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The Use of the Word - Nigger - in Twain's Novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

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How would you feel if an author published a book that contained a word that was once used frequently but has now developed into one of the most derogatory and unfriendly things a person can say? Since 1884, when the book was first published, there has been much controversy regarding the use of the word “nigger” in the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain. Many people all over the world, predominantly the African-American population, feel that the word demoralizes the Blacks, and feel that the novel should be strongly censored from society. Some say that the constant use of the “n-word” forces the reader to conceive one of the main characters, Jim (Huck’s slave friend), as a buffoon, and it therefore embarrasses the …show more content…

Huck Finn seemed like a rebel without a cause right from the start. He seemed as if he hadn’t a care in the world. Huckleberry Finn was also greatly influenced by Tom Sawyer. Huck even joined a band of robbers called “Tom Sawyer’s Gang” in which a group of young boys pretend to capture, rob, and murder people. He saw Tom as a role model, someone who he could look up to. Huck’s decisions during the course of the novel are solely based on Tom and whether he would see fit to it. Huck appeared as a naïve troublemaker in the beginning of the novel.
Jim, Miss Watson’s slave, is introduced in the first few chapters as a nincompoop. While Tom and Huck were sneaking by Jim, Tom placed Jim’s hat on a tree limb that was right above Jim’s head. When Jim woke up he claimed that only the witches could have done such a thing. Jim was so proud that he told all the slaves about it. This may have been one of the reasons why there were tremendous amounts of people who disapproved of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The fact that Jim is portrayed as stupid and uneducated causes this group of “Huck Finn Haters” to deem this novel racist. As the story presses on, Huck and Jim’s lives become intertwined when they bump into each other on Jackson’s Island. They both escaped from society and were now spending their time smoking pipes and staring into the vast Mississippi River. Huck knew that Jim was a runaway and felt

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