The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Claim: Twain creates a theme of equalityin The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in order to show that slavery is unjustified by showing that African Americans are people too by depicting Jim as intelligent and compassionate and also by having white people realize that Jim is just as human as everyone else.

Introduction

The text Nappy Hair was drafted by Carolivia Herron. Mark Twain wrote the adventures of Huckleberry Finn which talks about racism and prejudice in the society. Nappy Hair is written in a storytelling mode as the narrator is Uncle Mordecai who is telling the story and other characters are responding. The text uses a rich and rhythmic language which makes it easy for one to even read the book aloud. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was drafted in the reconstruction era after the civil war had ended. It was drafted at a time when slavery was abolished and thus showcases racism as the major theme. It’s because slavery ended but oppression didn’t end as Jim Crow laws affected black minority. The two texts showcase racial prejudice and stereotyping as the most dominant themes. The paper will showcase the major themes and show how they are connected in by the two books.

In drafting Nappy Hair, Carolivia uses the call and response technique which is commonly used in African American storytelling. It also includes song and thus is similar to the traditional African storytelling sessions where there was performance through song and dance. In the text, Uncle Mordecai sits down and tells a story to the family who also are part of the performance as they engage in responding. The call and response technique can be seen in the text as there is a line in standard type followed by another line in different type. The standard type of lines are the ones spoken by the storyteller who in this context is Mordecai. The indented lines in the text are for people answering back and hence are the response. Brenda’s “nappy” hair story is told by Uncle Mordecai, and the rest of the family joins in. Brenda’s story displays a strong heroine with a keen feeling of pride in her African background, filled with rich, figurative language and written in the rhythm of African American poetry and song (Herron, 1999). The family are positive as they celebrate Brenda’s curls with self- confidence and respect. Through the call and response style of African American story and song Nappy Hair showcases the character of Brenda whose family helps to appreciate her nappy hair.

Nappy Hair is a text which showcases how Brenda and her family take pride in their African history and heritage. Brenda is described to be having the kinkiest hair in the planet which was mad by God. The family celebrates her curls as they are arguably different as compared to the hair of other people. Mordecai describes that the hair cannot be exchanged with anything else thus showcasing that it’s unique and cannot be easily found. The story tries to describe how the African hair is beautiful. The text showcases the struggles of African identity in American society. A number of African Americans try to embrace their hair but find it hard to value the natural state of the hair. Most are struggling against what is considered beautiful and acceptable hair. In the story, the nappy hair is treated as unique and beautiful in a society that arguably doesn’t consider the hair to be beautiful. The context of nappy hair in the text is therefore surrounding and supporting Brenda as they understand the abuse which can be associated with having nappy hair (Herron, 1999). Arguably, Brenda’s hair is not considered beautiful in the society even though her family is supportive and embracing her African heritage.

The African American females in the society subjected themselves to referenced ideals of beauty which has been grounded on European standard. The story of nappy hair is told in the African American call and response style to showcase the connection between Brenda’s hair and African origin. Mordecai alludes on how Brenda was in Africa and came with the slaves to America thereby showing that the nappy hair is connected to Africans. The story is arguably on self- empowerment and esteem as many people with nappy hair couldn’t consider themselves beautiful or unique. In the story, Mordecai describes how God created nappy hair on Brenda and couldn’t let the angels talk him out of it. In this context, Mordecai tries to show Brenda that even God love and approves of her hair as she was specially created. The context of the story alludes to slavery and the African Americans who mostly had nappy hair and couldn’t conform to the European standards of beautiful hair. The text encompasses the themes of pride, family, cultural diversity and stereotypes in the society. The nappy hair is a stereotype as its associate with black people and also being considered ugly as compared to other types of hair. The book describes how the hair is hard to comb and has unique curls. However, it promotes a sense of pride and self since the family gets together to encourage Brenda. Her mother says “it’s your hair Brenda, take the cake and come back and get the plate”. Her mother tries to encourage her to embrace her unique hair as it belongs to her.

