Is Mark Twain a Racist?

Is mark off duette A racialist? some(prenominal) bank certain things ab verboten dyads Great American novel, makes it a antiblack loudness, like the overuse of the forge, nigger, and the given flick of the subdued slave, Jim. However, in that location is a substantial amount of evidence that this book was non written out of hate, exactly in hope that pair could change the creative thinkerls of scramble mask of the white people around him. The first and fore close to question most people ask when they read the novel is, was Mark Twain a racist? There ar assumptions that because of Twains use of edgy language and typography in the point of view of racists, that he was a racist himself. much(prenominal) of the article is Twain going into detail more or less the type of milieu and adults this juvenility boy has been embossed with, and how racial discrimination against the Chinese is commonplace. For example, the Chinese are taxed twice as much as each the othe r(a) races to exploit for gold. Also, when they are caught stealing from a mine, they are hung. However, when the same happens to the other races, they are only asked to leave the mining camp (Galaxy).In one part, the narrator shares, the boy lay out out that in homosexualy districts of the vast Pacific coast, so hygienic is the wild, free love of scantilyice in the hearts of the people, that whenever any whodunit and mysterious crime is burdented, they plead, Let justice be done, though the sphere fall, and go straightway and swing a Chinaman. (Galaxy) The reason why Twain lists these observations is to show the city of San Francisco that it is not the boy whos at fault, because, What had the childs education been? How should he suppose it was wrong to rock-and-roll a Chinaman (Galaxy)? In particular, in one part of the article, the boy says, Ah, there goes a Chinaman beau ideal will not love me if I do not stone him (Galaxy). With this article, Twain hoped that he c ould allow the adult of the city to name how goosey they check been acting towards the Chinese and it was not the boy who is acting childish, but it is the men whom the young boy looked up to. This is the same scenario with the controversy surrounding, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In both stories we see a young boy who lives in a society that is racist against a certain race only because they were raise that way.An example of this in, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is one of the first things we hear from Hucks father and his feelings about black people who have done well in the country. He refers to an Afro-American college professor who wore nice clothes and was intelligent. Also, since the man was from Ohio, he was in like manner allowed to vote. Its provoke how Hucks father says, It was lection day, and I was just about to go and vote myself if I warnt too drunk to get there (37).The irony in this is how Hucks father, a man who is obviously morally, financiall y, socially, and intellectually outclassed to the professor he met, believes he is superior to the man because of their difference in skin colors. This confirms that Huck was raised in a racist environment, which means that things Huck says or does in all likelihood isnt out of hate, but because thats the way hes been raised in his infrastructure and society. Something truly risky that Twain did to show others his position on sla real and racialism was when he volunteered to help pay for one of the first black students culture at Yale University.In his letter do the Dean of the university explaining why he precious to do this, he said, We have ground the manhood out of them, and the humble is ours, not theirs, and we should pay for it (Fishkin). This act and quote shows that Mark Twain mat up personally convicted about slavery as a terrible slide towards the black society and wanted to give something back to those affected. Therefore, with all his prohibit experiences wit h slaves and racism, why would this man write a book that goes against the ideals he so boldly defends?This book should not be looked at as an dishonour against African-Americans, but as another way Twain tried to compensate the debt he felt he owed the slaves and their families (Fishkin). When the book first introduces Jim, it seems that the slave is roughly superstitious to the point of idiocy. In chapter dickens, Jim falls asleep when looking for tom turkey and Huck in Mrs. Watsons yard. Tom takes Jims hat and places it on a severalise above his head, and when Jim wakes up he tells the other slaves a group of witches, rode him all over the world, and tired him most to death, and his back was all over saddle-boils (14). two chapters later, Jim pulls a hairball out of an oxs stomach and claims an all-knowing spirit lives interior (26). Many people find Jims superstitions very offensive and racist because it emphasizes the idea that slaves had no hope in having a good life. S ome believe that since the slaves were treated so poorly and had little chance of escaping their sentence, they made up superstitions as a way to escape from their cruel reality. Most African-American advocates of anning Twains novel from schools dont think their children should have to read about a m in their familys hi tale where so much pain, suffering and dignity was lost. The fact that Twain makes Jim an extremely superstitious character, is interpreted by many as a racist action (Wolfson). However, whos to say that Jims superstitions are not just a creative way for him to take advantage of certain things for his make personal gain? Its possible that Jim utilise the witch story from chapter two because he knew hed gain popularity throughout the slave world.It even says later that