When Jim leaves society, he finally gains his individuality. But once Jim returns to civilization, he is immediately marginalized once again, representing the effect of society on the portrayal of Jim. The development of Jim from a caricature to a real person throughout the novel conveys the oppression of African Americans and their struggle to show their true identity in antebellum America. In the beginning of the book, Twain portrays Jim as a caricature with limited individuality, demonstrating the dehumanization of slaves. When Tom and Huck first come across Ms. Watson’s slave Jim, the boys treat Jim like an object: “Tom whispered to me and wanted to tie Jim to a tree for fun” (Twain 19). Tom’s desire to tie Jim up represents his disrespect for Jim. By Tom wanting to play with him, Jim mirrors a toy that is for amusement. Tom’s action conveys white societies lack of concern and regard for Jim, as a slave, since Tom is an educated white boy. However, Huck responds to Jim that he does not want to and instead Tom hangs his hat above Jim’s head. Jim thinks witches visited him and “was monstrous proud about it, and he got so he wouldn’t hardly notice the other niggers” (19). At this point in the book, readers only know Jim as Ms. Watson’s superstitious slave, who lacks a true identity. By Tom playing a trick on Jim and Jim being “proud about it,” Twain seems to mock Jim since readers know it was just Tom. In addition, Twains use of the word “nigger,” represents the trivialization of Jim. Similar to Jim, in Paul Lawrence Dunbar’s poem We Wear the Mask, the speaker conveys his struggle as a minstrel man and his need to “wear the mask (Dunbar 1). Dunbar writes, “This debt we pay to human guile; with torn and bleeding hearts we smile” ... ... middle of paper ... ...“I knowed he was white inside” (279). Even though Huck seemed to make progress in his perceptions of African Americans in the novel, Huck still remains to confine to societies belief that whites are superior. Huck believes that because Jim was compassionate and helped Tom that he is white, thus portraying the belief that skin color is enough to discriminate against. Eventually, Tom says that “ Old Miss Watson dies two months ago…and she set him free in her will” (369), which means Tom always knew Jim was free, but continued to use his captivity as a game. Because Tom hid the secret of Jim’s freedom, he conveys his lack of knowledge in Jim’s struggle. Jim could have been saved from time in chains but instead had to suffer through Tom’s need for adventure. Therefore, Tom selfishness as a white child resulted in the discomfort and suffering of Jim as a slave.
Huckleberry Finn’s conscience and morality about regarding Jim as a friend changes throughout the novel as their bond with each other increases. In most parts of the story,Huck has internal conflict about whether or not he should turn Jim in,but Huck keeps thinking about how bad he would feel afterward. In chapter 8,Huck finds that Jim is a runaway. Jim explains to Huck that he overheard Miss.Watson talking about how she was going to sell Jim to a slave trader in New Orleans for $800 which would separate Jim from his family. Plus,he and Jim are traveling together for the same reason;freedom. Huck is escaping his own home life from the Widow Douglas and his abusive father believing that they're keeping him from being who he wants to be.
Many words the book contains are full of vivid disgust towards black slaves. Every single line talks about how white people despise and refuse to accept the black race. Answering Aunt Sally's question about whether or not anyone is hurt Huck answers, "no mum, just killed a nigger."(Twain 213) This is the one and only acceptable way to talk about black people in the "white" society. In addition to this, not only is the black people treated differently from the white, they are also considered to be one's property. "He is the only property I have," (Twain 122) Huck is perforce to say in order to save Jim. This is the only way to get through without the essence of suspicions. Though Huck shows racism in public as society teaches him, deep inside he understands that Jim is a great person. Through the eyes of Huck Finn, Mark Twain shows that there is more to people then looks and race, showing the importance of beliefs and character.
