Racism and Slavery in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Essay Example

? Racism and Slavery in ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ Racism and Slavery in ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ MarkTwain’s novel ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ ostensibly explores the theme of racism and slavery through the plot and setting of the story, as well as through the range of characters involved. The novel is set in an entirely historically truthful context in the 19th century, when slavery in America was at its pinnacle. Though written two decades after the end of the American Civil War, which saw the abolition of slavery and the practise of Reconstruction, where former slaves were set to be re-integrated into normal society, the novel is actually set before this time. However, in many ways the setting of the novel before the Civil War serves to highlight the hypocrisies of the actual execution of Reconstruction, as the adversities and restrictions set against the characters reflect the adversities, though much more insidious, faced by former slaves even after the abolition of slavery (Arac, 1997). The characters of Huckleberry Finn, Jim and Tom Sawyer all serve to highlight these hypocrisies through the representation of the various attitudes on the idea of slavery and Reconstruction, which each character personifies. The plot of the story is a direct attack by the author on the immoral and unjust attitudes of white, upper and middle-class society towards slavery and black people in general. As the story focuses on the trials of Huck and Jim attempting to escape their lives both literally and figuratively, this can be viewed as representative of black people fighting for their own human rights and escaping slavery. Jim, a black slave, is quite literally attempting to escape his own imprisonment by fleeing from his ‘owners’ and travelling to return to his own family (Gregory, 1998). Though Huck, the protagonist and narrator of the novel, is white, he is from a poor family with an extremely abusive father. Huck also wants to escape his own ‘imprisonment’ in a very similar way to Jim, though his imprisonment is much more psychological, as he does not want to be ‘sivilized’ in any way and wants to find freedom from the stifling societal norms which would otherwise have suffocated and thwarted his attitude if he had stayed. The various violent, dangerous, aggressive and even subtle adversities they face in their struggle to successfully escape and reach their destinations, reflect the struggles faced by black people during the earlier 19th century. Some of their time spent on the raft as they journey down the river, is the happiest and most freeing times of both of the characters lives, even though they are subject to physical discomfort and without any luxuries: I hadn’t had a bite to eat since yesterday, so Jim he got out some corn-dodgers and buttermilk, and pork and cabbage and greens—there ain’t nothing in the world so good when it’s cooked right—and whilst I eat my supper we talked and had a good time. . . .We said there warn’t no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don’t. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft. (Twain, 2001, p. 48) The feelings of freedom and peace on the raft, supplemented by good companionship and simple pleasures, contrast starkly with the conflicts, tension and aggression faced by the pair when they are on land, in the company of others. Having to fight against both physical violence and psychological restraints in every way possible effectively brings forth the severity of the plight faced by black people and the massively unjust attitudes of white people as they openly address them as a form of property to be owned, and second class citizens at best. As both Jim and Huck must lie against their own sense of morality, it serves to stress the necessary actions that such people were required to take just to survive in this historical framework. Though many of their opponents are portrayed as immoral or ‘bad’ people, the plot also examines the conflicts and realities involved when the duo come across people who are fundamentally good, for example, Silas and Sally Phelps. When Huck accidentally encounters them during his search for Jim after he has been sold by a couple of con men, they are determined to hold Jim in custody until he has been claimed by his ‘rightful owners’. Despite the fact that this family are perhaps the only fully-functioning and intact family presented in the entire novel, and are conveyed as being inherently good people, conflicts with their actions towards Jim as they hold him in custody. This very effectively represents the fact that even good people can be blinded to injustice by the severity, prolonged exposure and monolithic nature of ridiculous societal norms and expectations about what is considered right and wrong. By including this plot development in the story, Twain is effectively showcasing that even fundamentally good people can be ignorantly dissuaded by the pressures of society. The characters of both Jim and Tom Sawyer, are vital inclusions in the narrative of the story as each serve to represent opposing extremities concerning attitudes to slavery and individual morality. Through Jim, the reader is witness to the plight of black people in this context in the most direct way possible (Chadwick-Joshua, 1998). We see what he must suffer through, both physically and emotionally and the abundance of struggles and unjust attitudes he encounters everywhere he goes. In spite of such adversity however, Jim is portrayed as an extremely moral, calm and fair person of huge integrity and arguably the most respectable and good-natured character in the book. Jim goes through life with an inner strength and innate understanding of the world, which leads him to be a great role model for the young Huck. He is even willing to sacrifice his own freedom in order to save Tom Sawyer towards the end, which highlights the strength of his character. Tom on the other hand, serves as a representation of the consequences of being brought up under the societal pressures of white upper class society. Tom is the same age as Huck, and not necessarily a ‘bad’ person, but he has been so influenced by society, that he ultimately becomes a typical white civilian in terms of his attitude toward black people. When he allows Tom to be tortured and threatened purely for his own personal amusement, the reader sees the power of societal influence manifested. Tom acts as a foil for Huck – he is physically everything Huck is, but internally very different. The character of Huck then, falls very much in the middle of the line between Jim and Tom. While Huck is white and therefore not subject to the same treatment as Jim, he is also not the same as Tom. Huck is a character who makes up his own mind about ideas and what is considered normal for society. He does not allow society to dictate his actions or beliefs, and this is what makes Huck question and ultimately disagree with the societal treatment of black people. He sees the injustice and cruelty in what slavery represents, and questions it consistently. Interestingly however, Huck is by no means perfect, as he very often is swayed by others and seems conflicted, particularly when he considers letting Jim being taken as a slave towards the end of the story. But even in moments before this, we see evidence of his inner conflict: It hadn’t ever come to me before, what this thing was I was doing. But now it did; and it staid with me, and scorched me more and more. I tried to make out to myself that I warn’t to blame, because I didn’t run Jim off from his rightful owner; but it warn’s no use, conscience up and says, every time, “But you knowed he was running for his freedom, and you could a paddled ashore and told somebody (Twain, 2001, p. 92) Huck is a flawed character, but this makes him realistic and relatable, and ultimately, he comes to his own just conclusions. The historical context of ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ allows the author to explore the theme of racism and slavery in America during the 19th century (Fishkin, 1993). Setting the novel two decades previous to his time, Twain attempts to highlight the fact that even though the Civil War has ended and officially, black people were no longer treated as slaves, they were still being subjected to injustice and racism to the same extent, albeit in a more insidious fashion. Through the characters of Jim the black slave, and Tom Sawyer, the wealthy white young boy who has become a product of the society he has grown up in, the reader is witness to opposing attitudes and experiences of racism and slavery. The protagonist Huck then, falls between the two as he has the physical traits of Tom, but the highly moral and independent thinking of Jim. The fact that Huck often feels in conflict about such ideas, makes him a realistic character through which Twain effectively addresses the hypocrisies and injustice of contemporary American society. References Arac, J. (1997). Huckleberry Finn as Idol and Target: The Functions of Criticism in our Time. London: University of Wisconsin Press. Chadwick-Joshua, J. (1998). The Jim Dilemma: Reading Race in Huckleberry Finn. USA: University Press of Mississippi. Fishkin, S. (1993). Was Huck Black? Mark Twain and African-American Voices. New York: Oxford University Press. Gregory, L. (1008). Finding Jim Behind the Mask: The Revelation of African American Humanity in Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. FGCU, 1(1). Retrieved from http://itech.fgcu.edu/&/issues/vol1/issue1/huckfinn.htm Twain. M. (2001). The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: Signet Classics. Read More