Huckleberry Finn is Not a Racist Novel
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain has sparked controversy from its first publication because of the portrayal of the slave Jim. Set in the mid 1800’s a young boy named Huck escapes his abusive father, with a slave Jim, by faking his own death. They escape on a raft down the Mississippi River and try to free Jim. Jim’s treatment and use of offensive language in Huck Finn should not be seen as a racial aspect because of the depiction of Jim, the differences between Jim and Huck’s father Pap and how Huck and Jim’s relationship develops. These are all reasons why Huck Finn should not be known as a racist novel.
The first reason this book is not racist is the depiction of Jim as more than just …show more content…
When Pap gets custody of Huck he repeatedly abuses him. “He chased me round and round the place, with a clasp- knife, calling me the Angel of Death and saying he would kill me and then I couldn’t come for him no more. I begged, and told him I was only Huck, but he laughed with such a screech laugh, and roared and cussed, and kept chasing me up “(39). This incident shows how although Pap was supposed to be the stereotype of a loving white father he acted as if Huck was the worst thing to ever happen to him. In comparison, when Jim is telling Huck about his daughter after she had scarlet fever and went deaf he tells, “En wid dat I fetch’ her a slap side de head dat sont her a-prawlin’…My, but I wuz mad, I was agwyne for de chile, but jis’ den- it was a do’ dat open innerds- jis’ den, ‘lomg come de wind en slam it to, behine de shile, ker-blam!... Oh, de po’ little thing! De Lord God Amighty fogive po’ ole Jim, kaze he never gwyne to forgive hissef as long’s he live!” (168). This speech humanized Jim greatly since he still feels guilt about slapping his daughter. It shows Jim as a caring father that loved his family because even years after this incident happened he still feels guilty about it and wants to make it up to his daughter. Jim embodies the stereotype of a white father even though he’s black. Jim shows compassion for his …show more content…
although its use of language has been found controversial. Jim’s human aspect was different than slaves were stereotyped as, instead of property Jim was treated as a real person. Pap’s abusive behavior in contrast to Jim’s caring one mixed up stereotypes by having them act as the other was supposed to. Huck’s interaction with Jim as a real person shows how they cared and were protective about one another. If Huck Finn was truly a racist novel Jim would not have had the amount of character development with Huck that he does. He acts different than he would in a racist novel, such as when both him and Pap do not live up to their stereotypes of the time period. Also Huck’s view of Jim as a stupid, superstitious slave would have remained unchanged instead of Huck and Jim acting as brothers when they were on the raft. When they were back on land Huck did not care for Jim just as he didn’t care in the beginning of the novel. If Huck Finn was written as a racist novel Huck and Jim’s relationship would have never formed, they would have never cared for each other and Huck would have let Jim be tortured in the shack for thirty eight years. Their relationship would not have formed that much if Jim was written as a true slave was really thought of in the mid
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain has sparked controversy from its first publication because of the portrayal of the slave Jim. Set in the mid 1800’s a young boy named Huck escapes his abusive father, with a slave Jim, by faking his own death. They escape on a raft down the Mississippi River and try to free Jim. Jim’s treatment and use of offensive language in Huck Finn should not be seen as a racial aspect because of the depiction of Jim, the differences between Jim and Huck’s father Pap and how Huck and Jim’s relationship develops. These are all reasons why Huck Finn should not be known as a racist novel.
The first reason this book is not racist is the depiction of Jim as more than just …show more content…
When Pap gets custody of Huck he repeatedly abuses him. “He chased me round and round the place, with a clasp- knife, calling me the Angel of Death and saying he would kill me and then I couldn’t come for him no more. I begged, and told him I was only Huck, but he laughed with such a screech laugh, and roared and cussed, and kept chasing me up “(39). This incident shows how although Pap was supposed to be the stereotype of a loving white father he acted as if Huck was the worst thing to ever happen to him. In comparison, when Jim is telling Huck about his daughter after she had scarlet fever and went deaf he tells, “En wid dat I fetch’ her a slap side de head dat sont her a-prawlin’…My, but I wuz mad, I was agwyne for de chile, but jis’ den- it was a do’ dat open innerds- jis’ den, ‘lomg come de wind en slam it to, behine de shile, ker-blam!... Oh, de po’ little thing! De Lord God Amighty fogive po’ ole Jim, kaze he never gwyne to forgive hissef as long’s he live!” (168). This speech humanized Jim greatly since he still feels guilt about slapping his daughter. It shows Jim as a caring father that loved his family because even years after this incident happened he still feels guilty about it and wants to make it up to his daughter. Jim embodies the stereotype of a white father even though he’s black. Jim shows compassion for his …show more content…
although its use of language has been found controversial. Jim’s human aspect was different than slaves were stereotyped as, instead of property Jim was treated as a real person. Pap’s abusive behavior in contrast to Jim’s caring one mixed up stereotypes by having them act as the other was supposed to. Huck’s interaction with Jim as a real person shows how they cared and were protective about one another. If Huck Finn was truly a racist novel Jim would not have had the amount of character development with Huck that he does. He acts different than he would in a racist novel, such as when both him and Pap do not live up to their stereotypes of the time period. Also Huck’s view of Jim as a stupid, superstitious slave would have remained unchanged instead of Huck and Jim acting as brothers when they were on the raft. When they were back on land Huck did not care for Jim just as he didn’t care in the beginning of the novel. If Huck Finn was written as a racist novel Huck and Jim’s relationship would have never formed, they would have never cared for each other and Huck would have let Jim be tortured in the shack for thirty eight years. Their relationship would not have formed that much if Jim was written as a true slave was really thought of in the mid