Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn

Words: 1145
Pages: 5

How someone interprets any literary work is subject to their personal interst in the story line and then progresses to personal agendas; often times trying to prove or justify theories in the academic world. Discussions centered on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain are no different, and perhaps this book has been more thoroughly discussed, with more heated discussions than other works of fiction. Oftentimes, discussions around race and morality can do this. Readers must draw conclusions based on their connections with the book due to the controversies within and the books difficulty to truly comprehend. In order to do this, one must look closely at the necessity of Jim within the pages of this story. Jim’s role is essential …show more content…
Mark Twain obviously believed that racism and the idea of white people being supreme was wrong. Toni Morrison also believed that, " It becomes a more beautifully complicated work that sheds much light on some of the problems it has accumulated through traditional readings to shy to ling over the implications of the Africanist presence at the center." In 1936, Twain must have been compelled to write a book full of descriptive language that had not choice but to cause upheaval in the reader. For example, he uses the “N” word multiple times within the first 30 pages. If he had only used this offensive word once, the reader may have been able to overlook the emotions that accompanied its use. However, he chose to use the word repeatedly, making the reader take notice and invest emotionally. Twain also ends this story in a very upsetting way. Jim was a free man; however, because he was black he was not truly free from slavery. Morison also discusses this, and says he cannot be freed because it wouldn't show to the true nature of the supremacy of what white Americans had compared to blacks during the time. This idea of supremacy appeals to the empathy of some who had already made their decisions on race and were beyond the racial tensions of this time in history. This book was intended to impact this time period in history and, like Shakespeare, was not intended to be studied …show more content…
Some say Jim is really Huck's mentor, other say he is his homosexual love. However the most intriguing part is the unexplainable loyalty that Jim has to Huck. He knew that in the blink of an eye Huck could give him away to slavers without guilt or worry. Deep down Jim knew that was never Huck’s intention. Huck’s intentions were to use Jim for his own personal gain. Jim’s use would be over if something happened to him or he ended up dead. One particularly articulate writer, Gerry Brenner, wrote a letter responding to a conflicting opinion of a college. Written in the same dialect of the book, Huck Finn, an interview style was used for Pappy. Pappy believed that Huck Finn wanted Jim to die at any point of the story. It didn't matter as long as he got to go on his adventure, Jim’s well-being was not considered. Is this not the underlying belief of slavery? Jim may not have been owned, but he was manipulated and controlled and his value was only in what he could do for another person, not in who Jim was as a man. Concluding that no matter what the situation is in society, a person of color will be discriminated and