Essay About Depiction Of Jim And Twains Use

Huck Finn Racist Or Not?
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Many people may believe that Twains use of the word “nigger”, which is used frequently and too loosely and the depiction of Jim, the black slave, are many points of why The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a racist novel. However, Mark Twain never presents Jim in a negative light. He does not show Jim as a drunk, as a mean person, or as a cheat. This is in contrast to the way Hucks (white) father is depicted, whom Twain describes using all of the above characterizations and more. We see Jim as a good friend, a man devoted to his family and loyal to his companions. He is, however, very naive and superstitious. Which some people may think that Twain is implying that all blacks have these qualities. When Jim turns to his magic hairball for answers about the future, we see that he does believe in some foolish things. But all the same, he is visited by both blacks and whites to use the hairballs powers.So the depiction of Jim is not negative in the sense that Jim is stupid and inferior, and in this aspect of the story clearly there is no racism intended.It is next necessary to analyze the way white characters treat Jim throughout the book. Note that what the author felt is not the way most characters act around Jim, and his feelings are probably only shown through Huck. In the South during that period, black people were treated as less than humans, and Twain needed to portray this. The examples of the way Jim is denigrated: by being locked up, having to hide his face in the daytime and how he is generally derided, are necessary for historical accuracy. So, Mark Twain had to display Jims treatment in this manner, even if it is not the way he felt. Huck, however, does not treat Jim as most whites do. Huck looks at Jim as a friend, and by the end of their journey, disagrees with societys notion that blacks are inferior. School boards are wrong for banning Huckleberry Finn from public schools because this book teaches students