Charles Nilon, In his essay “The Ending of Huckleberry Finn, ‘Freeing the Free Negro’” (1992) argues that the final chapters of Huckleberry Finn “show figuratively, and pass judgment on, this process of ‘freeing the free negro’ that Twain became increasingly aware of after 1880” (Nilon 62). Nilon portrays the treatment of Jim between Tom and Huck as a matter of class. For Tom, who Nilon argues represents the higher class of the south, thinks that “black people were ‘niggers.’ They were inferior, and freedom for them was necessarily different from what freedom was for white people.” (Nilon 66). Huck, on the other hand, who is argued to represent the lower, more morally-conscious class of southerner, becomes increasingly more ethical in his decisions, (For example, when Huck decides they must free Jim from capture, as opposed to leaving him). Nilon brings up another example of contrast between the two boys, and therefore the two classes, when Huck and Tom enter Jim’s holding area, and are confronted by another slave who is keeping watch. Tom does not want the guard to view them as “equals” and bullies the slave into confusion and submission. Huck, once again on the other side of the spectrum, makes
Jim’s anticipation for freedom grew higher as he expressed his future dreams and aspirations. Jim began saying things that “niggers” wouldn’t normally dare say. Jim was speaking like a white man, not like someone’s property, a slave. This attitude began to lower Huck’s vision of Jim, and his conscience grew even hotter. Huck had never been exposed to a slave who spoke this way. It was his inadequate education that told him this was wrong.
...He often done that.” (Huck Finn page 225) It was in chapter that Huck had assessed that Jim was white on the inside, despite the color of his skin. It was an easy excuse for Huck to do so, because Jim had become a father figure to Huck and that was difficult for Huck to grasp at his current age. Twain had meant for Jim and Huck to become as close as father and son, or close enough, because parents influence their children more than anyone else. Twain used that idea because Huck depended on Jim the way a son would a father, and that made it easier for Twain to get his ideas in. So in a way Twain made a representation of himself in his own novel, making his novel even more complex. By doing so Twain made Jim stream all of the beliefs, thoughts, and emotions of Twain strait to Huck through kind fatherly words of wisdom.
...wears the 5-cent piece around his neck, which Tom leaves for the candles, saying it is a good luck charm. Huck believes all African-Americans are superstitious, which is a racial stereotype, “Niggers is always talking about witches in the dark by the kitchen fire; but whenever one was talking and letting on to know all about such things, Jim would happen in and say, ‘Hm! What you know ‘bout witches?’” (6). Lastly in the end of the novel, everyone still believes Jim is a slave, but in actuality he is a free man “He aint no slave; he’s as free as any cretur that walks this earth!” (399). Miss Watson writes in her will, that once she is dead, Jim is freed. Miss Watson dies, but since Jim is African- American it is difficult for others to realize he is a free man. Twain created this character to show how racism and racial stereotypes play a major role in society.
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, events throughout the novel suggest that Huck is a racist to Jim, Miss Watson’s runaway slave, whether he knows it or not. Despite the fact that Huck travels with Jim, he does not care about freeing Jim from slavery. As a result, Twain’s purpose is more focused on the adventures Huck and Jim experience rather than freeing Jim.
During times of slavery, every African American in the south was either a slave or a free African American. “She treated me with respect” (Twain 5). Jim said when he was asked about how the Widow Douglass treats him. This shows that the life of Jim was not that bad, he had everything a slave at that time could want, and his owner did not disrespect him. Also most slaves were abused and almost beaten to death. Twain tries to represent the hardships of slaves on a daily basis when he doesn’t portray Jim’s life to be much difficult “Even though Jim was a slave, he was treated like a family member” (Ralph 6). Jim was a house slave and did not have to do hard work in the fields for long hours. In page 3 in Ralph’s Article, he says “Jim had to no motive to leave, he wanted freedom but it would be harder for him because he wouldn’t have all the amenities he had when he was a slave” (Ralph 4).
... is influenced my Mark Twain's interest in minstrelsy, and furthermore the stereotypical blackface characters represented in the increasingly popular minstrel shows that influenced a great deal in American society and culture, as well as created a very negative caricature of blacks during the time. Jim neglects the stereotype of the happy-go-lucky "Sambo" by running away from his master to obtain freedom, yet he also does not represent the "dandified coon," as he is fairly intelligent, selfless, and kind-hearted in all of his actions. Thus, as the growing popularity of minstrel shows continued and spread its influence among American culture, Mark Twain's depiction of Jim in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn offers a rejection of the blackface portrayals of minstrelsy.
