the time, and how blacks were being treated. Throughout the novel the word “nigger” is used quite frequently by white southerners. Many people believe that way Twain being racist but that …show more content…

Blacks in the novel are portrayed as superstitious and gullible and it is understandable that many readers are offended by these stereotypes. However, in contrast to these stereotypes, Twain gives us Jim the runaway slave. Jim in many ways contradicts these racial stereotypes: he is resourceful, clever, compassionate, and friend to Huck. When it comes time for Huck to consider telling Miss Watson that her slave has been captured, Huck finds himself in a dilemma. Does he do what he views as “right,” turn Jim in, or does he do the “wrong” thing: helping a slave and true friend who has sacrificed and genuinely cared about Huck’s wellbeing throughout their river raft adventure? This is another reason I believe Twain was not being “racist” but bringing some real life drama in him

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