Huck Finn: Opposition to Racism

Megan Patton John Rohrkemper February 28, 2010 American Lit Exposing the Racist, Opposing Racism Since its original takings in 1884, The Adventures of huckleberry Finn has proven to be integrity of the most controversial when it comes to the reoccurring issue of race in American society. Many argue that Mark bridge held the racial ideals that most people had in the 1830s, while others know that Twain was a social satirist, mocking the ignorance of society. In order to be considered a racialist original huckaback Finn would have to advocate racism.The evidence thus far has lead me to bank that The Adventures of huckleberry Finn promotes a strong set of antiracist ethical values as the primary(prenominal) char proceedinger, Jim, a packaway slave is displayed as the best, most honorable character, while other duster characters are depicted as ignorant and self centered, lacking(p) ethical reasoning. The immorality of racism is periodic anyy satirized through prohibited the i nvigorated. The unethical thinking of the condemnation period of slavery is an issue that Twain recognizes, mocks, and clearly presents his opposition toward. wizard of the master(prenominal) concerns consistently brought up by those who argue that Twain is racist is that simply base on the dialogue and use of the word nigger, Twain is being unresponsive toward blacks. He must be a racist if he is using such a derogatory term. However, they fail to realize that he is telling a story how it would have happened and he avoids beating around the bush in order to lay protrude the reality of the time period when people sedulous in such communication.Justin Kaplan uses powerful words on the matter when he questions people who have allowed him or herself veritable(a) the barest minimum of intelligent response to its key spirit (378) and still accuse it of being racist because some of its characters use offensive racial epithets (378). On the surface, this can easily be detected as r acism but when taking a look at particular circumstances of ignorance, Hucks internal battling experiences, and satiric element, the intent is clear. Jim, unmatched of the main characters of the fresh, is undoubtedly the most moral character in the novel.Julius Lester argues in his piece Morality in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn that Jim is a childlike character and is non taken ill since he runs away and does non immediately seek his freedom (365). However, Jim has been brought up in a time where he himself feels some sort of inferiority complicated to whites in society. Lester is partially correct in his philosophy that Jim is childlike, but wrong in the idea that this is a negative aspect of his character. His childlike quality characterizes his humility, nobility, and kindness.He is such(prenominal) more one of the wiser characters in the novel as he recognizes the mistakes he has made and even expresses his depravity to Huck. He tells Huck a story nearly a time w hen he asked his four year old daughter to Shut de do (154) and she just stood there smiling at him, deaf to the occurrence that her father was instructing her to shut the door. Since he did not realize she had scarlet fever and had grown deaf, he beat her for her disobedience. When he realized that she was deaf, he bust out cryin en grab her up in his arms, and give voice Oh, de po little thingDe Lord God almighty fogive po ol Jim(155) After beating his daughter, he realizes that what he did is wrong. He learns from his mistakes and asked for forgiveness from God who he believes is all powerful with the power to forgive man of his sins. In this scene Jim demonstrates wisdom. He takes what he knows, puts it to use, and repents. part he may not be the most educated character in the novel, he seems to have the most caring mili tary strength based on the principles he has learned. According to Bennett Kravitz, Jim is portrayed as noble, loyal, and the ultimate friend and family man . On the contrary to his childlike trait that Lester believes Jim has, he is actually a father and acts much(prenominal) more like a caregiver. In a scene where Huck plays a trick on Jim, Jim grows seriously worried for Hucks life. He even announces after an angry rant that Huck scared him half to death, that my heart wuz mos broke bekase you wuz los, en I didnt kyer no mo what become er me en de raf(99). He goes on to express how he was so excited to see Huck alive that tears almost came.This is a critical point in the novel, for it is the first time the friendship of Huck and Jim is revealed by one of the characters themselves. Of course, Jim being the gentle person he is, is the first one to call this relationship a friendship. Besides becoming worried over what he thought was the loss of his friend Huck, Jim conveys his care giving qualities towards the end of the novel when he stays behind to help nurse Tom back to health. Jim bases his actions on what he thinks Tom Sawyer wo uld do in the situation and insists n getting a doctor. His persistence is so strong that he says, I doan budge a