Racism in the Adventure of Huckleberry Finn

0 Introduction
Huckleberry Finn is a wonderful book that captures the heart of the
reader in its brilliance and innocence.Despite many critics have attacked
its racist perspective;the piece merely represents a reality that occurred
during antebellum America,the setting of the novel.Twain’s literary
devices in capturing the focal of excitement,adventure,and human
sympathy is a wonderful novel that should be recognized,not for bigotry,
but that it is the candid viewpoint of a boy that grew up in that era.And
even then,the protagonist does overcome some social prejudices of
slavery because he is concerned with the well-being of his runaway slave
friend Jim.That the mockery of the slave race in the end allowed by
Huck is more about fulfilling the awes of Huck towards Tom.The novel
is a success because it does not fail to capture the one singular point of
growing up for Huck:boyhood.
Mark Twain definitely characterizes the protagonist,the intelligent
and sympathetic Huckleberry Finn,by the direct candid manner of
writing as though through the actual voice of Huck.Every word,thought,
and speech by Huck is so precise it reflects even the racism and black
stereotypes typical of the era.And this has lead to many conflicting
battles by various readers since the first print of the novel,though
inspiring some.Says John H.Wallace,outraged by Twain’s constant use
of the degrading and white supremacist word‘nigger’,"[The Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn is]the most grotesque example of racist trash ever
written"(Mark Twain Journal by Thadious Davis,Fall 1984 and Spring
1985).Yet,again to counter that is a quote by the great American writer
Ernest Hemingway,"All modern American literature comes from one
book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn…it’s the best book we’ve
had…There has been nothing as good since"(The Green Hills of Africa
[Scribner’s.1953]22).The controversy behind the novel has been and
will always remain the crux of any readers is still... [continues]

Read full essay