Racism and slavery are the most dominant themes in Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The text was written after slavery had been abolished in the United States but its setting was when slavery was legal. In the novel, there are families who are slave holders such as the Phelps family and the Grangerford family. The slave holders profit immensely from the business of slavery as the slaves are exploited, abused and oppressed. Jim while being taken in as a slave is forcefully taken away from his family leaving behind his wife and children. The stereotypes existent make the white slaveholders justify their inhumane treatments to the slaves. They hold on to the stereotype that the black people are inferior to the white people are more animal than human. Jim is suspected to have murdered Huck because he ran away from slavery as he was trying to be free and spend time with his family (Twain, 1985). Jim is simply taken to be the main suspect because he was black. It showcases the racial stereotyping which was common in the society before the abolition of slavery. Arguably, racial stereotyping takes place up to the present moment since the black lives matter movement was based on police brutality due to racial prejudice. Racial stereotyping reduced the black people as it considered them inferior to the white people in all ways and thus were seen to be less human.

Racism and harm that the slaveholders left on the slaves made them less human as compared to the slaves. They lost the art of understanding what is being human and they traded it for the sake of making a lot of wealth out of the business of slavery. Huck finds himself almost believing and involving himself in the racial stereotypes as he weighs upon turning Jim to the authorities for financial gain (Twain, 1985). After befriending him, he realizes that he is also human like everybody else and can be hurt or love too. He ends up choosing to defy his society for the sake of protecting Jim. In this instance, Huck realizes that slaves are people too who have feelings and families and hence don’t need to be mistreated. Racial stereotyping is common in the society. The novel showcases it through exposing how Jim was being treated for being a black person and a slave. The slaves lacked freedom which made them to be human and ironically it’s the slave holders who ended up being inhuman. It’s because they treated fellow humans as animals and a source of financial gain. The rules set to control the society are ridiculous and inhuman. Widow Douglas and Miss Watson ‘sivilize’ Huck by teaching him Christian values. The teachings make him lonely as they are hypocritical. 

The theme of hypocrisy is showcased in the novel as the judge grants Huck’s custody to his abusive father. Pap who is Huck’s father is a drunkard and a violent man yet the judge rules in favor of giving him custody yet he is a bad guardian. Pap doesn’t give Huck a chance to access education and abuses him regularly to the extent of imprisoning him in a cabin. Pap symbolizes the enslavement of black people which is being backed up by institutions. Sally Phelps showcases himself to be a good and upright man in the society yet he is a slaveholder who is racist and hypocritical. Hypocrisy is evidently showcased by the stereotyping and bias which was being enacted by the white people to the slaves in the society. It’s ironical that the white people prejudiced over the black folks and regarded them to be inhuman and inferior to them. The same white people who saw themselves to be better than the blacks were the ones who were inhuman as they treated slaves badly and denied them their basic rights. Additionally, the white people are hypocritical as they used slaves as a way of making money yet advocated on how black people were bad and inferior to them. Evidently, the white people treated slaves inhumanly and therefore ought to have taken the tag of being regarded as inhuman. The white people come to be showcased as not being holy nor civilized as they considered themselves to be.

Conclusion

The texts Nappy Hair and The Adventures of Huckleberry showcase racial stereotyping and biasness as the dominant themes. In Nappy Hair, the author uses the traditional storytelling methods to convey information about African Americans. Nappy hair is about trying to embrace the African culture and heritage through accepting the physical differences. The family tries to support Brenda who has nappy hair by encouraging her that it’s acceptable to be different as people have diverse backgrounds. Mark Twain on the other hand exposes the racial injustices, hypocrisy and stereotyping which was prevalent in the society. The text shows how the black people were treated as lesser humans and prejudiced over as they were considered inferior and inhuman. Nappy hair pushes Brenda into accepting her roots and African heritage which is evident in her hair. The Adventures of Huckleberry shows racism affected and divided the society during the times of slavery.

 

Topic Sentence #1: Twain creates a theme of equality in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in order to show that slavery is unjustified by showing that Jim can be just as intelligent as white people.

