Race Relations With Huck Finn Essay, Research Paper
Famous writers come and go every year. How do these writers become famous? Humans are fascinated with real life situations, tagged in with fictional story line. Mark Twain s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, describes real life situations, in a fictional story line perfectly. Twain put the real life happenings of slavery, in a fun and fictional story. The novel is mainly about the racial relations between each human. Classes of society, loyalty/friendship, and rebellion shows how the novel evolves into a main theme of Race Relations.
Through out the history of the world, people have been placed into categories based on their wealth, and all of the worldly possessions that we have. These classes of society can really make people talk, and act differently towards some people. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the novel shows these classes really well. In the beginning of the novel, we see a little bit of the black class, and how they were treated. Miss. Watson s big nigger, named Jim, was setting in the kitchen door, we could see him pretty clear (14). Jim, Miss. Watson s run away slave in the story, is part of the black class. We see the sub ordinance that blacks were placed in America, because blacks were not allowed to be in the house, because they were uneducated, and had to be working in the fields.
Another example of the classes we put each other into is when Huck, the main character, and Jim were heading south. Jim and Huck are sitting on the banks of the Mississippi River, and Jim says I owns myself en I s wuth eight hund d dollars. (54). This shows the reader that blacks are so low, that the white people place prices on the blacks. As uneducated as the blacks are, they believe they are worth so much money, because that is all they hear from their owners. By doing such a thing to another human being, that degrades our country, and the black citizens themselves.
At the end, we see how these classes can effect one person, due to his social status. Like before, people say things to other people, to make themselves feel better, and they do not care what it does to the person they are talking about, because of their class in society. One example of this is when They cussed Jim considerably, though, and give him a cuff or two upside the head (271). This shows how people can be when one group thinks that he is better than another group. These classes of society can show the relations between races. In this case, the whites thought they were better, and so, they would not allow blacks to be in the house, make them feel like objects, and not human beings and greatly persecuted and abused the blacks.
Another point that is with the main theme of race relations is loyalty/friendship. Huck shows this by being with Jim in the beginning, and shows some trust in Jim. The beginning of this friendship is seen when Huck goes to Jim with a problem with his Father coming back, and Jim says sometimes he spec he ll go way, en den ag in he spec he ll stay (26). That response from Jim really shows the reader that he cares about Huck, and he understands what Huck is saying. Like any relationship, it has to have an open, honest and submit caring feelings for one another. Jim proves that he cares by helping Huck, and telling the truth, even when it hurts.
Later on in the novel, Jim and Huck are going down the river, and Huck is continuously faced with the same problem. Huck does not know whether to turn Jim in or not. When a problem comes up, people can see how loyal or how much your friendship means to somebody when a problem occurs frequently. Huck says to himself s pose you d a done right and give Jim up? Would you felt better than what you do now? No, I d feel bad-I d feel just the same way I do now (94). With that decision by Huck, that shows two people the same thing. This shows both Jim and the reader that Jim is too good of a friend to be back stabbed. With that decision, Huck proves his loyalty to Jim, no matter
Finally, at the end of the novel, we find out how much Huck appreciated Jim s good attitude through the whole adventure of going to New Orleans. When Tom give Jim forty dollars for being prisoner for us so patient . (278), shows that Tom and Huck were very thankful for putting up with them, and their crazy ideas. The act of giving Jim the money proves Huck and Tom were very grateful for Jim s loyalty to do everything. The loyalty towards Huck was seen through the whole story. From being tied up, being painted or even being treated worse, Jim knew it was worth it. He was loyal and friendly towards the two children, because if it were not for them, he would still be a slave. Loyalty and friendship deals with race relations because even if somebody was black, or white, Huck showed that blacks were every bit as fun, caring and normal as the white people. Even if it meant rebelling against the law, loyalty and friendship was more important.
Speaking of rebelling, this is the final point for making this main theme race relations, the ultimate theme of the novel. Rebellion is another theme frequently seen through the whole novel. Huck rebels against his father, and the law. Huck s Father tells him to do one simple thing, but he rebels and does what he wants to any ways. The first thing is when his Father leaves him locked in the cabin. Huck obviously is supposed to stay inside, but he rebels and crawls out of the house. He had wore the ground a good deal crawling out of the hole and dragging out so many things (40). This shows him rebelling against his Father by not doing what he was supposed to do. He then runs away, and meets Jim, where he really rebels. This will be the start of a stronger friendship between Huck and Jim.
Speaking of Jim, he also rebels, but he rebels against the law. Jim made a big decision while there was a great deal of distraction with in the city. When Jim and Huck first met, Jim says Well, I b lieve you, Huck. I-I run off (50). Jim tells Huck and Huck becomes very shocked and concerned for Jim. Huck tells Jim that he will help Jim escape, even if People would call me a low-down Abolitionist (50). When Huck says that, he promises Jim he will help to the end, no matter what happens. That only shows the reader that Jim can really trust Huck with anything, improving their relationship.
Finally at the end of the novel, we really see the respect Jim deserves as a human being. Through the many escapades and adventures the two of them went through, Jim is first treated like garbage once again. When Tom, Huck s one and only friend, Huck and Jim arrive at Aunt Sally s, Tom s aunt, house, Aunt Sally becomes outraged that the two of them helped a slave run away. Once she finally realizes everything Jim had done for Tom and Huck, Aunt Polly and Uncle Silas and Aunt Sally found out how good he helped the doctor nurse fix Tom, they made a fuss, and fixed him up prime, and gave him all he wanted to eat, and a good time and nothing to do (278). This is a big push for race relations and rebellion. Slaves are not supposed to eat and dress real nice and have nothing to do. Aunt Polly, Uncle Silas and Aunt Sally realized everything that Jim did, and, by being helpful, changed the minds of the three adults. They now viewed Jim as a person, and not a slave. By doing this, these few people strengthen the relationship between whites and blacks. They only did this because they looked inside, and found out what Jim really is about, and what he has to offer to the world.
Through history, blacks have been discriminated for being a different color, or because of what they do not have, or how they act. Classes of society, loyalty/friendship, and rebellion shows how people can strengthen the race relations between whites and blacks. If the world only breaks free of our hateful chains, and isolated cages, we can see that each of us are no different from one another. We have to open our eyes, take each other for our qualities, not over our skin color, or background.