ipl-logo

Slavery In Huckleberry Finn

849 Words4 Pages

Racism and slavery are two obvious aspects of the novel The Adventures Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. The setting of the novel sets the tone of the story. Twain 's interesting choice of setting depicts his possible view on slavery. Throughout the novel a relationship grows between teenager Huck Finn and a run away slave named Jim and the use of language in The Adventures Huckleberry Finn allows readers to get a glimpse of racism through the word nigger. The societal views on race and slavery influence Huck and his views. A significant moment occurs when Huck changes his view on slavery toward the end of the novel. The events that Huck and Jim experience together bring about freedom at the conclusion of the novel. All of the experiences that …show more content…

The setting of The Adventures Huckleberry Finn is pre-Civil War. Interesting enough, Twain wrote this work post-Civil War. Questions arise as to why Twain did this. Perhaps he was portraying that not much has changed with the abolishment of slavery at the end of the Civil War. Racism was still greatly prevalent while Twain wrote down Huck and Jim 's adventures. Twain may be trying to show that racism can still be seen in everyday life. Even today, in the year 2016, racism is seen in everyday life. The issue of racism gives The Adventures Huckleberry Finn a timeless feeling, as all time periods can relate to it. From pre-Civil War to Post-Civil War, and from the Civil Rights Movement to Black Lives Matter issues of the present, racism is unfortunately …show more content…

Because of the ongoing themes of racism and slavery in The Adventures Huckleberry Finn, a timeless classic was born. The setting, societal views, use of the word nigger, and the relationship that is established between Huck and Jim all give evidence to show that the themes of racism and slavery designate this novel as a timeless classic. Mark Twain 's words worked through Huck to show that racism is not dead but very much still alive. The hope that humanity will one day be able to have the, "I’ll go to hell,” realization that young Huck did is something that will make the population feel like they are drifting to freedom on Huck and Jim

Show More
Related

  • Examples Of Huckleberry Finn Living In The 1800s

    160 Words  | 1 Pages

    Living in the 1800s was a very confusing time for a thirteen-year-old American white boy named Huckleberry Finn. African people were faced with inhuman acts of slavery, prejudice, and discrimination. Choosing between what was right and wrong was a challenge, especially for Huckleberry Finn. Huck’s peers tried to corrupt him into believing that slavery was the norm and black people were to be shunned. Mrs. Watson, for example, was Huck’s adoptive mother whom consistently told Huck to not associate with people of the African culture.

    Read More

  • How Does Jim Change In Huck Finn

    740 Words  | 3 Pages

    The book, The Adventures of Huckleberry and Finn, plays with many different controversial topics such as slavery, racism, abuse, and religion. The topic most talked about in this book is slavery/racism because of Huck’s relationship with Jim, a runaway slave. Throughout the book Huck struggles with how he should treat Jim and if he should stick to his morals and what his conscience is telling him or if he should stick to his heart and do what he personally believes is right. He can either turn Jim in back to his owners and into the slave trade, or he can continue to travel with him and help him gain his freedom. Because of this struggle, Huck’s view of Jim changes based on where he is and who he is associating himself with and these factors

    Read More

  • Dbq Essay On Huckleberry Finn

    650 Words  | 3 Pages

    Judging someone for their race, ethnicity, or skin color is never portrayed as the right thing to do. However, these are some of the main themes in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This was taken place before the Civil War, when slavery was still legal. When Huck Finn and Jim meet, even though Jim is a slave, they connect immediately. Their friendship grows stronger and stronger as the novel continues, it got to the point where Jim was not only a friend, but a father figure to Huck.

    Read More

  • Huckleberry Finn Rhetorical Analysis

    438 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn subverts racist beliefs through the development of Huck’s friendship with Jim and through Twain's satirization of the KKK. Mark Twain subverts racism through the development of Huck and Jims friendship in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The two form such a close friendship, leading to a father son bond. In the novel, Huck enjoys spending time with Jim; he comments how “‘This is nice,’ I says. ‘I wouldn’t want to be nowhere else but here’”

    Read More

  • Why Is Huck Finn Dehumanized

    417 Words  | 2 Pages

    The novel Huckleberry Finn has been a classic but controversial piece of history. Huck is a young racist boy. The society as a whole was racist. The lack of consequence for treating Jim badly because of his color is all about the time period. The limited knowledge can lead an individual into being a racist, but a strong minded young adult like Huck should be able to know the humanity of black people.

