Huckleberry Finn - the Pariah of St. Petersburg

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, one of America’s most celebrated authors, has experienced a turbulent history. On one end, the novel has been praised highly, being called, "a masterpiece," by acclaimed author T.S. Elliot.(1) On the other hand, the novel has been criticized and banned by some because of its weak morals, obscenity, poor grammar, and racism. However, in the mid-1900s, the Civil Rights Movement and the push for desegregation made Huckleberry Finn a staple of both American literature and English classrooms throughout the nation. Huckleberry Finn has not only become a novel that examines its time’s social issues, but has become banned and censored for many rational and justifiable reasons in today’s society in order to avoid influencing the younger generation adversely.

Twain’s personal attitudes toward blacks were contradictory. His wife was from a notable abolitionist family, but his father and uncle were known slave owners. Twain also fought in the Civil War for the Confederacy, and yet was strongly against the lynching and inequality of African-Americans. Twain was known to love minstrel shows, but also paid for an African-American man to go to Yale. Although Twain’s personal views on African-American’s were uncertain, his portrayal of them in Huckleberry Finn seemed to follow the model of racism that society dictated at the time. This is clearly portrayed throughout the novel, most of all by the repetition of the racial slur, “nigger”. This word of hate is used almost constantly throughout the novel, and is “the greatest child that racism ever birthed,”(2) in the eyes of the NAACP, a leading organization for the equality and rights of minorities. On top of the usage of this slur, African-Americans are also portrayed as simple-minded and stupid throughout the novel by Twain. This is proven by the fact that Jim, although portrayed as somewhat intelligent, is easily outwitted and fooled by Caucasian characters in the novel, such as Huck, Tom, the Duke, and the Dauphin. For example, Tom Sawyer, a mere child, was able to trick and manipulate Jim without much of an effort. This happens on many occasions, such as when Jim is first introduced. Jim is asleep, and during his slumber, Tom stole his hat and hid it in a tree. Jim then puts this strange event on interference by the Devil and witches. Another example of African-Americans being portrayed as stupid and helpless in the novel was this: at the end of the novel, Jim was never truly able to liberate himself by his own means. Twain ended the novel in a way that Jim was “saved” by his white owner, Miss Watson, who freed him in her will. What we should take from this incident is the fact that Twain wanted to write a “feel-good” novel for the Caucasian community, saying that because of Caucasian generosity and kindness, a helpless slave was able to be freed. Finally, Twain portrays African-Americans as disposable and