Racism, a major issue in society for hundreds of years, even after the abolition of slavery, still affects millions of people. African Americans today still sensitivities towards racism, and the reading of Huckleberry Finn demonstrates the pertinence of racism today similarly to two hundred years ago. When reading novels containing nineteenth century racism, African American readers are exposed to the torments their ancestors were put through, and the novel can have a positive or negative effect in that the reader may enjoy the learning of their history but may also feel humiliated in relation to their classmates of other races. In the literary novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, the apparent racism in the book affects African
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Twain represents the bondage of slavery showing the pertinence of racism often: "If he did get saved, whoever saved him would send him back home so as to get the reward, and then Miss Watson would sell him South, sure"(P.86). They experience racism daily, even through small judgments of others, and that affects how they experience the novel. Also, many of their ancestors experienced slavery, and through reading the novel, they are living through what their own kin had suffered through, and their hearts ache along with them. When reading through the novel, many young African American children experience “pain, anger, and humiliation” through the text (Alberti pp.920). They feel that through reading the text, their white classmates may feel segregated from them, creating an even larger racial divide. Therefore, the novel could detriment the mental and emotional well-being of a young African American reader, subjecting them to prejudice similar to their ancestors in that they are prejudiced by the color of their skin, yet also very different when compared to their own as they do not have the bonds of …show more content…
African Americans in the time period of the novel generally lacked basic rights such as voting, "Thinks I, what is the country a-coming to? It was 'lection day, and I was just about to go and vote myself if I warn 't too drunk to get there; but when they told me there was a State in this country where they 'd let that nigger vote, I drawed out. I says I 'll never vote agin"(Twain, pp.39). It demonstrates the freedoms and liberties they have today, even as racism thrives. Reading through the novel subjects them to the tortures of slavery, but can also bring about an appreciation for the freedom of African Americans today, who now have the ability to thrive after their cause was fought for and won. Therefore, the reading of the novel today can change the appreciation a whole community has for history and those who fought for their rights in the past, and bring about more peace between people of different color and
Twain represents the bondage of slavery showing the pertinence of racism often: "If he did get saved, whoever saved him would send him back home so as to get the reward, and then Miss Watson would sell him South, sure"(P.86). They experience racism daily, even through small judgments of others, and that affects how they experience the novel. Also, many of their ancestors experienced slavery, and through reading the novel, they are living through what their own kin had suffered through, and their hearts ache along with them. When reading through the novel, many young African American children experience “pain, anger, and humiliation” through the text (Alberti pp.920). They feel that through reading the text, their white classmates may feel segregated from them, creating an even larger racial divide. Therefore, the novel could detriment the mental and emotional well-being of a young African American reader, subjecting them to prejudice similar to their ancestors in that they are prejudiced by the color of their skin, yet also very different when compared to their own as they do not have the bonds of …show more content…
African Americans in the time period of the novel generally lacked basic rights such as voting, "Thinks I, what is the country a-coming to? It was 'lection day, and I was just about to go and vote myself if I warn 't too drunk to get there; but when they told me there was a State in this country where they 'd let that nigger vote, I drawed out. I says I 'll never vote agin"(Twain, pp.39). It demonstrates the freedoms and liberties they have today, even as racism thrives. Reading through the novel subjects them to the tortures of slavery, but can also bring about an appreciation for the freedom of African Americans today, who now have the ability to thrive after their cause was fought for and won. Therefore, the reading of the novel today can change the appreciation a whole community has for history and those who fought for their rights in the past, and bring about more peace between people of different color and