The story of Huckleberry Finn belongs in the classroom, because of the history in the book. Throughout the whole whole story Mark Twain he shows people the …show more content…
Huckleberry Finn shows people the adventures of a young white boy and a runaway slave. Although when they first meet Huck is a little unsure of Jim, he eventually comes to be his friend. But also throughout the story Twain begins to show more of Jim’s personality and moral character, instead of just portraying him as a slave. By doing this Jim 's characteristics are helping to form and mold the story. In an article about Huckleberry Finn and the debate about racism Peter Salwen states that Jim’s character as Twain portrays him is an important role in the book when he states, “Meanwhile, Jim, as Twain presents him, is hardly a caricature. Rather, he is the moral center of the book a man of courage and nobility, who risks his freedom -- risks his life -- for the sake of his friend huck.” This is a start to showing that Twain shows students that Jim is truly a good man. Even throughout the whole book is stated many times that Jim is just as good as any white man. In chapter 42 Jim is recognized by the doctor in the story when Twain has him state, “I tell you, gentlemen,a nigger like that is worth a thousand dollars-and kind treatment, too” (Twain 286)., and then again on the same page Twain has Huckleberry saying his feelings towards Jim as man when he said “Because I thought he had a good heart in him and was a good man the first time I see …show more content…
This one reason is a 6 letter word known as “Nigger”. Throughout the story of Huckleberry Finn Twain uses the word 216 times. Although people seem to think that this word is unnecessary to the story line and is racist and hurtful; it is shown that Twain intended and purposely put it there for a reason. As many articles have said it is there for a reason, it is there to show us the history in America. In the Article “Is Huckleberry Finn really a racist book?’ what Salwen says about this hurtful word is that “Since the action of the book takes place in the south twenty years before the Civil War, it would be amazing if they didn’t use that word”. Showing that without that word it wouldn’t make sense to the time of the story. But even then people seem to find that with that offensive word in the story highschool students aren 't able to understand the story, but without that word the story would lose the moral and point. Students should be able to confront and talk about difficult and hurtful things and learn how to understand them, it’s called education (DelFattore 2). At the end of it all this one 6 letter word that has caused so much drama is there for a reason, because in today’s