    Read More

  • Why Should Huckleberry Finn Not Be Banned

    1906 Words  | 8 Pages

    Racism takes a massive toll on the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The book Huckleberry Finn teaches us different lessons on how black people were treated and how racism was/is a big part of the world. Mark Twain published his novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn on December 10, 1884, and was pronounced a banned book in 1885 because it was said to be “‘trash’ and ‘only suitable for the slums’”(American). In my opinion, Huckleberry Finn should not be a banned book in high schools since it teaches us valuable lessons about what blacks' lives were like and how they were treated differently than any other person. In this analysis, I’m going to be talking about how Huckleberry Finn matured throughout the story and how I think that

    Read More

  • Satire In The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn

    800 Words  | 4 Pages

    The reading requirement of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is not worth the discomfort of students and teachers due to racism and sensitive topics. Twain’s novel, while possibly bringing light to the hostile nature of racism through his satire, does not leave stereotypes out at all. He consistently exaggerates black characters. Even though that is typical in satire, it is wholly uncomfortable for everyone involved in reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Racism In Huckleberry Finn

    142 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn the racist attitudes of the Deep South in the late 1800's are shown. Mark Twain portrays a runaway slave, Jim, as a racist caricature who does whatever is asked of him and exhibits little intelligence. The reader can initially see this through the use of the word "nigger" that is all throughout the book. In the modern 21st century this term is taken offensively, but in the 19th century this term was commonly used and Twain took advantage of it.

    Read More

  • Why Is Huck Finn Banned

    676 Words  | 3 Pages

    Huck Finn is an original story of a boy in racist America who spends enough time with a slave to realize that they are extremely similar to white people. “...he was low and homesick; because he hadn’t ever been away from home before in his life; and I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their’n”(Twain 158). Through small things like seeing him cry over his own family he doesn’t understand why all blacks are slaves even though they act and feel the same way as whites. There is a development in his mind of black people that is slowly disregarding what society thinks.

    Read More

  • Figurative Language In Huckleberry Finn

    604 Words  | 3 Pages

    This shows how people view Jim and the severity of his escaping. The views of slavery are so set in stone that the black boy escaping is more heinous a crime than that of a white man killing his son. Twain uses figurative language throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. One example would be when he is describing a summer storm in chapter 9. Twain talks about the trees looking “dim and spider-webby,” and how when the wind blows through, it “set the branches to tossing their arms as if they was just wild.”

    Read More

  • Huck Finn Racism Analysis

    1403 Words  | 6 Pages

    The black man on the back porch is afraid of the rattle snake because it is bad luck, or the innocent little slave is quick to believe everything one tells them at the drop of the hat. These are just some of the many racist stereotypes of the 1840s. A character named Jim is the star African American whom Twain bestoys the mission of being the stereotypical black man to prove a point. He along with his much more pallor companion Huck go on exciting adventures that unfold the events which expose the racist conduct of the time. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain saturates his novel with potent images of acute racism severe enough as to create a satirical mien that exposes the absurdity of prejudice.

    Read More

  • Huck Finn Racism Quotes

    1724 Words  | 7 Pages

    Essay The novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a story about a young boy who is trying to find who he is during the civil war. In this novel by Mark Twain it speaks about this young boy, named Huck, and how his original morals are beginning to change while he helps free his friend Jim, who is a slave. Though People have argued that this book uses many racial slurs that demoralize the African American race. Though there is solid reasoning why those are not Mark Twain's true intentions.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Justice In Huck Finn

    738 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a classic novel that takes the reader on a series of thrilling adventures full of life threatening situations, racism, and slavery. The author Mark Twain, uses the novel to highlight the flaws in society by creating a character like Huck, whose personal sense of morals and justice are more noble than those of the very people trying to civilize him. Throughout this captivating novel Huck endures his fair share of trouble and morally challenging decision but he always comes out on top by following his heart and doing what he feels to be right.

    Read More

  • Literary Techniques In Mark Twain's The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn

    792 Words  | 4 Pages

    Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn employs the use of various literary techniques specifically, characterization, the motif of superstition, and colloquial language from a youthful narration. By implementing these literary tools, Twain hopes to achieve and to teach his audience that society judges and creates division, and on our own, we are less susceptible to the malicious behavior that is racism and discrimination. While considering this concept, Twain highlights the issues with how black people were being treated in order to prompt society to re-think their actions against their colored counterparts. In the text, Twain’s uses the strategic repetition of superstitions and often transcends the conservative fallacies that characters seem to hold as truth.

    Read More

  • Racism And Slavery In Huck Finn

    516 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ryan Scaggs Mrs. Johnson Huck Finn Essay October 25, 2015 Racism and Slavery Throughout Throughout his novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain exposes many themes that related well with the 1880s America during which Twain wrote the novel. Many important themes are at the center of the book, such as the conflict between civilization and Huck’s “natural life”. However, the most well-known thematic aspect of this novel is the inclusion of racism and slavery in that day’s society.

    Read More

More about Slavery In Huckleberry Finn

Open Document