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In America, slavery was one of the biggest internal issues it had faced. Huckleberry Finn lives in a time where slavery has not yet been abolished. When he decides to run away from his home, he runs into Jim, who is a runaway slave. Huck and Jim set out for Ohio, where they can both start a new life. Mark Twain in Huckleberry Finn uses the satirical devices irony and exaggeration to show racism in order to convey a society that is not absent of racial issues. Mark Twain utilizes the element of irony to show that racism is present throughout the society at this time. He shows this through Huck and how he views Jim as a person. When Jim had pointed out that he no longer wanted to go on risky side adventures, Huck realizes that “...he was right…he …show more content…
This is shown in various conversations of Huck and Jim. When both of them are arguing about other people speaking different languages, Jim denies that there are other languages than English and says “... why doan’t he talk like a man? You answer me dat!” (Twain 125). There is an exaggeration in how unknowledgeable Jim is when it comes to dialect of different people. Twain uses this to indirectly show how racist people can be, as opposed to others. Although the conversation does not pertain to race, Jim believes that everyone would speak the same language because he thinks that no matter what, they are all the same. Even though they are not talking about race, Twain uses this to show that there are people who realize that everyone is equal, but racism and separation still remains. When it comes to racism, there are plenty of stereotypes. When the king is talking to the duke about where they put the money, the duke comments “...do you reckon a n***** can run across money and not borrow some of it?” (Twain 274). This stereotype is an exaggeration on what a black person would do if they saw money sitting around. Twain uses this to show that with the racism present in society, there are stereotypes that develop. These stereotypes would cause people generalize the blacks and treat them differently. Which leads to them being treated as mere property, rather than
Mark Twain was not a racist because he did not portray Huckleberry Finn as one in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. “People would call me a low-down abolitionist and despise me for keeping mum, but that don’t make no difference”(43). Huck new it was wrong to help Jim escape, but that was his friend and he did not care was the other people thought. “All right, then, I’ll go to hell”(214). Huck decides that he doesn’t want to give up Jim’s locations so he decides to rip up the letter that he was going to send to Jim’s owner Miss Watson, even if it meant that he would go to hell for committing what he believed was a sin. “I saved him by telling the men we had smallpox aboard, and he was so grateful, and said I was the best friend old Jim ever had in the world, and the only one he’s got now”(214).
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.
Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the greatest American novels ever written. The story is about Huck, a young boy who is coming of age and is escaping from his drunken father. Along the way he stumbles across Miss Watson's slave, Jim, who has run away because he overhead that he would be sold. Throughout the story, Huck is faced with the moral dilemma of whether or not to turn Jim in. Mark Twain has purposely placed these two polar opposites together in order to make a satire of the society's institution of slavery. Along the journey, Twain implies his values through Huck on slavery, the two-facedness of society, and represents ideas with the Mississippi River.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain is about the great adventures that Huck finn has with his slave Jim on the Missouri River. The story tells not only about the adventures Huck has, but more of a deeper understanding of the society he lives in. Twain had Huck born into a low class society of white people; his father was a drunken bum and his mother was dead. He was adopted by the widow Douglas who tried to teach him morals, ethics, and manners that she thought fit in a civilized society. Huck never cared for these values and ran away to be free of them. During Huck’s adventure with Jim he unknowingly realized that he didn't agree with society’s values and could have his own assumptions and moral values. Twain uses this realization to show how the civilized and morally correct social values that was introduced to Huck was now the civilized and morally contradicting values.
The introduction to Twain’s essay includes a flashback to create the frame of the essay and establish the themes. He uses imagery to really set the scene and emphasize its importance. Twain makes it obvious from the beginning that his audience is very broad, his tone is calm and reasonable. He is using this essay to show that people rely on public opinion, and that people conform in order to be in the majority. In the introduction, he lays out his plan very clearly and proceeds to plead his case.
The novel is set in the antebellum south, and throughout the course of Huck Finn we see Twain poke fun at the injustices of race relations by exploiting the importance and power of friendship. Twain develops a friendship between a White boy by the name of Huck, and a “runaway” Black slave named Jim. “Dah you goes, de ole true Huck: de on’y white genlman dat ever kep’ his promise to ole Jim.” (Twain Pg. 90) This quote satirizes the views of many White people in the Antebellum South. During this time period when many Blacks were enslaved, and those not enslaved were treated as slaves, it was extremely unusual for a Black person and a White person to be friends at all. It would be unheard of to see the two conspiring, and further - unthinkable that they may have a strong and lasting friendship built on trust and loyalty. Twain contrasts this racial standard by establishing and demonstrating the power and importance of friendship, no matter the color or social status of the persons involved. Huck and Jim defy civil law by becoming the best of friends, thereby letting morality nullify law to illustrate the fundamental moral injustices of race relations in the Antebellum South
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Twain’s main characters depicted the societal issues of racism in the South. Huck Finn, a poor white boy, and Jim, an African American slave, both encounter situations that cause these characters inter turmoil because of the societal standards of the time. According to Mark Twain in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,
	Huck’s attitude for Jim is racist which is seen when he decides to play a trick on Jim during their voyage. After Huck plays his trick his attitude toward Jim begins to change, "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 afterward, neither" (Twain 72). The dialogue throughout the book between Huck and Jim illustrates that Jim is more than property and that he is a human being with feelings, and hopes for a better future.
