Theme Of Racism In The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn

Despite Mark Twain’s inclusion of derogatory terminology and stereotypes on the surface of his story, the complex novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn purposefully mirrors the societal normalities, seen in the pre-Civil War era, in order to establish a negative limelight on these discriminatory practices. Twain’s common use of the “N” word, sought as politically incorrect in today 's society, serves to help the reader comprehend American racism, vastly seen in the southern setting of the novel. Through the character development of Jim, a runaway slave, Twain contradicts the implied simplicity of the personas often described using the “N” word. This enables the unexpected growth of Jim’s character that serves to portray humility, which differs from the immorality of certain white-skinned characters. Through the Twain 's condemnation of past American racism, he is able to reveal the evolving similarities seen in the social trends concerning the post-Civil War era.
Twain utilizes the historical context of the “N” word in order to convey the normality of racism seen in the pre-Civil War era. In context to the time period of the novel, the term was seen in everyday language in the South, closely relating to the word “slave”, and until only about the year of 1825 did the word become “universally recognized as an insulting, demeaning word” (Smith). Twain includes the “N” word to emphasize the normality of discrimination towards African Americans, which suggests the common