Was Huck Finn written as a racist book? Thesis ideas needed. About whether or not Huck Finn was racist and whether or not Mark Twain intended it that way.
2006-11-20 12:00:01 · 11 answers · asked by Izzie 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
No. It was about racism and slavery, but it is not a racist book. Twain is a satirist and people tend to forget that. For another, Jim is depicted as the ONLY decent adult in the entire novel. People must consider the time in which the book was written and the time in which it was set. Huck Finn is set shortly after the Civil War-and in the South- where certain language was common place. All Twain does in the book is create the same dialect. The 'hero' of the novel, Huck, goes through a transition in which he learns that Jim is no different than him. Huck understands, he gets it. For example, Huck has written a letter telling the people back home where Jim is. He thinks about this for a long time and then decides to tear up the letter saying, "All right, I'll go to hell then." That line is a direct response to what someone told him earlier in the book about befriending a black person and even worse, hiding a run away slave. Huck is told he'll go to hell if he does either of the above.
2006-11-20 16:14:52 · answer #1 · answered by imhalf_the_sourgirl_iused_tobe 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
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RE:
Huck Finn Racist?
Was Huck Finn written as a racist book? Thesis ideas needed. About whether or not Huck Finn was racist and whether or not Mark Twain intended it that way.
2015-08-06 17:38:13 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Huck Finn is a banned book in many schools on grounds of being racist.
I wouldn't expect that Twain wrote it specifically to BE a racist book- but if the author had some ingrained racial thoughts (even if it was not prejudice, it's hard to grow up in those times without internalizing the racism of surrounding society), it's possible that some things that would be considered racist would have slipped in.
I haven't read the book in a while, but it's important to distinguish between racism that a specific character has (a character being written as a racist) and racism that slips in through the way Twain himself tells the story. I could write a novel that contains a racist character, but my own narration would oppose it. If Twain is still making racist suggestions in the body of the narration itself, you might suspect that, either consciously or unconsciously, he was being racist.
It is also vital for you to ask whether all the things that are considered racist in 2006 were considered racist in Mark Twain's time. Many people who wholeheartedly supported black rights still had ideas that would be considered racist by today's standards.
2006-11-20 12:20:53 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
the books is not really racist. it was more about the time inwhich mark twain grew up. at there were not that many American books written the way that people talk, and to show how people were treated. Huck Finn is the only white person that Thinks of Jim as a person.
2006-11-20 12:17:00 · answer #4 · answered by ats02171 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it is more of a coming of age thing. Huck, was young and only saying things that he had learned form the other adults around him. The beautiful part of the story is that he does come to see Jim as a human being and adult male that should be respected despight what he has learned, there is a really good character analysis on the yahoo cliffsnotes page that explnies this in greater detail. I will say this, never use wikipedia for anything!! anyone can edit the pages and alter the content, this could get you into big trouble.
2006-11-20 12:11:51 · answer #5 · answered by msdeville96 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Is Huckleberry Finn Racist
2016-11-11 07:02:45 · answer #6 · answered by mangiafico 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No.
Samuel Clemens was a perceptive humanist. He came from a border slave state, was widely traveled, and was a keen observer of the human condition. He was also a razor-sharp satiricist. (gee, I hope that's a word)
He demonstrated in Huck Finn the maturing understanding of Huck in dealing with the adult world, including relationships, friendship, trust, honor, and race.
IMHO - the people who worry about "racist" statements in Huck Finn aren't capable of casting themselves into the time it was written, or capable of understanding the meanings of stories beyond the pale shimmering surface.
2006-11-20 12:20:01 · answer #7 · answered by mattzcoz 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It was written about a time when the America was very racist. I think that is one of the conflicts in the book. Huck was raised racist but was coming to his own conclusions about it as he grew.
2006-11-20 12:09:36 · answer #8 · answered by Handsome's Wife 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yeah, sorta. Mark Twain wasn't racist but he portrayed racism in his novel. one thing i remember was that huck was thinking of what people said, that if you helped a black person you would go to hell. also, he sometimes does not seem to think of jim as a person.
2006-11-20 12:09:41 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
He was a racist in transition. That was one of the main points of Huckelberry Finn.
2006-11-20 12:02:53 · answer #10 · answered by Sophist 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