In a society clinging to the cushion of political correctness, to be faced with a novel so offensive, so brash, so seemingly racist in the classroom was initially jarring. At first, I was opposed to the concept of having to read the word “nigger” and discuss it as if it was just any antiquated term; it seemed impossible. However, through my reading of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, I began to understand the value of my discomfort. A tenant of Jesuit education, personal growth is necessary for one to grow into an intellectual, whole human being. For one to grow, they must step outside their comfort zone and become uncomfortable. Thus, this is the value of Mark Twain 's novel— its ability to spark discomfort in its reader. The …show more content…
The portrayal of Jim has been criticized by many as rude and comical; however, these criticisms only examine his face value. Jim, despite his status as the butt of many jokes, proves to be an intelligent, morally grounded friend and father figure to Huck. Jim, unlike Col. Grangerford, is not gilded, but golden. The content of Jim’s words draws sharp contrast to his discombobulated speech. Upon discovering Huck on the island, Jim is relieved to see him. “It 's too good for true, honey, it 's too good for true. Lemme look at you chile, lemme feel o ' you. (Twain 53)”. Despite Huck’s constant teasing and mild abuse, Jim exhibits unconditional kindness towards Huck. Jim also proves to be a father figure, disciplining Huck and protecting him from seeing Pap dead in the floating house. He is not clueless and loving like a dog; in fact, Jim is one of the most intellectually and emotionally consistent and whole characters in the novel. Huck’s inability to express his care for Jim further reflects the stigmas held toward interracial relationships in the South and the flawed nature of the narrator, Huck. Jim and Huck’s existence on the raft provides a refuge from society, from the chains that bind Jim and separate him from Huck. This unique connection across age, race, and status seen in the …show more content…
The terror dealt at the hands of this novel is widespread. Students like Toni Morrison, picking it up as adolescents, innocent virgins to the horrors it contained, were shocked and shaken after reading it, instilled with “palpable alarm (Morrison 385).” The shame black students felt just by hearing their classmates snicker at the word “nigger” and the dread evoked by its appearance, is shameful and reveals Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’s dependent nature. It depends upon a teacher who can truly grasp and project the book onto their students. It depends upon students who are educated and mature enough to understand the book’s true meaning. It also depends on the reader to truly listen to what the novel has to say. If these requirements are met, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an irreplaceable, monumental novel that deserves its place in the classroom. As said by Morrison herself, “Huckleberry Finn, chosen randomly without guidance or recommendation, was deeply disturbing (Morrison 385).” When a student works with Huckleberry Finn in an adept classroom (one that maintains the level of maturity and intelligent insight to truly understand the novel), it prevents them from reading it alone and being unaware of its true meaning. It prevents them from being appalled at the seemingly crude and shallow novel, and allows them to experience it for what it truly is: a
The society which these characters live in has instilled in them that Huck and Jim can never be equals. Huck often disregards Jim as inferior when in fact, Jim is more heroic. Jim guides Huck as if he were one of his own children, whom he has been separated with. Upon entering a house on the water, Jim discovers Pap’s dead body and he tells Huck to “Come in… but doan’ look at his face – it’s too gashly”. Jim also guides Huck in moments of fear.
A couple days later, Huck finds Jim, but Jim has a hard time believing it because he’s supposed to be dead. Jim tells him that he ran away from Widow Douglas’s, which makes Huck feel guilty keeping him. They venture to a cave on the island and stay there until the storm stops. During the storm, a dead man washes up, but Jim doesn’t let Huck look at the face because he says it’s bad luck. Huck starts to get bored on the island so he decided to go into Illinois to get news of things going on.
Throughout the journey Jim steers Huck away from danger, or anything that will protect Huck, since Huck is also protecting Jim from being caught. For example, when they are on Jackson’s Island, Jim notices the change in mood of the birds predicting it will rain. Soon enough, a great storm appears, but suddenly, during the course of the storm a body washes downstream. Jim acts quickly and shields Huck from viewing the body. Jim states: “It’s a dead man.
He would not ever get the treatment Huck did, and Jim’s character was never allowed to grow. Smiley catches the audience’s attention as she recognizes the racist remarks that Twain uses through his character, Huck, and how he forms Jim’s character. Smiley says that, through the book, Twain creates Jim “more and more passive and never minds, just like any good sidekick” (Smiley 460). As Huck and Jim never cross the Mississippi to Illinois, a free state, Jim just stands in Huck’s shadows as he is along for the journey, never getting his own voice in the book to stand up for himself and his freedom.
