I see where your train of thought is headed concerning Mark Twain's use of the word nigger, but I would like to add to it as well as bring up another perspective. Twain may be speaking out about the demeaning aspects of slavery and the lifestyle those people had during that time period, but I believe the use of the word nigger is not ment to be offensive. From what I gathered from the novel the word nigger was a synonym for black person, just like to a child poddy is code for bathroom. To say the word is "too offensive" and that it should be removed from the novel would be destructive to the novel and history its self. Twain did not sugar coat things and the word seems to just be part of the character's normal diction.
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