Yes, I agree with Doctor Boogaloo and The Unnamable. Well said. You aren't a bigot if you have an opinion, you're a bigot if you think your opinion is the only one that exists. But thankyou for your post, it's refreshing to see people still know to think for themselves.
If the time is taken to read the book and fully understand and interpret it, then it would be obvious that Twain is satarizing all of the controversial aspects of the novel: religion, racism, etc. It's pretty simple.
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anybody that would read huck finn and deem it as racist obviously has serious problems with comprehension. the word nigger is used.... so what? huck was an illiterate, uneducated, naughty boy that did not know better. people are taught how to hate. why are people racist? because of fear and ignorance and what they are taught growing up. throughout the entire book, huck is unlearning the hatred and racism he has been taught his entire life. the climax of the novel comes when huck "has to decide betwixt two things", whether or not he should tear up the letter he had written to the widow douglas turning jim in or not. on that page you hear huck unlearning everything he was taught about black people, and how he is coming to his decision. ultimately, he decides he will go to hell, and tears up the letter. twain was the greatest writer to have ever lived. what a remarkable way to speak out against racism. through the eyes and mind of a child. brilliant! huck finn is a hymn against racism. twain uses the innocence and beliefs of a child to bring racism to the forefront. huck really believes he will go to hell for helping his friend. that is the ultimate moral awakening. you get to hear huck unlearn, and hear how hard it is for him to do, but he does it. is'nt that beautiful? huck finn shows that there is yet hope for the human race. that you can unlearn hatred that you are taught. it deeply troubles me that someone could read huck finn and not see that. it is the greatest anti-racism novel to have ever been written.what a bad *** twain was for having the balls to speak up the way he did.
now, for anyone who needs more proof that twain was not racist, study him. read his essays and speeches. read about him. look into his later writings. he was a powerful force for the good of civil liberties, freedom, and humanity. twain actually paid the tuition for several black yale law students. this was not even found out till after his death. he wrote to the dean of yale that he wanted to do so becacuse of the horrible atroscity of slavery. he thought it was the least he could do. twain was friends with many black people, and wrote fondly of them. twain spoke to congress about womens rights, human rights, black peoples rights. twains writings should be mandatory for all to read. please, do not stop with huck. there is a vast supply of twains works out there. i encourage all to read as much as possible. he is an immensly important figure, and so much that he wrote is still relevant today.
No- it is not racist. You have to think of the time period it was written in. But in the end, when Huck realized Jim was a man and not someone to be owned. It was implying slavery was wrong. Mark Twain grew up in a place and time when such thoughts were considered wrong. There for he was making a stance on the issue of slavery like "Uncle Tom's Cabin". I'm sure Mark Twain did not gain many friends for writing these things.
Why do you think Twain chose a child to be the novel's voice? Answer that, and you will understand not just the novel, but Twain's own position on these questions.
Out of the mouths of babes....
I wrote the following in a different thread but since it is relevant to this thread, I decided to copy and paste it in:
Originally Posted by Virgil
LET THERE BE LIGHT
"Love follows knowledge." – St. Catherine of Siena
My literature blog: http://ashesfromburntroses.blogspot.com/
Going back to the "why Twain wrote from Huck's perspective" idea ... Some of my favorite authors often approach mundane or daily rituals through new eyes and force the reader to look at them differently. Saying grace at the beginning of the book, for example, is mocked. Similarly, slavery is satirized through the eyes of a child. Huck is able to look at things with a new perspective and doesn't have the philisophical wrongs imposed on him.
Sure, he says the "n" word, but in pre-civil war america, it would be surprising if he didn't. He didn't grow up in our "pc obsessed" times where even the word "tolerance" has become unacceptable. (Honestly! Pretty soon our working vocabulary will be widdled down to 200 words!)
Huck is an open cup who fills himself up with his own experiences. He draws his own conclusions about religion and slavery: Jim is a person, not someone to be owned.
In the end, Huck rejects racism in those beautiful last few lines.
Sarah.
Tis only in their dreams that men truly be free;
'Twas always thus, and always thus will be.
Huck has many conflicts between what is socially "right" and what is ethically "right." There is subtle irony in the book. Huck thinks he will go to hell for helping Jim, but he decides that he'd rather save Jim than go to heaven. Even though Huck thinks he will go to hell, helping Jim is a good deed. If you think about it, the most level-headed people in the book are kind to Jim. I also feel that Huck was never rascist. He just hears what other people tell him. He only decides not to help Jim when he feels people with think poorly of him. Call it weakness of character, but it isn't rascist.
hey i need some help
Oh wow. I agree with everyone, cassi and mono and dear rachel and virgil and whoever else...
