Prejudice And Discrimination In Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn

Throughout all of American history, minorities have been plagued with ill treatment and discrimination. In every corner of the nation’s history, it is very easy to find example after example of the cruel treatment brought upon those who did not fit into society, or rather got in the way of where it was heading. The Native Americans were among the earliest to fall into this misunderstood category, and were immediately looked down upon. Due to misconceptions about their culture and people, and the desperate need and greed of the early Europeans, the Native Americans fell victim to a long-time precedent of unfair discrimination and brutal treatment. Even for centuries following the first explorers, the thoughts towards Native Americans were seemingly unchanged, and these people were seen only as huge obstacles for the ever-growing United States. Throughout elementary school,
At the beginning of the book, we begin to explore the relationship between Huck and his Pap, and we quickly begin to get a feel for how his father is as an individual. Despite being a raging alcoholic, he is a very greedy man, especially when it comes to money and his son. “Well, pretty soon the old man was up and around again, and then he went for Judge Thatcher in the courts to make him give up that money, and he went for me, too, for not stopping school. He catched me a couple of times and thrashed me, but I went to school just the same, and dodged him or out-run him most of the time” (Twain 23). This quote gives a perfect example of how Pap’s greed often resulted in rash and violent behavior to those who stood in the way of what he wanted. This behavior right here is very similar to what we see in both Columbus and Jackson when it came to getting what they wanted. Rather than it being taken out on just Huck though, these two men brought this upon thousands of Native Americans in their