step outn dis place, dout a doctor not if its forty year (249). Upon the doctors arrival, Jim comes out of hiding and aids the doctor, knowing that he will be recaptured. Not only is he being a concerned care giving man, but Jim is risking his freedom for a person he barely knows. He has that father like full that Julius Lester seems to have missed. It is the other characters in the novel who demonstrate weak ethical values.Many of the characters who have racist credentials are portrayed as lowly, immoral, and uneducated. They rarely show remorse and are entirely self-centered. On the other hand, Jim is an easygoing, loving person who as uneducated as he is, consistently cares for others, is loyal to his friendships, and feels guilt in his mistakes. After being visually described as having been drunk over in town and laying in the gutter all night, (52) Pap goes on to rule fault in the government for not only taking away his son, but for allowing a nigger from Ohio to become a professor.Ironically, Pap thinks he is outstanding to a highly educated man who could talk all kinds of languages, and knowed everything (52) and is angry with the government for allowing a nigger to teach. He is so wrapped up in the skin color that he does not realize his own faults and incapacity. Additionally, Pap is quite the opposite of Jim who loves his family, articulates his longing to be with them as well as his guilt for beating his daughter. Pap came back into Hucks life demanding the money he received in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, not because he loved Huck and wanted to be more involved in his life.He does not have a care in the world for Huck, his only son. When finally Pap kidnaps Huck and has the chance to develop that father, son relationship, he locks him in a cabin while he goes out and gets wasted, and when he returns, Pap beats the boy. In Hucks wo rds Pap got too handy with his hickry and I couldnt stand it. Welts all over (50). Incongruously to Jims remorse, Pap is not phased by his wrongdoing. Twain certainly did this on purpose. The racism held by Hucks father, as well as many other Americans preceding the cultivated War when blacks and other minorities were seen as inferiors, is displayed throughout the novel.Through the constant use of the derogatory term nigger and the maltreatment of Jim as well as other blacks and slaves, Twain is able to illustrate societys ignorance. This way, as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is taught throughout the country, young people, or any person for that matter can see the veracity and hard knocks of racist attitudes. Pap is not the only character in the novel who displays a loose set of moral values. The escapade with the Duke and the Dauphin is another encounter in the novel where whites are displayed as weak, self centered people who are blindly racist.Twain uses their constant con niving deeds to show a diversity of white characters in this society as horrible people. In Justin Kaplans Born To Trouble 100 Years of Huckleberry Finn, he describes Jim and Huck being on the run because of a nightmare society driven by bigotry, violence, exploitation, greed, and ignorance (379) These words are perfect in describing the Duke and the Dauphin as they move from town to town tricking people out of their money.In one particular scenario, it is not even possible to feel sorry for the townspeople who are getting tricked out of their money because then they go and act like the play was great so that everyone else in the town gets tricked out of their money as well. Along with Pap, the Duke, and the Dauphin are the religious characters who seem to have it all together but in spades do not. By displaying even the best of the best characters with racist attitudes, Twain shows how it was society as a whole who held racist ideals, not just the lowlife criminal types.An example of a character that seems to have herself together is Ms. Watson. She is supposed to be a smart, religious, good-intending family adult female. Even the good woman who took Huck into her home to raise him sivilized has flaws. While in the end she is the one to grant Jim his freedom, preceding this she put her selfish desires for money ahead of Jim and though he was her slave, Jim was someone she had known for quite a while. To Jims knowledge, he was someone she cared about on some level even if she did not see him as an equal. Jim overheard Ms.Watson talking about selling Jim down the river, which is the very reason he ran away. Another supposedly wholesome, good intending character is auntie Sally. When Huck first meets Aunt Sally he describes an accident on the boat he was traveling on. Aunt Sally exclaims Good Gracious Anybody hurt? to which Huck replies Nom Killed a nigger (206). Sadly, this quote is often seen as racist but in actuality it contains a very satirical element a nd according to Kaplan is a frequently, brutal, dire realism (379). The novel is simply showing the corruption of the adult world.Peaches Henry argues that In order to believe in Twains satirical intention, one has