The treatment of Jim portrays racism and slavery by showing how different the white people treat him and the assumptions they make about Jim. Twain uses Pap as a portrayer of racism. Pap explains, “They said he could vote, when he was at home. Well, that let me out” (Twain 28). Pap is saying racist thing about Jim and how we was astounded he was going to be able to vote. Twain uses this bad treatment of Jim to explain the ignorance of racism. He is stating how white people are scared of ideas they are not used to, especially if they do not promote white supremacy. Twain shows how people should accept those ideas by using Huck in the novel. Twain also uses Huck to represent society and how it is easily influenced. A literary critique writes,
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It changes from Huck looking at him as if he were property to Huck viewing Jim as a human being. Huck has a change of heart after getting acquainted with Jim. Jim is a human being but, has never been seen as anything except a slave. Huck is risking getting in trouble for Jim because he is helping him escape slavery. With Huck’s transformation, he comes to see Jim as a person and decides turning him in would be wrong. Huck contemplates, “I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself ‘all right, then, I’ll go to Hell’- and tore it up” (Twain 194-195). This quote shows the transformation of Huck and how the relationship with Jim is more important to him than the morals society has taught him. The cruelty of humanity is referenced in a quote by a literary article. Kaye exclaims, “The last section of Huckleberry Finn, on the Phelps farm, is the section that most trivializes Jim, and, as many critics have pointed out, seems to undercut both his quest for freedom and Huck’s - and the reader’s - growing appreciation of his humanity” (Kaye 18). This quote is depicting the racism Jim has to face. Society tells Huck that helping Jim escape is wrong, but Huck’s transformation lets him value Jim more. In Huck’s mind he is still doing a wrong by helping Jim, but since he sees Jim for what he is, a person, not an animal, then he wants to help Jim escape. Huck wrestles with himself by stating, “Then I thought a minute, and says to myself, hold on, - s’pose you’d a done right and give Jim up; would you felt better than what you do now?” (Twain 85). Twain is claiming it is very hard to break away from biased ideas. He is stating that white people should change the way the black folks are being treated because it is better for humanity. Huck’s transformation is a crucial part of Twain’s “anti-racism” message. A literary article explains, “Despite
It changes from Huck looking at him as if he were property to Huck viewing Jim as a human being. Huck has a change of heart after getting acquainted with Jim. Jim is a human being but, has never been seen as anything except a slave. Huck is risking getting in trouble for Jim because he is helping him escape slavery. With Huck’s transformation, he comes to see Jim as a person and decides turning him in would be wrong. Huck contemplates, “I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself ‘all right, then, I’ll go to Hell’- and tore it up” (Twain 194-195). This quote shows the transformation of Huck and how the relationship with Jim is more important to him than the morals society has taught him. The cruelty of humanity is referenced in a quote by a literary article. Kaye exclaims, “The last section of Huckleberry Finn, on the Phelps farm, is the section that most trivializes Jim, and, as many critics have pointed out, seems to undercut both his quest for freedom and Huck’s - and the reader’s - growing appreciation of his humanity” (Kaye 18). This quote is depicting the racism Jim has to face. Society tells Huck that helping Jim escape is wrong, but Huck’s transformation lets him value Jim more. In Huck’s mind he is still doing a wrong by helping Jim, but since he sees Jim for what he is, a person, not an animal, then he wants to help Jim escape. Huck wrestles with himself by stating, “Then I thought a minute, and says to myself, hold on, - s’pose you’d a done right and give Jim up; would you felt better than what you do now?” (Twain 85). Twain is claiming it is very hard to break away from biased ideas. He is stating that white people should change the way the black folks are being treated because it is better for humanity. Huck’s transformation is a crucial part of Twain’s “anti-racism” message. A literary article explains, “Despite