I don't think Huckleberry Finn could be considered racist. He lived in a racist society.
I do find book bannings rather ridiculous, for usually there is no good reason for it. I heard a while back they are banning C.S.Lewis's The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe in U.S. schools.... I see no reason to be banning good books. It seems people should read books that present different ideas. If they want to ban racist or religious books, they are going to have to ban almost all the books written before the last century. And then what is going to be left? Someone's siggy I've been looking at the last few days reads: If you kill a book, you kill an idea
Last edited by RJbibliophil; 06-30-2006 at 11:25 AM.
[INDENT] The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain possesses terms and situations that attract a racist stereotype to the novel. However, from the journeys that Huck Finn and Jim have they mature morally and emotionally.
Although Jim is often referred to as “Nigger Jim”, the term nigger is not used in a harsh, or arrogant way. In the 1800’s around the time Twain published the novel, slavery was widely accepted in the south (where the novel takes place). Therefore referring to Jim as a nigger was not an insult as in the early 1800’s as most southerners dubbed their slaves as niggers. Huck says, “Well, if ever I struck anything like it, I’m a nigger. It was enough to make a body ashamed of the human race.” From this, Huck realizes that human beings are the same regardless of skin color, which is why he is not a racist.
[INDENT]Huck takes Jim from trials of tribulations to triumph as he endures risky adventures so his African American friend can obtain liberty. Huck stands on watch countless times for Jim to make sure that all is safe and no one catches Jim and returns him to slavery. Not only a matter of guarding his friend, Huck was willing to dress as a girl and risk being humiliated in a popular town to seek information on his and his partner in crime’s missing. From numerous practical jokes to sarcastic insults, Huck always regrets hurting Jim. For example, when Huck hides the dead snake in Jim’s bed, the snake’s mate attacked Jim. The fact that he hurt someone so close to him upset him and apologized countless times. Huck explains, “I struck the time I saved him by telling the men we had smallpox, and he was so grateful, and said I was a best friend old Jim ever had in the world, and the only one he’s got now.” From these words one can infer how attached Huck was to Jim and thought of him not as a black man but a regular man. Huck conscience sways back and forth debating to give up Jim because he feels he is wrong for assisting a slave runaway. He clarifies that it may hurt Miss Watson, that he is committing this action but turning in Jim may hurt him more. At this point in the novel, it is coherent that Huck recognizes that he is saving a life, and a life is a life no matter black or white.
[INDENT]Huck uses Jim to express southern white’s hostile attitudes towards slaves and to show that there is humanity in slaves. Not only do the two consider each other as friends but continue to teach each other throughout the novel. Jim uses a superstitious method to teach Huck about lessons in life while Huck uses the fortunate knowledge he obtained from school. Although, the dialect may not sound politically correct, the amount of respect for each other’s goes far past skin color. When Tom Sawyer and Huck drew up the plan to rescue Jim from prison they risk their lives and reputation in order to save Jim from being sold back into slavery. However, the two did not think twice about attempting to free Jim. From this example one can infer that society was wrong back then and that these two boys are heroes for standing up and being proactive to make sure that their friend a perfectly, warm-hearted black slave, got his chance to be a free person.
[INDENT]The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain possesses terms and situations that attract a racist stereotype to the novel. However, from the journeys that Huck Finn and Jim have they mature morally and emotionally.
[INDENT]Although Jim is often referred to as “Nigger Jim”, the term nigger is not used in a harsh, or arrogant way. In the 1800’s around the time Twain published the novel, slavery was widely accepted in the south (where the novel takes place). Therefore referring to Jim as a nigger was not an insult as in the early 1800’s as most southerners dubbed their slaves as niggers. Huck says, “Well, if ever I struck anything like it, I’m a nigger. It was enough to make a body ashamed of the human race.” From this, Huck realizes that human beings are the same regardless of skin color, which is why he is not a racist.
[INDENT] Huck takes Jim from trials of tribulations to triumph as he endures risky adventures so his African American friend can obtain liberty. Huck stands on watch countless times for Jim to make sure that all is safe and no one catches Jim and returns him to slavery. Not only a matter of guarding his friend, Huck was willing to dress as a girl and risk being humiliated in a popular town to seek information on his and his partner in crime’s missing. From numerous practical jokes to sarcastic insults, Huck always regrets hurting Jim. For example, when Huck hides the dead snake in Jim’s bed, the snake’s mate attacked Jim. The fact that he hurt someone so close to him upset him and apologized countless times. Huck explains, “I struck the time I saved him by telling the men we had smallpox, and he was so grateful, and said I was a best friend old Jim ever had in the world, and the only one he’s got now.” From these words one can infer how attached Huck was to Jim and thought of him not as a black man but a regular man. Huck conscience sways back and forth debating to give up Jim because he feels he is wrong for assisting a slave runaway. He clarifies that it may hurt Miss Watson, that he is committing this action but turning in Jim may hurt him more. At this point in the novel, it is coherent that Huck recognizes that he is saving a life, and a life is a life no matter black or white.