There is a major argument among literary critics whether Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is or is not a racist novel. The question boils down to the depiction of Jim, the black slave, and to the way he is treated by Huck and others. In the 1950s the effort to banish The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from required classroom reading lists came publicly to the floor again, not chiefly on the grounds that its depiction of black characters and the use of the word “nigger” were demeaning to African-American students. Many feel that Twain uses the word too loosely. However, many believe that Huck Finn should be taught in schools on the grounds that the novel’s racist theme accurately depicted what life was like for a slave in pre- Civil War times.
They face racism every day, with mindless judgement put upon them simply by the color of their skin. As freedom for African Americans only came within the past two hundred years, and desegregation within the past one hundred years, racism still dwells within communities and schools. Africans Americans face prejudices just as they have in the past two hundred years and beyond, “It most froze me to hear such talk. He wouldn 't ever dared to talk such talk in his life before. Just see what a difference it made in him the minute he judged he was about free”(Twain 110). Such racism dwells from the many centuries that blacks were seen as inhuman, or even three-fifths of one, and even today in the media, race has major pertinence, for example, when speaking of someone who robbed a store, without a second thought the media states the person’s race as if that pertains to the crime somehow. Therefore, stereotypes and judgements of race come about, such as all young African American boys are troubled. Nearly the same thing happened two hundred years ago at the time the novel was written, an African American was seen as inhumane and unequal, an assumption that was obviously false. For example,an African American man cannot achieve the same goals as a white individual: “Jim never gains the intellectual complexity of Huck, never becomes a figure of disruptive alienation, nor even seems capable of learning this from Huck”(Carey-Webb). Twain’s failure to develop Jim as a character shows his judgements towards African Americans, and makes aware the stereotypes of African Americans today, the stereotypical young man of that minority does not have the same aspirations as one of European origin. Even though many young men have repeatedly falsified that claim, many still see worth in it. The media of today represents the minority with many blind
Another theme that is dealt with in this book is slavery. In fact, slavery is one of the main topics that has been frequently debated in regards to Huckleberry Finn since it was first published. Twain himself was vehemently anti-slavery and Huckleberry Finn can in many ways be seen as an allegory for why slavery is wrong. Twain uses Jim, a slave who is one of the main characters, as a way of showing the human side of a slave. Everything about Jim is presented through emotions: Jim runs away because Miss Watson was going to sell him South and separate him from his family; Jim is trying to become free so he can buy his family's freedom; and Jim takes care of Huck and protects him on their journey downriver in a very materialistic manner.
Ransomed? Whats that???.. it means that we keep them till they're dead (10). This dialogue reflects Twains witty personality. Mark Twain, a great American novelist, exploits his humor, realism, and satire in his unique writing style in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Mark Twain, born in 1835, wrote numerous books throughout his lifetime. Many of his books include humor; they also contain deep cynicism and satire on society. Mark Twain, the author of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, exemplifies his aspects of writing humor, realism, and satire throughout the characters and situations in his great American novel.
Since its first publication in 1884, Mark Twain’s masterpiece The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has proven to be one of history’s most controversial novels; especially recently, the novel has often been banned by schools and censored by libraries. Characters in the book are constantly using disparaging language toward slaves, and the repeated use of the word “nigger” makes many sensitive and offended. Critics denounce the novel and Mark Twain as racist for this word being insulting and politically incorrect and for its depiction of black people and how they are treated. However, Twain was not attempting to perpetuate racism; on the contrary, he used satire to expose the ignorance and paradoxical views held by many in America at that time. Despite objections to the novel for offensive and insensitive portrayal of African Americans due to Twain’s negative and stereotypical “minstrel-like” characterization of Jim and the extensive use of the term “nigger,” throughout the novel, Twain exposes Jim’s unfeigned humanity behind a “minstrel-like” pretense by illustrating his capacity to possess profound human emotions and his triggering Huck’s moral transformation from a conscienceless, uncivilized juvenile into a an adolescent able to make the ethical choice.
Another social problem that Mark Twain addresses in the book is slavery and treatment of black people in general. Jim, who is a black slave, is treated like a piece of property. For example, he is forced to practice Christianity, which actually seems to be the opposite of Christian values. Jim is also forcefully separated from his family and has no legal recourse to get them back. Jim is very superstitious, and Huck, who knows this, puts a dead snake, (representing bad luck) at the bottom of Jim's bed and Jim gets bitten. Even Huck, at this point in the book, threats Jim as less than human.