Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Book Review Example

Controversial arguments in “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain

“Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, a novel written by Mark Twain, is distinguished as one of the Great American Novels and is among the first works in American literature that was “written in the vernacular, characterized by local color regionalism”(Wikipedia).  Namely it means that the story was focused on specific features, such as history, customs, dialects, etc. of the particular region. Vivid descriptions of various places and people along the Mississippi river are told by Huckleberry Finn, who is the best friend of Tom Sawyer.

Huck Finn is an adventurer and a loner. We see events that occur in the book through his eyes and we learn along through his perception of the world. He is a boy who rebels against the society he lives in. He is fighting against the existing rules both in the deeds he does and the words that come from his mouth. One of the most important parts of Huck’s rebellion touches the racial connotations and, therefore, makes the book controversial until nowadays.

Before starting to analyze the attitude of Mark Twain towards slavery, it is essential to note that “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” was written after the American Civil War. However, the setting for the book took place in the pre-war times. Many critics today still judge Twain of being a racist, however, in order to make a right conclusion it’s important to look into the different perspectives of slavery that the author presented to his audience. It’s vital to observe not only the slaves themselves as described in the novel but how the society was treating the slavery.

In his book Mark Twain shows the audience how the society of the South was supporting and accepting slavery and its principles. Through the monologues and talks of Huck we get a chance to see what was morally right and what was enforced for the society. Mark Twain shows the issue of slavery through the eyes of his main character.

“Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” starts by showing us how Huck Finn was himself used by Ms. Douglas to do the chores and how he was trying to find a less strict life by means of escaping.  The boy is pictured as a slave who is lonely and seeking to withdraw. The real black slave is also being introduced in the first chapter. His name is Jim and he belongs to Widow Douglas. Huck describes Jim as the lady’s “big nigger” which can lead us into thinking of the racism. However with time, the boy goes on saying that Jim was, in fact, treated better than any other slave around the country.

Throughout the novel Jim and Huckleberry establish a strong friendship which goes as far as the father-son relationship. By this bond Mark Twain shows the reader that impossible things can be overcome and changed, he is looking into the future. According to the society rules described in the book a black father could not be possibly have a white son. But Twain offers a new thinking of Jim being a far better role model for a child than his own drunk father. The relationship between the two characters in taken further into the water theme. Water in the novel symbolizes a place where practical and logical values are far smarter than those of the society.

Later the book takes us into realizing that back in the days white men had all the powers there were and they took all the credit. No matter how highly moral the black citizens were, they never had an equal opportunity to whites. They never had a chance. It is clearly seen when it comes to the fact that Huck’s father was awarded the custody over the boy. Throughout the book Twain shows us the relationship between the boy and a slave that is seeking freedom. The author apparently took a contradictive approach by showing a run-away black slave and presenting Jim as an intelligent and moral individual. Mark Twain must have understood the real power of his writing. By portraying Jim as a character whom audience greatly sympathizes, we can say that the author is showing the injustice towards slavery and racism. In the passage where Huck is dressed as a girl, Sarah Williams, and finds out that there is a 300 USD award for catching Jim, the boy does not betray his friend but hurries to him and they both leave the island. However, the novel is told according to the perception of Huckleberry and we have no other choice but to see people through his personal view and his own eyes. Sometimes boy sees Jim as a property of a white woman, as a slave he was. We have just to rely on what Huck is feeling and understanding.

No matter the fact that the book presents the audience with the racial equality, it, however, shows that racism was a big part of the society and of the plot of the novel itself. This attitude the reader sees in the episode when two characters are taken apart by the foggy weather and Huck is trying to trick Jim. When Jim understands that the boy was playing with his imagination, he is unhappy and shows his disapproval of the situation. Jim says: “…en trash is what people is dat puts dirt in de head” (“Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, p. 249-250). The boy was a little angry himself and took the time to analyze what had happened.

Such thoughts of Huckleberry in the times when racial discrimination was a standard of the society are understandable. The readers have a right to be shocked with Huck’s behavior and the racism that is present in his deeds. It leads into understanding boy’s uncertainties that are taking over. At the same time it is important to point out that Huck is the depiction of the upbringing by his family, even though he is favoring Jim and cherishing their friendship.

Throughout the novel reader is observing a struggle between the right and the wrong. Through the eyes of Huck we see the realities of the society in those days and the moral values of the boy who is judging based on his own perception. The reader feels that the personal struggle of Huck is what gives the novel an anti-slavery attitude but the fight goes on and on and can be questioned at the end. For example, at some point Jim become an object to Huck and the boy feels that he almost owes a slave himself. This attitude is clearly seen when Huck and his friend Tom Sawyer decide to free the man and pay no certain attention to the fact of Jim being a human but more as a property of Huck.

In “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” Mark Twain shows the reader that the argument and the struggle over the issue of racial equality can go on and on. One may argue that with the time the book “has been transformed by kid culture from a masterpiece about race and growing up into a dull tale like this one about your everyday, garden-variety white boy named Huck and the trouble he gets into with his black friend Jim, a runaway slave” (Washington Post). And it should be a pity because when writing his novel, the author was holding a responsibility regarding stating the true facts of the times that were described. Therefore, adding more unrealistic things could have spoiled the story itself. Mark Twain showed the slavery and the racism as they really were and he should take a big credit for doing so.

Works Cited

Twain, Mark. “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Penguin books. (2003): 249-251

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”. 27 February 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventures_of_Huckleberry_Finn

Hinson, Hal. “The Adventures of Huck Finn”. Washington Post. 02 April 1993: 10