• Evidence: “‘But, Huck, dese kings o’ ourn is reglar rapscallions; dat’s jist what dey is; dey’s reglar rapscallions’” (Twain 153)
  • Explanation: In this quote, Jim is saying that the Duke and the King are just regular troublemakers. Jim is saying that the Duke and the King are not actually what they say they are. Although Jim is uneducated, he is smart enough to realize that the Duke and King are lying just so they are treated better. Jim is gullible and allows Huck to tell him that the Duke and King are are not imposters but that is not because he is dumb but instead because of how trusting he is.
  • Connection to what: This quote connects to the what because it shows that slavery is and was unjustified. The common belief during when the book took place was that all slaves were dumb and not capable of profound thought. White people thought that slavery was okay because they did not think of their slaves as humans; they did not see their slaves as equal to them because they thought their slaves were not as capable as them.
  • Connection to how: This quote connects to the how because it depicts Jim’s intelligence. Just as Huck is able to realize that the Duke and the King are fakers, Jim too realizes this. Jim is uneducated yet still able to see that the Duke and the King are playing him. This shows that Jim has the brains but just has not been taught. The only reason that Jim does not act on his suspicions of the Duke and the King is because he trusts and believes Huck, who he looks upon almost like a son.
• Evidence: “Some young birds come along, flying a yard or two at a time and lighting. Jim said it was a sign it was going to rain. He said it was a sign when young chickens flew that way, and so he reckoned it was the same way when young birds done it” (Twain 45)
  • Explanation: In this quote, Huck is saying that he saw some birds flying away. Huck then says that Jim said that it was going to rain because he saw the birds. Huck says that Jim saw chickens do this same thing once. Jim is applying his knowledge from past experiences in order to infer that it is going to rain. This shows that he is smart because he does end up being correct, as there is a big storm later.
  • Connection to what: This quote connects to the what because it again shows that slavery is unfounded. White people thought that slaves were all dumb. However, Jim proves that he is not dumb more than once despite being uneducated. This is one of those instances. Jim is able to apply past knowledge to make a prediction, which turns out to be true.
  • Connection to how: This quote connects to the how because it shows Jim’s intelligence. Jim sees the way birds are acting and knows that it is going to rain. It takes someone both smart and observant to notice something as small as the way a bird is flying and infer that a storm is coming. Jim ends up being right and saves both himself and Huck a lot of trouble.

Topic Sentence #2: Twain displays equality as a major theme in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to show that slavery is wrong by depicting Jim as capable of emotions, considerateness, and compassion.

• Evidence: “I went to sleep, and Jim didn’t call me when it was my turn. He often done that” (Twain 155)
  • Explanation: In this quote, Huck is talking about how Jim took Huck’s watch duty. In the night, either Jim or Huck had to keep watch to make sure that nothing happened to them. Jim usually took first watch and was supposed to wake up Huck when it was Huck’s turn so that he could get some sleep. However, Jim was nice enough to stay up the entire night watching to make sure that nothing happened. He did this multiple times in consideration of Huck.
  • Connection to what: This quote connects to the what because it shows that slavery is wrong. In the book, Huck said that he thought that separating families of slaves was okay because slaves were not capable of feeling. Huck, as well as many other contemporary people, thought that slavery was justified because of this. They thought of slaves as below human. Jim shows us that slaves were capable of emotion. Jim did not want Huck to have to stay up and keep watch, so he took Huck’s shift on top of his own. He is considerate and compassionate. Jim is a very good friend to Huck and disproves the belief that slaves couldn’t make emotional attachments.
  • Connection to how: The quote connects to the how because it shows that Jim is capable of love, sentiment, and consideration. Jim takes up Huck’s watch duty at the expense of himself. Jim is a very good friend to Huck and almost is like a father to him. Jim is certainly better at fathering Huck than Huck’s real father, Pap. Jim gets less sleep in order to let Huck get more sleep, which shows that he is capable of compassion.
• Evidence: “‘It’s a dead man. Yes, indeedy; naked, too. He’s ben shot in de back. I reck’n he’s ben dead two er three days. Come in, Huck, but doan’ look at his face—it’s too gashly’” (Twain 50)
  • Explanation: This quote is about when Jim and Huck enter a floating house. Jim sees Huck’s dad, Pap, dead. Jim does not allow Huck to see his dead dad because he does not want Huck to become sad. Jim covers up Pap and tells Huck not to look. He is being considerate and thinking about Huck, once again acting somewhat like a father figure.
  • Connection to what: This quote connects to the what because it shows slavery as unfounded again. As said before, white people of the time, including Huck, thought that black people did not have feelings. This was one of the bases of slavery. However, Jim shows that this belief was wrong. Jim goes out of his way in order to make sure that Huck does not have to go through the trauma that would be associated with him finding out that his father died.
  • Connection to how: This quote connects to the how because it shows Jim’s consideration and compassion. Jim covers up Pap’s body and tells Huck not to look at it because he does not want Huck to find out that his father died and become sad. He also does not want Huck to feel guilty for his father’s death since Huck left his father and allowed him to get blamed for his death. This act of Jim basically just shows that Jim is capable of caring about others.
• Evidence: “He was thinking about his wife and his children, away up yonder, and he was low and homesick; because he hadn’t ever been away from home before in his life…” (Twain 155)
  • Explanation: Huck is describing how Jim was constantly thinking about his family in this quote. Hucks says that whenever he woke up, he could usually hear Jim murmuring about his family. Jim really missed his family and wanted to go get them free.
  • Connection to what: This quote connects to the what because it shows that the belief that slaves cannot form emotional attachments is untrue. Therefore, slavery is unjustified and unfair. Huck says in the book that he thought it was weird that Jim cared about his family because he thought that slaves were not capable of love. Jim shows that this is 100% false. Everyday that Jim spends with Huck, Jim cannot keep talking about and thinking about his family. All Jim does is wish to see his family again and maybe even free them.
  • Connection to how: This quote connects to the how because it shows that Jim is capable of emotions. Jim keeps thinking about his family because he loves them sincerely. He murmurs about his family in his sleep because all he can think about is how badly they are being treated and how much he wants to free them.