Mark Twain published the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1885. This book shows the story of a young boy, Huck Finn, who goes through challenges in the society. Huck Finn is full of controversies. Twain satires religion, authority, and the society of his time and addresses the issue of slavery. Throughout the novel, Jim, who represents an African American slave, is the character representing all the problems that an African American experienced during the period of slavery and racism.
Huckleberry Finn Needs To Stay In Schools Did you know that Mark Twain’s The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn is one of the most challenged books in history. In fact, it was banned within the first year of its release. Recently, schools have been banning the book and removing it from the curriculum due to the racial slurs within it and its offensive nature towards students.
American literature has always been a form of entertainment and education. When slaves were introduced as characters in books, they were always negative, stereotypical characters, but not until 1883 when Mark Twain wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was a change made. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a book about a southern white boy in the 1800’s that runs away with an escaped slave on the Mississippi River. For years, schools have been debating on if the book should be banned in schools or not, and it is already on a variety of banned lists. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should not be banned in schools because it is an anti-slavery novel that teaches students valuable lessons and informs students of the past culture.
Rosa Parks once said, “Racism is still with us. But it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet, and, hopefully, we shall overcome.” She describes that the future of our world has to be aware of things that have happened in the past, such as racism. The NAACP, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, is a civil rights organization that displayed their position on this certain situation. The NAACP position is correct in that Mark Twain’s un-sanitized version of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be taught because the book describes the important awareness of the historical oppression of people, it provides a value of morality from that time period that students should learn, and gives an important lesson about race that should be taught to students.
I couldn 't ever ben free ef it hadn ' ben for Huck; Huck done it. Jim won 't ever forgit you, Huck; you 's de bes ' fren ' Jim 's ever had; en you 's Yash 2de only fren ' ole
After Huck finds out that Jim is captive, Huck “set down and cried. [He] couldn’t help it” (210). After returning to the raft and not finding Jim there, Huck is overcome with emotion. The fear of Jim not being around causes Huck to realize how important Jim is to him. The friendship they developed on the river and through their adventure causes Huck to be more concerned for Jim’s safety than society’s need to keep Jim captive.
Toni Morrison effectively analyzed The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, covering different perspectives and ways to interpret the novel that displays a higher level understanding of a “challenging” text. Good writing and analysis skills are crucial for a variety of different tasks students will have to perform beyond school. Additionally, challenging literature offers a great opportunity for students to learn about censorship. As many books read in schools today are being censored, any opportunity for students to directly learn more about the issue is beneficial. In the article “Schools Can’t Ban Books Because of Complaints, Court Says,” Mark Walsh addresses a woman who wishes to discard of controversial works, such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, that provoke racial harassment in the school system (Source B).
Jim tells Huck he hit her for not listening to get to work, but he then finds out she has been recently made dea when she did not react to the door slamming shut from the wind. He realizes he hit her when she never even heard Jim to begin with. Jim was so distraught begging for forgiveness from the Lord and his daughter, because he would never forgive himself for his mistake. This shows Jim’s deep rooted connection with love of others and his humanity. Not only that, but Huck realizes he cares deeply for his family and is capable of emotions that otherwise racist ideologies have told him are not possible.
Naturally, as his bond with Jim cultivates, Huck unknowingly treats him as a human. Through Huck’s sensibility, he states, “It didn’t take me long to make up my mind that these liars warn’t no kings nor dukes at all … I hadn’t no objections, ‘long as it would keep peace in the family; and it warn’t no use to tell Jim, so I didn’t tell him” (Twain 125). Correspondingly, Huck gains a consideration for Jim and his personal feelings, which he expresses nonchalantly through motley aspects of their journey.
As a fiction writer, Mark Twain, whose original name is Samuel Langhorne Clemens, stands apart as a comic genius. In America, Mark Twain had popularized this new genre through two of his well- known novels. One is 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer ' and the other 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn '. Mark Twain 's idea of a boy character is based on the picture of an average American boy. The American boy, by nature, is enterprising and mischievous, not a reserved character like his counterpart in England.