Mark Twain about the Problem of Slavery before the American Civil War - Term Paper Example

Why is Jim running? (The adventures of Huckleberry Finn) In the periods before the Civil War, slavery and slave trade were very prevalent. The slave masters bought slaves to work for them in their farms under very unpleasant working conditions that included starvation, being beat up, and working while sick. Killing of slaves was also very frequent because the master had the constitutional right to do whatever they deemed right to their slaves. This is because the American constitution of the time viewed slaves as property but not as human beings. The slaves did not have any right in America and almost all people in these regions supported it as a tradition. The slaves were even denied the right to have education since, according to their masters, their only role was to obey their masters. Mostly, the slaves were brought from the poor countries even in Africa and sold for the purpose of remaining a slave for an indefinite period. Although the slaves were sourced from different parts of the globe, some were kidnapped and sold to become slaves. However, while most remained slaves until they die, some were fortunate enough to be granted freedom. Although those who were free could not relate well with the white population that viewed them as inferior beings, they pushed for laws that later enabled the slaves to become free and even have rights. Although most of the slaves did not relate well with the majority of the white population because they were despised, some of the members of the white population were kind enough to allow the slaves to have an education and treat them as equal human beings. In the areas that the slaves were highly mistreated, they resulted to contemplating and committing suicide or even running. When they ran away from their masters, they often were arrested and re-sold at different places; however, some got lucky enough to escape to the Free States where slavery was prohibited. One of the most commonly known figures that ran from slavery was Jim in the book Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In this book, Jim is a household slave whom the author of the book, Mark Twain, refers to as sentimental, intelligent, practical, selfish, and superstitious. He was a household slave to Miss Watson and a friend of Huck. Jim usually found himself in ridiculous situations simply because he was a run-away slave. Jim was black being the main reason why he got in the position of a slave in the first place. Most of the slaves in the book are refugees of their own realities. Jim ran because he overheard that his master wanted to sell him to a plantation that treats slaves very harshly. Jim’s master, Miss Watson, was talking about the plantation where the slaves were treated horribly and Jim realized that he would be separated from his family and children. Since Jim already knew the conditions that the slaves are usually subjected to, he decided to run before he could be taken to the said plantation. Jim runs away and teams up with Hulk with whom they sail towards the mouth of River Ohio (Twain 4b). This shows some of the challenges that the slaves went through after they had been sold to slavery as well as the extents that they were willing to go so as to avoid the suffering at the hands of their masters (Laurel, and Associates 8-11). There are different methods that have been employed by the author, Mark Twain, that include diverse opinions on slavery as well as biasness (Lederle). Harriet Beecher Stowe also talks about different themes in her novels concerning slavery especially in the novel, the Nature of Slavery. Mark Twain has been criticized for his view on the society although people have a right to opinion. The image that an individual holds concerning the society is determined by their actions and thoughts. Mark Twain’s views on the society are completely negative and justifiable. This is clearly depicted through the actions taken by the main characters in the novel as well as his usage of symbolism. Mark Twain depicts a society that is filled with greed through characters such as Pap who wanted to take Hulk’s money. Pap says, “I've been in town two days, and O hain't heard nothing but about you bein' rich. I heard about it away down the river, too. That's why I come. You git me that money-tomorrow-I want it” (Twain 21a). Although he had a negative view of the society mostly with regard to slavery, he developed the support of antislavery. According to him, the society was filled with racism, which was the main justification for slavery. Here, as he explains, the white population oppressed the slaves whom they viewed as inferior mostly because of their skin color. This shows high levels of biasness in the society of the time since they favored the white population over the blacks who mostly comprised the largest number of slaves. Biasness is seen in most societal settings. This includes even in the constitution of the time that allowed the white population to hold as many slaves as they would wish and do whatever they see fit to the slaves. As he stresses, racism is still in existence even during the post slave era, which puts his novel under criticism although it was true. Mark Twain created characters such as Miss Watson who were religious upright but still owned slaves to show the extent to which slavery had been allowed even by religion. The masters themselves feel that they are treating the slaves well and explain it in the quote “How is servants treated in England? Do they treat 'em better 'n we treat our niggers? No! A servant ain't nobody there. They treat them worse than dogs”(Twain 167).This shows that Mark Twain’s overall opinion on slavery was that it was evil and that it was allowed by an evil