The novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
The novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by Samuel Clemens, also known as Mark Twain, highlights various aspects of societal prejudice and social hypocrisy.
Identification of belief systems
The way that people perceive the various facets of society has led to the identification of belief systems that have been observed over time.
The concept of racial theory in the book
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn gave a definite indication of how social dynamics and the acceptable norms can be witnessed in various social groups. There are visible elements of social hypocrisy and how people act towards each other in society and how racism is a huge threat to the fundamental aspects of freedom and also equality before men. The racial theory has been partnered with religious hypocrisy because most of the slavery supporters were based in the church. The racial theory has been identified as a recurrent theme in the book by Mark Twain. There is also another issue that has also been introduced and also supports the racial theory argument in the entire book.
Comparison of society today to the life of Huckleberry Finn
Different research areas will be analyzed in the paper. The first one is the concept of racial theory which needs to be discussed using various aspects of the book by Mark Twain. The other primary concern will be in the area of how society today is compared to the life of Huckleberry Finn, and how it impacts on the average American man.
Evolving notions of racial theory
In the time of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the notion of evolution was termed as a basis to justify the different doctrines that supported the racial theory. This was more so in the idea of one race being considered superior than another. In the context of this period, a black man in American society was defined to be subhuman and inferior. The stereotypical black American was perceived to be immature and had the mentality of a large child, and who had all these bad qualities. Black men at this time were looked down upon due to their beliefs in witchcraft. This is the way that they are depicted in the book and also viewed to be "three-fifths men." This was one of the satires that Mark Twain was trying to bring across in trying to demonstrate the reasoning of the novel exposing flaws and hypocrisy of those who considered themselves to be "whole men." The book shows how weak the beliefs of people were in the past and how first their line of thought was on different subjects and how they were influenced by the racial theory of demeaning other people's lives due to their skin color and belief systems (Schinkel, p.511).
Racism and disorderly behavior
The book has also pointed to the central aspect of racism and disorderly behavior that can be witnessed through a young man's eyes and how it affected his life. In the case of Huck's father, he was one of the most significant examples of racial hypocrisy (Karkar, p.2). He considered himself to be one of the whole men of that society. He is depicted as a drunk, a racist, and an abusive old man who was devoid of the different virtues. He is arrested for being disorderly and being drunk and is taken into custody. He lacks the morality of men and considers himself to be a superior white man when he compares himself to other black people. This shows that most white people during the time of Huckleberry had considered themselves to be superior. They were seen to be privileged and lacked a sense of nobility in the way they treated other people of color. Racism is presented in an adamant case in the story of Huckleberry Finn where it is considered to be a way of living in society during that period. Huck's father, who is presented as one of the examples of a man who is not capable of anything else besides being a man full of evil virtues, where one of them is being racist. In the book, Twain showcases the differences in the way that people looked at each other with so many parallels. It can be related to the way that people live in the present days and how racism is still considered in the same basic lines. In some areas of the world, in different societies, people continue to believe in their superiority and see the inferiority in others. In the modern-day American society, there are certain aspects of the racial theory that is still evident in the current social dynamics.
Controversy about Huck being a racist
There is controversy about whether Huck can be considered a racist in the book. Upon research, it is clear to observe that the different myths on the idea of Huck being a racist to be wrong. With using Huck as the main character in the story, Twain tries to show the contempt he has over the social injustices witnessed in the story (Twain, p.40). He works to protect Huck who is pursued by the father who is also a racist in the story. The direct conflict between the characters offers the book a way to explain what is happening behind the different central themes of the book. The stereotypes can be trickled down to the present-day status of the African American men who are still termed as a non-intelligent and criminal-prone race. These are racial biases and stereotypes that have continued to prevail over the years, and they seem to revolve around the same factors as were there at the beginning of racism and slavery (Schinkel, p.513). The case presented by Mark Twain denotes individual elements of how racism was connected to the lack of morality and also the lack of reasoning for the people who were practicing these stereotypes. There is also the contradiction of these stereotypes, where Twain introduces Jim who is not an ordinary slave. His escape from captivity and how he acts when he meets Huck shows a precise opposite to what is expected of a person like Jim. His opinions and principles demonstrate that he is a man with an idea to disapprove racism and also ideas of prejudice. Jim's way of thinking seems to go against the beliefs that the white men had of black people. He does not appear to have the primitive mindset that the black people were identified with in the old days. He chooses to help Huck even to the extent of sacrificing his life to save another man. With this aspect of his way of thinking, it shows how he was seen as the hero of the book. He signifies a sense of tolerance and the black man's ability to forgive those people that had continuously tortured him and put him in captivity. His willingness to coexist with the white people and also protect them is an act of kindness and heroism. Through Jim, the reader is introduced to the way that the black people were treated in the times of slavery and when the racism theory was at its highest.
Conclusion
In the research paper, the message carried through that racial theory is present in the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as a culmination. The discussion has identified the different forms of prejudice and racial theories that have been composed in the book by Mark Twain. The paper has also talked about the existence of social hypocrisy and racial hypocrisy and how it related to each other. The book has also illustrated the capacity for evil when people live with hate and believe in racism. This ideology of racial theory was a concept that was brought up by evil minds. There was a small portion of white men who were responsible for the manipulation of the society and its doctrines from both a religious aspect and cultural aspect. The author has used these attributes of an evil society that supported the segregation of a community due to their color. It can be compared to the modern-day society which is still trying to weed out those evil traits and characters who still continue to support racism. It paints a picture of how bad racial theory can get when it gets out of hand and is manifested through evil.
Works Cited
Karkar, Meera. “Huckleberry Finn: A Step Towards Racial Healing.” 14 November 2016.
Schinkel, Anders. “Huck Finn, Moral Language and Moral Education.” Journal of Philosophy of Education, vol. 45, no. 3, 2011, pp. 511-526.
Twain, Mark. “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” England: Penguin Classics, 1985. Print
