What Is Racism In Huck Finn

There are about seven billion people in the world, and about one hundred and seven billion people have ever lived. It is impossible for everyone to remember every single person who ever existed, but most people know extremely famous people such as Cleopatra, Gandhi, or even Washington. Some people are just too important for history to forget, since if they were forgotten pieces about how the world formed would be missing. This also strikes true for historical events, natural disasters, and literature. In Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huckleberry Finn travels along the Mississippi River during the 1830’s with a runaway slave named Jim and helps him escape to freedom. Throughout his journey with Jim, Huck undergoes several
It is dangerous to forget the past, no matter how painful it is, because society would not be able to learn from past mistakes. The same concept applies to Huck Finn. African American parents prefer to ban the novel in schools “to avoid confronting the raw pain” (Source E) of racism. However, banning a book that explores the relevant realities of racism is censorship, which does nothing but prevent a society from being informed and educated about crucial issues. Ironically, when people censor books about racism in order to prevent such an injustice, they perpetuate its very existence. This hypocrisy is exactly what Twain criticizes about human nature, and by banning his book, society would only continue proving his point. The novel “brings into schools what all of us in this country desperately need, yet fear, most: discussions- frank discussions- about race” (Source C). Discussions about societal problems need to occur in order for younger generations to clearly establish a set of strong morals and continue preventing what is unethical. Similarly, history must also be taught in order for young people to recognize the cause and effects of prevalent social problems like racism. It is alarming to think that slavery did not originate from villains, but from everyday, reasonable people -“the ordinary folks, the good folks” (Source E) - who did not see it as immoral. Nevertheless, most
In that time period, humans have managed to build up basic civilizations out of the ground into the incredibly advanced, globalized community it is today. However, within that time frame, humans have committed countless atrocities and perpetrated the cruelties of prejudice. Humankind simply cannot forget about these events without creating substantial gaps in history. Similarly, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should not be put aside and forgotten due to its important lessons about racism and morality. Although some consider Twain’s novel racist because of its bountiful use of the n-word, it is necessary in Twain’s demonstration that the word, like racism, does not belong in modern society. Moreover, Huck and Jim are seen as equals as the novel progresses, and Twain specifically makes Jim, an African American runaway slave, seem better than Pap, a white man. Additionally, if the harsh realities of racism discussed in the novel were banned and forgotten, past mistakes would be repeated by younger generations, filling society with hypocrites who fear censorship yet are willing to ban books for their convenience. History cannot be forgotten without consequences and the bad cannot just be picked out and tossed away. Humans make mistakes, but it is these mistakes that allow society to grow and make improvements upon them. The objective thing to do is learn how to move past these mistakes, and evolve as human