Huck Finn The Twisting Tides of Portrayal - Racism

In recent years, there has been increasing discussion of the seemingly racist ideas expressed by Mark Twain in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In some cases, the novel has been banned by public school systems and even censored by public libraries. Along with the excessive use of the word, “nigger,” the basis for this blatant censorship has been the portrayal of one of the main characters in Huck Finn, Jim, a black slave who runs …

…reader to recognize these ideas as society's and to recognize that Twain disputes these ideas. Twain brings out into the open the ugliness of society and causes the reader to challenge the original description of Jim. In his subtle manner, he creates not an apology for slavery but a challenge to it. Twain’s opposition to slavery nudges America to think about the cruelty and lack of humanity dwelling in the cold institution of slavery.