Racism In Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn

Racism is not pretty and should not be sugar coated, but rather exposed as what it is as it is. Mark Twain’s novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is set in the time of slavery and uses various demeaning terms towards its colored characters and illustrates the attitude many had towards those of color. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a great novel that should be taught to both high schools and colleges because although the use of words are degrading it is necessary to demonstrate the sense of superiority whites had towards blacks, in addition the novel explores the internal and external struggle many could have had when it came to slavery and what society expected of them at that time.

Throughout the novel the reader can notice the growth Huck has in terms of forming his own opinion of Jim. However, in the beginning of the …show more content…
Smiley states “I would rather my children read Uncle Tom’s Cabin even though it is far more vivid in its depiction...,” Uncle Tom’s Cabin is much more detailed in the treatment of slaves while Twain focuses more in the internal and external struggle of whether helping a slave is right or wrong (321). Throughout Huck’s journey with Jim the readers can see him always contemplating whether he should give up Jim and moments where he was trying to save Jim and help him escape.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is racist in a necessary form in which its readers can understand both the internal and external conflict some, like Finn, may have had whether it be in the fictional time setting or in the actual time of slavery. For that reason, it should be taught in both high school and college, it is necessary that students read and interpret Twain work as they want. The question is not if the novel is racist, but rather is it racist on purpose and if so, is it for the right