Slavery In Huck Finn

Words: 651
Pages: 3

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, is a representation of slavery and the abused joining together on a liberating journey to freedom. Huck Finn, the dynamic character, can be viewed in a number of ways. From a young age, Huck was exposed to abuse by his alcoholic father. Jim, the other primary character, had suffered tremendous abuse as a slave. Viewing The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as a metaphor, a tremendous theme in the book would be abuse. Through the traumatic experiences of Huck, slavery of Jim, and racial intolerance of the South during the 1800s, this book can certainly be viewed as a metaphor for abuse. As a youth, Huck Finn was not one to be considered as lucky. He had a mother who passed on, and an alcoholic …show more content…
In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, there is a Huck struggles on whether it is ethical to help a slave escape slavery. Huck states, “Here was this nigger, which I had as good as helped to run away, coming right out flat-footed and saying he would steal his children—children that belonged to a man I didn't even know” (Twain). These are examples of the mental abuse faced in the book. Verbal exchanges are something that hurt a person, hurt their self confidence, or cause emotional distress are considered as abusive. The other issue is that he is not considered as a person, and Huck does not consider how losing his children would affect Jim. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the words and perceptions of Jim are extremely abusive. In summary, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn could be viewed as a metaphor for many modern situations today. One reoccurring theme throughout the book is abuse. Through Huck’s childhood, the dehumanization of a slave, and racial injustice, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is undoubtably a metaphor for abuse, and what length someone will go to in order to set themselves free. The life of Jim and Huck, together, show what abuse can drive people to, and is a perfect example to use to teach people about how toxic abusive situations truly