Inequality In The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain

Civilizations often grow and establish themselves on aspects of their own with which they view in a positive light: economic strength, military brilliance, scientific and societal knowledge beyond compare. These aspects are placed on pedestals for all to see, and this facade often distracts from the less pleasing parts of society; the events and characteristics that are swept under the rug or buried deep down. The reality is that all societies have their flaws, whether it be corruption, autocratic governments, even rampant dissolute behavior, but the one that continues to haunt cultures throughout the world is simply inequality. It can be biases among genders, or races, even social class or sexual orientation. Humankind has come a long way

Out of the many differences that have plagued our nation, and the societies of countless others, there is one element that in some ways has been the most divisive of them all: race. Though racism is still prevalent in most societies, something must be said on the improvements that have been made over the decades, whatever the size. For example, in the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Mark Twain, which was set in the mid-1800s, there is a frequent, almost normalized, usage of words deemed derogatory towards certain races; the word “nigger” is used nearly 200 times throughout the book. The amount of racism and the usage of these particular words provides a stark backdrop to the racial discrepancies that existed during that time. As an example, one of the main characters, Huckleberry Finn’s father, said the following after going into town: “‘There was a free nigger there, from Ohio; a mulatter, most as white as a white man...They said he was a p’fessor in a college, an could talk all kinds of languages, and knowed everything. And that ain’t the wust. They said he could vote… I says to the people, why ain’t this nigger put up at auction and sold?”’ (Twain 27).

However, one of the most demeaning set of stereotypes, expectations, and roles that are assigned to people are ones based on gender. Gender inequality is no novel concept, existing from ancient texts such as the Bible, to recent books and movies, and the backlash and support regarding it has been almost as ancient. There is still an obvious inequality when it comes to the genders of the world, though some improvements have been made. Women have not even had the right to vote for one hundred years; in the years preceding the fateful vote, and for many of the years afterwards, women were (and are) expected to act, think, and talk a certain way. An example of this is in Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In the novel, certain guidelines for how women should act are given in the form of advice; for example, “‘...hold the needle still and poke the thread at it-- that’s the way a woman most always does...throw stiff-armed from the shoulder, like there was a pivot there for it to turn on-- like a girl…”’ (Twain 62). The stereotype of women as homemakers is present in this quote, as it still is in present day. Furthermore, the novel also proceeded highlight a society