Examples Of Slavery In Huckleberry Finn

Racism and Slavery in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The subjugation of blacks is arguably one of the most shameful actions that took place in
American history. Slavery was used for financial gain and those who were enslaved were treated horribly. The literature of the time demonstrates the mindset of early American society that those with dark skin are lesser individuals. Even factual references used derogatory language towards blacks and degraded them. Many writers explained their thoughts against racism through the stories they wrote. Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a good example of such a piece of literature. The novel follows Huck, a white boy, and his friendship with Jim, a runaway slave, as they travel down the Mississippi River. Within the story, Huck discovers the
The bigotry of society clouds Huck’s perspective of Jim and although Huck eventually recognizes Jim as a fellow human being, he doesn’t ultimately acknowledge the abomination that is slavery.
The novel begins with Huck’s explanation of his circumstances. Huck lives in a world heavily influenced by the ideology of southern, slave­owning, Christians. These values are exemplified by Ms. Watson and Widow Douglas who force Huck to adhere to strict rules.
Widow Douglas even goes as far as to force Huck to read the Bible in order to show Huck proper morality. The culture of the south was very influential in the development of Huck’s social awareness. In Huck’s introduction of Jim, he very casually explains that Jim is "Miss Watson 's big nigger, named Jim" (Twain 5). Huck believes Jim to be a simple asset of Ms. Watson’s and uses derogatory language to make that assertion. Huck also acknowledges Jim as a “nigger” first and as “Jim” second. To Huck, Jim’s name is secondary to the fact that he is black. The

indifference and ease with which Huck speaks that sentence is a clear indication that the
Huck’s point here is that its useless to try and argue with a black person. He doesn’t attribute Jim’s inability to formulate an argument to his intellect but to his skin color and excuses him for it. Once again, Huck classifies Jim on his skin color. To Huck,
Jim is someone to toy with, easy prey for practical jokes and silly arguments. Jim isn’t treated by
Huck as an adult, he’s treated as though he were inferior. As the novel progresses, Jim changes as a character, but not in a traditional sense. Because the story is portrayed through Huck’s mind, the reader doesn’t fully gain an understanding of Jim’s true character until Huck begins to acknowledge Jim as a person. Huck’s acknowledgement is a slow process, hastened by each event that occurs on the river. Each obstacle overcome solidifies their mutual friendship and widens the lens through which the reader sees Jim. Initially, Huck defines Jim by his race, disregarding his actions and ignoring his true character, yet throughout the book and as Huck is forced to cooperate more and more with Jim, Huck begins to see through the racism of his culture and recognizes Jim to be a genuine