to believe in Hucks good faith toward Jim (390). It is easy to identify Hucks good faith toward Jim throughout the novel. Aside from the idiocy of a studyity of characters, Hucks internal battles with himself throughout the novel demonstrate Mark Twains antiracist beliefs. Though Huck, in his conscience believes blacks to be worthless, his somewhat naive personality and conscience can be blamed. He has been spoon-fed everything he knows about Africans by a society which has enslaved them and had a superior attitude towards them.It is a tough situation to examine, as by todays standards slavery is seen by the overwhelming majority of American citizens as morally wrong, but in Hucks time and place the majority saw it as the natural order of things. However, despite his up bringings and learned racism, Huck periodically has instances where he believes Jim seems white or, in other words, seems to be like any other human with feelings, emotions, and close family relations. Earlier, in a moment where Jim shows his care giving qualities, Huck shows one of his first signs of affection toward a nigger. He shows his first signs of remorse as he apologizes to Jim.Though he does mention it was fifteen minutes before I would work myself up to go and chagrin myself to nigger (100) Huck does apologize, feels remorse, and admits to the audience that what he did made him feel mean (99). The second time Huck has a moment of realization about Jim that surprises him is when Jim dialog about his family. When Jim goes on to describe them, and the regret he had for beating his daughter for something she didnt deserve, Huck sees something in Jim that he had in all probability had been taught that blacks did not posses. He was probably taught that they did not have fee lings.He realizes in this moment that Jim must have feelings and therefore makes that statement that Jim is white inside. Additionally, in the moment earlier discussed in Toms injured state where Jim uses logic to decide on calling a doctor, Huck states, I knowed he was white inside, and I reckoned hed say what he did say so it was alright, now. The most climactic moment in the novel is the ultimate battle Huck faces when he is forced to choose between the societal values he has been taught and raised to believe is right or to help Jim which he feels in his heart is the right thing to do.Huck has been raised to believe that blacks were uneducated, inferior, and most certainly not people to become friends with. For all Huck knew, blacks were placed on the earth to work and lacked the ability to love and care. Huck definitely believed that aiding a black man in an escape would send him to hell. This moment directly indicates how foolish Twain believed the people of the time period to be. Huck states, I was trembling, because Id got to decide forever betwixt two things, and I knowed it.I studied a minute, sort of holding my breath, and then says to myself All right, then, Ill go to hell and tore it up. By this point in the novel, through their adventures and development of friendship, Huck is willing to risk eternity in hell to save his friend. Surely, even if he may not admit that he and Jim were friends, someone would not risk their lives for a stranger, or even an acquaintance. Not only does Huck father to see Jim as an equal in his heart, though it may not be in his conscience, he is also constantly seeing how dreadfully society is.In order to detect racism there must be a middle step of realization that ill treatment of people based on their skin color is wrong. In order to see that this is wrong, it is important to notice the problems within society to begin with. In his experience with the Duke and Dauphin, Huck witnesses their tar and feathering, an other cruel punishment by society, and states that, It was enough to make a body ashamed of the human race (160). The fact that Huck even acknowledges a problem in the human race would not have been part of the story if Twain had agreed with societys resume on slavery.It demonstrates his antiracist approach. One of the purposes of the novel is for the reader to develop sympathy towards Jim. Because the people around him lack morals while he consistently shows a moral and accepting view towards life, his character develops superiorly to the rest of society despite his lack of education. His lack of education exists because of Twains realist approach to the novel. People like Julius Lester and Peaches Henry who believe the novel to be racist, are only looking at the surface and the degrading dialogue.The novel was not made to be politically correct. Twain takes issue with the major racial theories of his day, and those critics who are convinced only of the racist potential of the te xt and/or Mark Twain would do well to examine the unsaid of the text. (Kravitz) If it was rewritten to stay put the masses and use more accepted terms for todays day and age, reality would be misrepresented, race would cease to be an issue, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn would not exist as one the greatest pieces of American Literature.