Anti Racism in Huckleberry Finn - Research Paper Example

? Anti Racism in Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn is the most daring, noblest and adventurous work in English Literature. Through the story of Finn, a twelve year old boy , Twain rages against the racist society of the time. The author’s conscious effort to say that ‘all the people have the same heart’ is evident in the setting and action. The stereotypical character created by Mark Twain is a representative of the era. Mark Twain induced his life and the then society around him in the novel that it stands as a wrath against racist attitude of the Americans. He himself was born and brought up in the slave state of Mossouri. Sam Clemens, had his childhood days with the slaves and had witnessed the wicked murder of a slave in Hannibal, which affected him deeply. The man was killed by a white master for a minute crime and the boy was severely affected the incident .Twain’s father was a slave trader. After his father’s death he spent time with his uncle who owned twenty slaves. Thus Mark Twain had a close watch on the life of the slaves. The novelist informs us about the conflict between civilization and usual way of life. Twain had a view that civilization corrupts the life rather than improve the standard. Through the character Huck , Twain notifies that the accepted forms of slavery and religion should be broken to realize humankind. During that time, slavery was accepted as a way of earning money. Twain depicted slavery in the novel as an allegorical representation of the condition of black in the country. Huck though he is white, comes from the lowest level in the society. But Jim is presented as noble and morale who is under the control of the white society. Both the racist and the people who suffer under it are demoralized. Thus racism brings a moral confusion in which the people who are good like Miss Watson have no concern for the slavery or cruelty towards Jim. Huck questions many of the existing teaching from the society by establishing friendships with Jim. Huck realizes that the then society fails to protect him from the kind of slavery he suffers from his father .Thus Huck poses the hypocrisy of the time. The then society received the practice of slavery as a way of life. The slaves were kept in a special category without having proper education but to work in the fields only. Twain had written the novel decades after the end of Civil War, but the struggle and efforts of the slaves against racism was still there as the aftereffects of the slavery. During that time of writing the novel, the race relations were once again stressed and a new approach to it is established which was very difficult to fight. The circumstances never truly supported the black in South. Here in Huck, Twain tries to bring into light the condition of the black in the United States even after the abolition of slavery. Twain, through such characters as Miss Watson and Sally Phelps, expose the veracity of slavery existed at that time. The kind of relation that he creates between the white boy Huck and the slave Negro Jim is only to torn up and expose the brutality of racism and to proclaim to the readers that he himself is not a racist. The book Huckleberry Finn is thus not a racist book but antiracist. The path through which the country has to move to reach the ideal relations and break the norms of slavery is thoroughly drawn by Mark Twain. The white supremacy is not a thing to be easily excluded since they believe that all are not created by the same token. Huck, though he is a white boy , takes the friendship if Jim . He is unacquainted to deal with him . Although he had the brutality and discrimination of the south, he was not sure of his attitude .(Fiskin 2). The use of the word ‘nigger comes to Huck automatically since he is from the South.( Railton 394). So Twain tells that more than the ideology of racism, the practice of the place influenced Huck to say like that. Because of the jumpy use of language and the actions and deeds of Huck, one would think that Twain himself is a racist, but through it he ,at a snail's pace, opened the eye of the readers that racism can do nothing with humanism . Twain himself adopted a life style that was unfit for a racist. In the story the society behind him is biased towards a certain race only. That is also poles apart from the existing norms and beliefs. In one context Huck’s father himself praises an African American professor who is always in tidy outfits. Since his father has the same attitude, we can assume that Huck was also lifted up in a racist background that it s not because of his arrogance but he knows only that. The most convincing evidence that we get from the story to say that it is not racist book is, the scene where slave catchers are rowing towards Jim is hidden on the raft . They ask him “Is your man white or black?” Huck searches for the answer inside his white mind and finally tells them “He is white “. When Huck and Jim meet in the Jackson Island, Jim opens his mind and tells him his story. At that time he feels that Jim is also having his own emotions and feelings. He tells “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 afterwards, neither. I didn’t do him no more mean tricks, and I wouldn’t done that one if I’d a knowed it would make him feel that way. (15.49). When Huck plays tricks to Jim he never thinks about the way in which he feels and suffers. But at times when Jim expresses his mind, that is capable to produce a stir in the mind of Huck. After having disappeared from the raft, Huck hides himself for a long time. Jim believes that he had drowned, but Huck was making him a fool. The author himself never allows Jim to act as a real man, but remains him an uncivilized slave who has less power and characteristic language and style. We have to believe that Twain brings the changes gradually to make others believe that Jim is also a human being who has the same emotions to his family, daughter and especially to his loyalty to his friend Huck. But according to the custom he has to downgrade himself to the level of a slave. He is never expected to be a human in front of others. But Huck, still has the idea that Jim is inferior. In chapter 31 he says “And then thinks of me! It would get all round that Huck Finn helped a nigger to get his freedom; and if I was ever to see anybody from that town again I ‘d be ready to get down and lick his boots for a shame . That’s just the way: a person does a low –down thing and then he don’t want to take no consequences of it ,(Twain 219). Some critics are of the opinion that the portrayal of the