Racism In Huckleberry Finn
From the time of its publication in 1884, Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has gained renown as a greatly controversial novel. First condemned due to its portrayal of a relationship between a white boy and an African-American man, the novel still sparks controversy to this day due to what many readers perceive to be racially insensitive writing that perpetuates racism. Before making such a claim, though, it is vital to examine the definition of racism. From a personal perspective, racism is a deeply pervasive ideology that advocates for the mistreatment of certain racial groups through the generation of stereotypes and misinformation, which in turn become justification for further abuse. With this definition of racism in mind,
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Author Jane Smiley writes that “there is more to be learned about the American character from its canonization than through its canonization,” meaning that more can be learned about the racist mindset that prevailed at the time from Twain’s stereotypical writing than from the stereotypes themselves. What this argument fails to consider is that Twain’s writing is satirical and thus critical of societal values and standards; he does not advocate for these racist ideas but rather, through addressing the stereotypes, he is able to undermine them and show their invalidity. Smith too states that the novel’s true aim is “to expose the mismatch between racial abstractions and real human beings,” seeing as the accepted description of the traditional black man differs greatly from any real person, as seen by the kind and loving character of Jim. Ultimately, Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not a racist novel. Through his recurring use of the n-word as well as the relationships and stereotypes he spotlights, Twain wishes to show his readers the faults in a racist society, as well as push them to find their own moral truths. If society is to progress beyond unjust prejudices and mistreatment due to race then, like Huck, everyone must venture out into the world and formulate their own views and opinions rather than blindly follow outdated traditions such as
Author Jane Smiley writes that “there is more to be learned about the American character from its canonization than through its canonization,” meaning that more can be learned about the racist mindset that prevailed at the time from Twain’s stereotypical writing than from the stereotypes themselves. What this argument fails to consider is that Twain’s writing is satirical and thus critical of societal values and standards; he does not advocate for these racist ideas but rather, through addressing the stereotypes, he is able to undermine them and show their invalidity. Smith too states that the novel’s true aim is “to expose the mismatch between racial abstractions and real human beings,” seeing as the accepted description of the traditional black man differs greatly from any real person, as seen by the kind and loving character of Jim. Ultimately, Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not a racist novel. Through his recurring use of the n-word as well as the relationships and stereotypes he spotlights, Twain wishes to show his readers the faults in a racist society, as well as push them to find their own moral truths. If society is to progress beyond unjust prejudices and mistreatment due to race then, like Huck, everyone must venture out into the world and formulate their own views and opinions rather than blindly follow outdated traditions such as