[INDENT]Huck uses Jim to express southern white’s hostile attitudes towards slaves and to show that there is humanity in slaves. Not only do the two consider each other as friends but continue to teach each other throughout the novel. Jim uses a superstitious method to teach Huck about lessons in life while Huck uses the fortunate knowledge he obtained from school. Although, the dialect may not sound politically correct, the amount of respect for each other’s goes far past skin color. When Tom Sawyer and Huck drew up the plan to rescue Jim from prison they risk their lives and reputation in order to save Jim from being sold back into slavery. However, the two did not think twice about attempting to free Jim. From this example one can infer that society was wrong back then and that these two boys are heroes for standing up and being proactive to make sure that their friend a perfectly, warm-hearted black slave, got his chance to be a free person.
Last edited by paxoneagle; 07-23-2006 at 07:35 PM.
In my opinon, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is not a racist novel. It all depends on how the reader interprets the situations at hand. Myself as a reader believe that anyone could easily sterotype this novel as being racist. The fact that Jim was a black slave living in a white town probably makes readers assume that this novel is another one of those racist books. But in fact it's really not.
Mark Twain expresses his opinons through the satires he makes. He pokes fun of the Southern Society making slavery such an important issue back then. Well in fact, it wasn't. Twain wants to point out to the readers that his intention was not to be racist against African Americans, but try to get the readers to believe that whether your black,white,orange,red,or blue there is always someone there to help you. Like in the book, Huck was always there for Jim as Jim was always there for Huck. Even though sometimes Huck did try to pull some practical jokes on Jim, he assured that no matter what happens Huck will be there for Jim.
All Huck & Jim wanted to do was to have freedom. Freedom from being controlled. I give them lots of credit for doing all those things they did to insure that they would soon have it. Especially for Huck who almost sacrificed his own life for Jim when Huck and Tom Sawyer saved Jim from jail. Even if Huck had lots of opportunity to sell out Jim in return for money, he choose the friendship over the money.
I bet the biggest issue was the type of language Twain wrote about Jim. Calling him "Nigger" or making him illiterate. But back then, life wasn't as easy as it is today. The language was totally different, the opinons were very strong about black people, and learning wasn't a privilege for black people. So I hope other readers understand Twains way of writing the story out.
i can understand why the adventures of huckleberry finn could be considered racist. it does use harsh racial slurs and make black people out to not be so intelligent. however, if you take the time period the book was written in you would see that it is more anti-racism than anything else. yes the book uses the word "nigger" quite often, but back then that was a common term for a black person. and yes it often portays black people as a non-intellectual but for the time period that was a common stereotype. if you get past all that though and accept it for what it is you see that the book is in fact an adventure, not a novel about slavery.
in the book huck treats jim as an equal. for example, when the duke and the king come into the story and join jim and huck on the raft they both together act as the servants, catering to the duke and the king. also, although he thought about it on occasion, huck never turned jim in. he stuck with him going against what he thought was right. huck considered jim a friend, when he offended jim he apologized. like when he told jim that the storm they had been in was just a dream he had he apologized to jim when jim got so upset that huck was playing a practical joke on him. "it was fifteen minutes before i could work myself up to go humble myself to a nigger---but i done it, and i warn't ever sorry for it afterwards neither". that shows that he considered jim human not just a slave.
In my opinion, I believe "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", written by Mark Twain has a lot of racism within it, but I do not believe the book is racist. The author demonstrates the typical way many Caucasians used to think and act towards African Americans, but he then shows how their perspective of African Americans weren't right through the character Jim.
For example, in chapter 15, Huck says, "It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger; but I done it, and I warn't ever sorry for it afterwards, neither. I didn't do him no more mean tricks, and I wouldn't done that one if I'd a knowed it would make him feel that way." This first demonstrates how back then, Caucasians thought it was shameful to admit they were ever wrongful towards an African American, but it then shows how Huck didn't regret it at all and in fact decided to never play tricks on Jim again.
Also, within chapter 23, Huck sees Jim mourning for his lost family and thinks, "I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their'n." Although this statement clearly reflects the racist thought that African Americans can't care the same as Caucasians, it also proves that thought incorrect by demonstrating Jim could and does in fact care, loves and misses his family.
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