slaves traveled from far places to hear Jims witch story. As with the hairball, Jim could have just used it to get a quick buck from Huck, or other customers who wanted some questions answered, sin ce Jim pretended the spirit wouldnt work unless it was paid. If Jims superstitions are viewed in this light, he should be looked at as a very clever human being being, rather than a hopeless slave, and no one with the same skin color as him should be offended (Fishkin). Another big uncover people have with the book is its seemingly overuse of the word, nigger. Throughout the book, the word is mentioned an overwhelming two hundred and fifteen eras, something that many see as unnecessary, since the word comes with such a contradict, degrading implication in todays world. However, there is much debate whether or not the term carried the type of negative connotation it has today, but even if people did use the name as an insult, there are still reasonable explanations as to why Mark Twain would use this word. First of all, Twain strived to make this novel as realistic as possible.If he had not used the language of his time or depicted characters the way they were in his time period , then no one would have taken his book seriously. Its possible that there were other names that were less offensive that he could have used, but doing so would not have been as effective in exposing the ugliness of racism as, nigger does. The word reinforced the books idea that the societies of the southern United States lived in constant racism. Though its unclear whether Shelley Fisher Fishkin supported this idea, she says in her book, A Historical Guide to Mark Twain nigger was integral to the sound projection of presenting and indicating a racist society, whose illegitimate racial hierarchy was embodied in the use of that word, because it was central to dramatizing the failure of everyone in that society (black and white) to challenge the authenticity of the status quo and of the word that cemented and reinforced it, and because the diction was realistic to the time and characters. (137) The tattle between, Disgraceful Persecution of a Boy, and the novel at hand must also be analyzed.The young boy who stoned the Chinese man didnt commit the crime because he hated the Chinese, he did it because thats what he was taught to do. When Huck referred to the slaves as, niggers, its not out of hate that he uses the word, but because he was taught thats just what you counter slaves. Another issue people have with this book is the overall depiction of the slaves intellect. In parts of the book, its hard to even under can what Jim is trying to say because he hasnt been educated. People believe that making Jim sound intellectually inferior to every other character in the book is a racist move on Twains part.However, when reading the novel, the reader must also translate that the author and the narrator are two different voices. The author, Twain, is an adult who is very against the idea of slavery. The narrator is a young boy who has been raised by a society who sees nothing wrong with enslaving black people. Thus, it is not Twain voicing his opinions through the thought processes of Huck, but it is Twain trying to represent an accurate, historical point of view from a young, white boy (Fishkin). Unfortunately, this young boy has been raised with certain biases against slaves, and Twain must honor that bias.If he doesnt then the book would be historically inaccurate. Also, one must echo that people living today were credibly not Twains target audience. Twain wanted to change problems in his generation, and in order to create a story that applied to the reader of his day, he would have to make the story as realistic as possible. Lastly, the most obvious argument is that it just wouldnt make sense to create a slave character who was as smart as the white people. If slaves were not allowed any formal education, how realistic would it be to write about a smart, literate slave?Finally, at the end of the novel, it seems Huck is thinking about running away from his home again, only because, Aunt Sally shes going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I cant stand it (307). For this quote to truly hold any meaning, the reader must go through a sivilized person in the societies of the southern states back then would probably have owned and mistreated slaves. Hearing Huck say that hes sickish of society teaching him how to be sivilized, could be his way of expressing the newfound feelings he has against slavery (Fishkin).To say that, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is a racist novel should be considered a ridiculous idea. Why would an anti-slavery and anti-racist man write a racist book? Twain wrote books and articles to justify his ideas to his reader, even if the ideas were absurd, like the idea of the black man being on equal ground with the white man. Though by the time the book was completed slavery was abolished and African-Americans were free, the mindsets of the southern white families did not change. These types of families were to whom Mark Twain was directing this book.He hoped they would see the ugliness of raci sm and slavery, and see people past the color of their skin. One of Mark Twains well know quotes on racism is, One of my theories is that the hearts of men are about alike, all over the world, whatever their skin-complexions may be (Everett). Twain probably never realized his novel about young Huck Finn would have gained so much popularity and attention so long after its trustworthy publishing, but throughout every generation, his message of anti-racism should not be criminalize for its racist interpretations because it is relevant for any race, people, or community.