Mark Twain, who is a realistic fiction writer, incorporates satire and humor in his writing, including Archetypal elements to modify how the reader interprets the story. He uses many archetypal characters like Huck and Jim who both can be argued as the heroes. They both have good intentions and help others. Mark Twain portrays Jim as a deeply caring and loyal friend. Jim becomes a father figure to Huck, helping him realize the human face of slavery. Twain Portrays Huck as a young and naive boy who has been under the wrong influence for a long time. Another archetypal element that Mark Twain uses is Jims Quest for freedom. This was a quest for most all African Americans, to run away north so you could be free. But Jim was one of the few who was brave enough to do so; that’s he can be classified as the hero in the story. But Jim’s life is not too bad compared to historical records about the lives of slaves. Even though he had to struggle for his freedom, he didn’t have any good reason to leave. His life contested of helping round and not doing hard enduring work like some of the other slaves. The way Jim’s life is portrayed in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Mark Twain criticizes the life of African Americans at the time.
Mark Twain creatively invents many settings throughout The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; each setting effects the characters in different ways. One of the many motifs throughout the novel is the idea of freedom versus slavery. Through various incidents, lifestyles, and character developments taking place on land and water, Mark Twain is able to create two opposing worlds; i.e. one of freedom verses one of enslavement. Twain determines the characters' situations in life in accordance with each location and surroundings. Huck and Jim are constantly moving between these two worlds. For the most part, both are presented with the luxuries of freedom and serenity while on the river, which ends up changing both of their characters for the only as more of person, but a reliable friend. The reader gets a sense of Jim's kindness when he is willing to stand watch all night so Huck can get some extra rest.
According to Laurence Sterne, “Nobody, but he who has felt it, can conceive what a plaguing thing it is to have a man’s mind torn asunder by two projects of equal strength, but obstinately pulling in a contrary direction at the same time”. In Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the character Huckleberry Finn, also known as Huck, is one who can conceive this plague. Huck Finn’s ‘two projects of equal strength’ was the difficult decision whether to turn Jim, a black slave, over to his rightful “property” owner or to continue helping Jim escape to freedom. This inner conflict took place in Jim’s conscience of trying to decide what the right thing to do was. These two conflicting forces were the basis of how the story was told. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is told from Huck’s viewpoint, and it illuminated the quandary that Huck faces as he befriends Jim and helps him to freedom, as well as convincing himself talkimg himself into believing feeling . A part of Huck thought helping Jim was wrong because helping a black man escape to freedom was against society’s rules and went against everything that he had been taught and raised to believe. The other part of Huck saw Jim as a good person, a friend, and believed Jim should be free from slavery. It was a war between Huck’s conscience of not following society’s conventional laws and following his heart in what seemed right.
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.
One way Mark Twain reflected on cultural undertones, was by dehumanizing slaves in Huckleberry Finn. Twain used racism as a literary tool. It was used to make racism look silly and pointless, but TwainMark also used racism in a more sinister and cruel way. Huck says of the King and the Duke,; “Well if I ever struck anything like it, I’m a nigger. It was enough to make a body ashamed of the human race” (Twain, 216). This quote is an great example of dehumanization, because Huck is saying that it is shameful to be any other color than white. The person is actually ashamed to “act like a slave”. Like Huck, Tom Sawyer is a childish character, who treats fiction books as real life scenarios. Tom likes to act as the leader, even if it makes other people
Twain uses irony when Huck tries to hides Jim because he is black. When Huck states, “…so I made Jim lay down in the canoe and cover up with a quilt, because if he set up people could tell he was a nigger a good ways off,” he shows that he is skeptical about being with Jim because he is black. Huck is protecting both himself and Jim, but Huck was raised that blacks were different and he still feels that way. He holds on to the belief that blacks are different form whites, so that means they will spot Jim from a distance. Even though Jim and he are developing a relationship, he still sees him as different. Also, irony is used when Jim dresses as a freak. When Huck says, “He said it was a sight better than lying tied a couple of year every day, and trembling all over every time there was a sound,” he shows that even though Jim looks like a freak, it is better than how he use to look. Jim doesn’t care how he looks because he says it’s better than being treated how he has already been treated. Twain use satire to make fun of fake religious people. When Huck states, “poor lost lamb… every time he got drunk he raised Cain… thought he was Adam… I found a rattlesnake in there,” he alludes to biblical stories. This brings up satire because Twain is making fun of religious people who claim they read the Bible and are Christians, but act differently than what they preach. This lead to education reform because the major book was the Bible that everyone should read and learn from. Twain uses family feuds to satirize the civil war. When he says, “Well, then, what did you want to kill him for?” “Why nothing-only it’s on account of the feud,” he shows how the feuds where useless. He made fun of how the feuds represented the civil war because people were killing for no reason. This represents the politics and education reform because it shows the lack of
Twain's novel has been read for years because he wrote it to show that these problems will constantly be relevant in our lives. People today are not just racist against blacks, but all skin colors, and it has almost gotten worse. Vicious murders of people of color are taking place right now, today. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn showcase racism and the horrors of it. Twain portrays himself in the minds of these people, but also shows the good within them. Family life for many people today is not as strong as it should be, and this is relative to Huck. Also, many people who practice religion, do not live by this. He portrays Huck as questioning all of these things, which makes the reader take a step into Huck's mind and question them too. The way Twain speaks through his characters has lead the novel to give readers a glimpse of our history within America. This novel will live on for centuries and continue to question people about the social problems in their current