society, which only sought to exploit those subjected towards biasness and racism. When Jim and Hulk form relationships, Hulk could not understand the reason why people did not like Jim. Later in the novel, Hulk begins realizing that the society is treating the likes of Jim unfairly for the mere fact that their color was different. This can be seen from the quote, “Each person had their own nigger to wait on them-Buck too. My nigger had a monstrous easy time, because I warn't used to having anybody do anything for me, but Buck's was on the jump most of the time,”(Twain 103). This point can be strengthened by assessing additional films that depict slavery and the extreme conditions that the slaves used to endure so as to survive. Such films include 12 Years a Slave directed by Steve McQueen and features two main characters namely Solomon Northup and Patsey. Solomon was kidnapped and taken to slavery where he was sold to a lenient master by the name of William Ford. While Solomon continues to stay in terms with the new master, the overseer of the plantation, Paul Dano, resents him and gets into a fight with him that ends with Solomon almost being hanged. This scene shows how easy it was for the slave owner to decide to kill a slave and do it. In addition, Patsey gets into a conflict with Master Epps who beats her up almost killing her. These are the type of hardships that Jim was trying to avoid when he ran after getting the news that he would soon be sold to a harsh master. Still in the film, the Masters refer to the slaves with an offensive term; nigger. These are the terms that Mark Twain wrote about in his novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Mark Twain added that the society viewed slavery as a good thing or a thing that they should do and that they should be served by those who are inferior to them. This shows the evilness of the society of the time for making one person appear better than the other. Mark Twain tried to explain that both the slaves and their masters were the same and that slavery was not a good thing but a source of oppression by the majority. According to Mark Twain, both blacks and whites should live harmoniously. To explain that Twain uses symbolism. This is shows through the relationship that is formed between Huckleberry Finn and Jim who were white and black respectively. When Jim escaped from Miss Watson in fear of being sold to a harsh plantation master, he met with Huck, who had fled from his drunken and mistreating father, with whom they went on an adventure along the River Mississippi (Twain et al. 233-234). Their relationship was more of a necessity relationship where one depended on the other for something. Jim knew that he would be caught if he went without Hulk, while Hulk offered to rescue Jim from the chains of slavery because of his conscious and principles. This shows that not all whites had inhumane hearts but there were some that could have helped them, were it not for the majority of the community favoring slavery. This can be seen in the quote that Hulk makes saying, “"When we was ready to shove off we was a quarter of a mile below the island, and it was pretty broad day; so I made Jim lay down in the canoe and cover up with a quilt, because if he set up people could tell he was a nigger a good ways off," (Twain 51). The example of Hulk viewing Jim as a friend is a symbol of hope. This is seen in the film, 12 Years a Slave, when one of the masters by the name of Bass is concerned about the condition of Master Epps laborers and maintains that slavery is not just nor is righteous. This is refuted by Master Epps. However, it confirms Mark Twain’s point that the society of the time was evil, racist, and bias. Mark Twain uses all available points to depict the wrong side of slavery as well as biasness. In a similar manner, Harriet Beecher Stowe composed works with similar information as that of Mark Twain. Harriet Beecher Stowe had experienced the effects of slavery firsthand as her grandmother kept slaves. Her novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which was published in 1852 changed the American view of slavery, the system that viewed the slaves as property. The book demanded that America should grant its promise of freedom as well as equity. The information in her novel galvanized the movement that was projected towards abolition, which had a significant contribution to the beginning of the Civil War. The book contributed to the idea of redefining race in U.S as well as redefining race relations. Harriet Beecher Stowe helped a run-away slave to escape in to Canada where the slave got freedom. In her novel, she maintained that enslaving of the black people or the African race is a direct violation of a great law, which requires people to love their neighbors as themselves (Harriet Beecher Stowe Center). The Compromise law was released in 1850 where slave trade was ended but slavery was not. In spite of the creation of this law, a stricter law was also created that required all people including law enforcers and ordinary citizen to help in catching runaways. Those who refused would be fined an average of $1000 and be jailed for 24 weeks (Harriet Beecher Stowe Center). This law eliminated the legal protection that the fugitives had such as requiring a slave catcher to appear before a judge to verify that the slave was clean and not abducted. This increased the possibility of kidnappings and having people sent to slavery although they had been free. This coincides with the case of Solomon Northup in the film, 12 Years a Slave, who was abducted, separated from his family, and sold to slavery where he endured endless suffering at the hands of the masters. One of the highly influential events in the time of Harriet Beecher Stowe was the nationally