character Jim is essentially anti-racist , so the work is praiseworthy. The writer is unable bring the anti-racist attitudes without touching the racism and the common customs of the day According to Bernard Bell Jim’s humanity is established by his instinct for freedom and fatherly characteristics (Bell 30). His fatherly affection to Huck is also noteworthy. During the journey through the river Jim was like a teacher to him. Thus Jim plays a silent role in raising the humane aspects in the mind of Huck through his interference or at some times dominating attitude. According to Morrison Huck is mended from society’s cruelties by Jim’s affection (Morrison 105) Most of the critics have the opinion that Huck never accepts Jim as equal but knowingly ignores his origin to find likeliness on the basis of their friendship. Twain also holds the view that though Jim is black he is white inside. Thus he reminds the readers the essential thing which he wants to convey through the book, blacks are also human beings with the same emotions and feelings of the white. Mark Twain uses the Negro-stereotype to frustrate the readers, to change the way of usual expectations from a Negro. So Twain presents him as a passive hero. Jim is a character who risk his freedom  by watching over the injured Tom, and a person who is repentant to his daughter. . Thus he has the so called white values in him, and he tries to imitate in language and manners, his masters.   He says “ I owns myself , en I’s with eight hund’d dollars . Only by stating that Jim is white inside, the author breaks the wrongness about the white’s concerns for the black. To break the already set concerns and beliefs about the black and put forward the original thought was a factual task before Twain while he set these two characters side by side. Being a strong anti-racist, he gradually succeeded in bringing the idea that slaves are also human beings and the white can easily interact and love the black slaves. The common characteristic of both the characters Jim and Huck are, they are tied and they want to move to freedom. Huck wants to get free from the civilized people like Miss . Watson and the widow Douglas whereas Jim wants to get free from slavery. Because of this many scholars deduce that Huck and Jim are equal in thinking and action. So a strong brotherly affection arises in the life of both and an intense desire to achieve real freedom keeping away from the already existing ready-made life patterns The underlying emotion in both was freedom and brotherhood (Cox 92). Since he achieved something bigger than Huck, in fact Jim is superior in all way to Huck. According to Lew Jim teaches Huck morality and is superior in character to Huck. The ending of the novel defies strongly the racist trace as we see from the beginning onwards. But the then American Culture was well depicted in the play by picturing the plight of Jim . But the fact is that Twain loved both the characters and their friendship. It was very difficult for Twain to make Huck more compassionate than a racist. We know that Huck was the product of his society, where racist culture was deep rooted, where the Negros were treated just as things or animals. To mention the actualities of society Twain used Huck and other positive characters. Without mentioning anything about the then society and their belief, the author cannot raise the traces of righteousness in the character Huck. So some critics have the opinion that the real compassion in Huck is brought into light through the roughness of the then American Culture . Huck cannot be called as a real racist, because his actions never resemble with that of the existing deeds of the then people. The kind of racism Huck displays is also to tease the foolishness of it. Many critics have the opinion that Jim is depicted as a real slave and he exhibits the slave culture. Twain was also aware of the culture and according to Smith his intention is to encourage equality.(Smith 108). I strongly feel that the book is not a racist and to understand the then society and attitude, the students also should learn it. Some critics of the book point out the use of the word ‘nigger ‘to tell that the theme of the book is racism. It is true that it has some racist connotation. But the emotions come to the mind of the reader after going through the word is nothing but abhorrence and intense dislike. When Huck gives a reply to the question asked by Mrs. Phelps “Anybody hurt?”, the reply is ‘No’, Killed a nigger ‘ . As a reader nobody enjoy the dialogue without fury and a doubt. If the author is able to raise such a feeling in the reader, no doubt, they will consider the book anti racist. It is already dealt that both the characters are slaves. For Huck, he is a slave to his father Pap uneducated and alcoholic, where as Jim, also an uneducated fellow to Miss Watson. In effect both of them run away. We know that later in their relation Jim acts, or shows fatherly affection to Huck. Huck is also finding a true friend in the slave Jim. So Mark Twain proclaims that liberty or freedom has the same taste to all whether it is a slave or a white. Slavery is hard and undeserved. Mark twain through analyzing the historical facts very clearly, presented before the readers a very beautiful anti-racist book with accuracy in settings, dialogues and also characterization. It tells us the society’s outlook about slaves and slavery. It also put in the picture of the white who demands the racial culture from all others. Being a boy Huck feels the difficulty to accept the change in his own position. But it arises the basic human values such as freedom, brotherhood etc. in the mind of the readers. Thus a careful examination of the book shows that it is not a racist novel. Work Cited Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, New York: Dover, 1994 Railton , Stephen . Jim and Mark Twain , What do they stand for ?, The Virginia Quarterly Review(1987) Bell, Bernard. Twain’s Nigger Jim The Tragic Face behind the Minstrel Mask . Satire or Evasion ? Black Perspectives on Hukleberry Finn. Duke University Press (1992). Morrison Toni. In Defense of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , Social Issues in Literature:Race in Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn . Ed. Claudia Durst Johnson and Elizabeth Des Chenes. Farmington Press, Greenhaven Press , 2009 Cox, James . A Hard Book to Take Modern Critical Interpretations . Ed. Harold Bloom, Sandra . P. Alkines,and Don S Finely , New York, Chelsea House Publishers , 1986 Lew, Ann. Teaching Huck Finn in a Multiethnic Classroom . 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