What Does The Word Nigger Mean

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Now I struck an idea, and fetched it out: "It warn't the grounding -- that didn't keep us back but a little. We blowed out a cylinder head.” "Good gracious! anybody hurt?" "No'm. Killed a nigger. "Well, it's lucky; because sometimes people do get hurt.” (197) At the time this story was written, African Americans were treated unfairly and looked down on. Many white southerners would treat blacks as if they were property not people. Twain uses the word “nigger” throughout this story to show the reader how bad they were treated. Today the word “nigger” is taken as an offensive word. People use it to make fun of blacks. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, portrays many racial views of the South in the 1880’s. Twain’s main character, Huck, was used …show more content…

In the incident when Jim and Huck are talking about the King and the frenchman, Huck gets frustrated because Jim doesn't understand it why people don't talk in the same language. Huck says, “I see it warn’t no use wasting words, you can’t learn a nigger to argue. So I quit”. The way Huck gets upset gives us the feeling that he has negative feelings towards black men. He thinks they are stupid. This gives a great example of how Huck is racist throughout the book but doesn't really realize it. Huck and Jim’s relationship starts off sort of awkward. Huck doesn't know how to deal with Jim. Huck said more things that dealt with the racial ideal he grew up with. When Huck and Jim get separated from the raft, Huck tricked Jim. After he tricks him, Jim doesn't think it’s funny and then Huck feels bad and apologizes. “It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself to go and humble myself to a nigger”. (72) Huck begins to see things differently. He doesn't see Jim as property, he thinks of him as a friend. As the story goes on, Huck begins to care for Jim. Huck continues to learn through every incident how Jim is a caring and good person. Jim has so much more value than the white southerns ideal. Huck begins to make decision based off his feelings for Jim, instead of basing them off of what he grew up

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