famous abolitionism series debates at the lane Seminary, which occurred in the year 1834. During this period, the population considered slavery abolition as a radical notion. Moreover, in a similar twist as that of Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s publication “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” received widespread criticism where most of the proslavery individuals claimed that her work made slavery appear worse than it really was. They also claimed that the characters in the novel are completely unrealistic. However, this was not true because all information that Stowe provided was authentic. This is because she experienced slavery and the hardships subjected to slaves firsthand as she also lived in a region that favored the practice (Twain, Mark, and Mary 325-327). Although Mark Twain’s book was also criticized, this was mostly because the writers provided all information that the proslavery individuals did not want to be revealed since it could help in the war against slavery. Unfortunately for them, the novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe, sparked an outrage that led to a bigger event; Civil War. In response to the critics trying to obstruct her message from reaching the target, Harriet Beecher Stowe composed another novel that served as an explanation of the original one. The novel was named “The Key to Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and was published in 1853. In this edition, she explained on the real life sources of the characters as well as the book excerpts, reprinted letters, newspaper stories, and incidents. While some groups of people have criticized the release of the original book for having offensive racial stereotypes. Such usages were necessary in her novel as she used them to show how the whites or the masters used to refer to their slaves. Harriet Beecher Stowe encouraged the integration of the African Americans into the American society so that they can engage in productive ventures. Towards the end of Mark Twain’s novel, Jim becomes a free man and gains the rights to do many things that were not probable in the past. While travelling in company of Huckleberry Finn along the Mississippi, Jim acts as the father figure with regard to Hulk and helps him in opening his eyes to the reality of slavery. Mark Twain in addition to Harriet Beecher Stowe also talked about reading for the slaves. While in the hands of their masters, the slaves were to ensure that they do not show that they know how to write. This is because learning to write and write is a heinous crime as far as the masters are concerned and could lead to execution of the slave. Mostly, they were executed through hanging. Understanding to read and write would ensure that the slaves are able to read and would become enlightened to pursue their rights or even use it against their masters. This is why the individuals were told that they were bought so that they can help with certain chores and not to learn. In spite of this, some of the masters were kind enough to help and allow the slaves to learn. His overall theme was to pass the message that all individuals are equal and no one should have power over others to the point of enslaving them. He wrote that, “The class lines were quite clearly drawn and the familiar social life of each class was restricted to that class. The skin of every human being contains a slave.” (Lombardi). Mark Twain also composed different novels such as The Lowest Animal, in which he claimed that, “Man is the only Slave. And he is the only animal who enslaves. He has always been a slave in one form or another, and has always held other slaves in bondage under him in one way or another. In our day he is always some man's slave for wages, and does that man's work; and this slave has other slaves under him for minor wages, and they do his work. The higher animals are the only ones who exclusively do their own work and provide their own living” (Lombardi). Therefore, all authors ranging from the novels to the movie agree on one main idea, slavery is not justice. In fact, it was the reason why Jim was running. In conclusion, prior to the Civil War, the America continent was practicing slavery in large scale. Slavery was connected to many challenges especially for the slaves who could be killed anyhow or sold at any time. However, there were artists who made significant effect on the world’s perception of slavery. These artists include Mark Twain and used their talent in ensuring that there were movements that could help in abolition of slavery and slave trade. Works Cited Harriet Beecher Stowe Center. “Uncle Tom's Cabin”. 2011. Web. 08 May 2014. https://www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/utc/ Laurel, and Associates. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Study Guide. Irvine: Saddleback Educational Pub, 1999. Print. Lederle, Cheryl. "Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn: Controversy at the Heart of a Classic." Teaching with the Library of Congress. 21 Nov 2013. Web. 08 May 2014. . Lombardi, Esther “What Did Mark Twain Write About Slavery? Was He a Racist?”. About.com. 2014. Web. 9 may. 2014. Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: Spark Notes. 2007a. Print. Twain, Mark. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New Riverside Editions. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000b. Print. Twain, Mark, Alan Gribben, and Mark Twain. Mark Twain's Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. Montgomery, AL: NewSouth Books, 2011. Print. Twain, Mark, and Mary R. Reichardt. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: With an Introduction and Contemporary Criticism. San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press, 2009. Print. Read More