Free Sample Essays > North American
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
“The ending merely shows the power of society and Tom Sawyer to dehumanize Jim, which actually motivates Huck to leave civilization altogether” (37). At the end of the book, Jim is used as a plaything for Tom Sawyer and Huck, when Huck realizes that’s what has happened, he decides to leave and go to Indian Territory. Chadwick-Joshua feels that, “Twain consciously leaves the wound of racism open at the conclusion of this novel, not to diminish Jim, but to awaken Huck and the reader to the continuing injustice and contradictions” (26). At this point, Huck has taken himself back to his original principles, including his racist attitude. Chadwick-Joshua makes a valid point by saying that Twain purposely leaves racism open to return Huck to his newfound principles, which are to some extent non-racist. This is how society finally affects his principle involving racism.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain was written in a very racist period. The setting of the book 40 years earlier is in a slave keeping society, which is much more racist. The attitude of degrading blacks and disliking them is an integral part of society in the setting of the book. Huckleberry Finn is raised by a society that teaches him to hate his fellow man, and degrade him. Although this is taught, it isn’t done as a bad thing or a way to hurt the slaves, it was just accepted as correct. Huck dislikes many aspects of society and he bases his principles on certain non-conforming ideas. Although he does this, he can’t escape from the upbringing of complete racism, except for short periods of time. When alone on the river with Jim, Huck sometimes sees that Jim is a real person and not just a “nigger.” As soon as other people from society come into contact with Huck he slips back into his role as a racist. Society teaches him to degrade the black race. He does try to leave this model cast by other people, but no matter how much Huck varies from his fellow Americans, he can always slip back into this model when coerced.