Topic Sentence #3: Twain utilizes a theme of equality in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn so that he can show that slavery is unfair by having white people acknowledge Jim’s humanity.

• Evidence: “…I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their’n. It don’t seem natural, but I reckon it’s so” (Twain 155)
  • Explanation: In this quote, Huck is talking about how Jim cares about his family just as much as white people care about their families. Huck talks about how Jim, a slave, caring about his family is unnatural. Huck has been taught that slaves are subhuman and previously thought they could could not care for others. He realizes that this is not true because of Jim.
  • Connection to what: This quote connects to the what because it shows that slavery is baseless by showing through Jim that slaves can indeed have feelings for other people. As Huck says, he thought that slavery was okay because he thought that slaves did not have feelings and were therefore okay with what was happening to them. However, Jim shows an exception to this; all he can think about is his family.
  • Connection to how: This quote connects to the how because it has Huck, a white person, realizing that Jim is human. Huck realizes that just like white people, Jim cares about his family. In this way, Huck sees Jim as more of an equal.
• Evidence: “‘I mean every word I say, Aunt Sally, and if somebody don’t go, I’LL go. I’ve knowed him all his life, and so has Tom, there. Old Miss Watson died two months ago, and she was ashamed she ever was going to sell him down the river, and said so; and she set him free in her will’” (Twain 289)
  • Explanation: In this quote, Tom is talking about how Miss Watson freed Jim in her will. Miss Watson felt bad about thinking about selling Jim. She realized that she was wrong to even consider selling Jim after promising that she would not. She realized that Jim was a human being and, in consequence, gave him his freedom.
  • Connection to what: This quote connects to the what because it shows the unjustness of slavery. All Jim asked of Miss Watson was that she did not sell him. Jim did not want to be sold away because he wanted to stay near his family. Jim showed from this that he was capable of emotion. Also, Miss Watson freed Jim because she realized that slavery is wrong. She realized that she was treating Jim unfairly in a way that he did not deserve.
  • Connection to how: This quote connects to the how because it shows Miss Watson as realizing that Jim is human. Miss Watson set Jim free in her will because she realized that he did not deserve to be forced to be someone’s servant just because of the color of his skin. Although Miss Watson may not have shown it when she was alive, she did end up acknowledging that slaves and white people should coexist equally.
• Evidence: “So there I had to stick plumb until daylight this morning; and I never see a nigger that was a better nuss or faithfuller, and yet he was risking his freedom to do it, and was all tired out, too, and I see plain enough he’d been worked main hard lately. I liked the nigger for that…” (Twain 285)
  • Explanation: In this quote, the doctor is talking about how Jim risked his freedom to help save Tom’s life. Tom was shot while running away from his aunt’s house after they broke Jim out. Huck got a doctor to come help Jim. However, the doctor needed help. Jim was hiding but decided to come out and help Tom instead of running away. This shows Jim’s loyalty and compassion. The doctor says that he likes Jim for his selflessness.
  • Connection to what: This quote connects to the what because it shows that slavery is unjustified. As shown in the previous quote, white people thought that slaves did not have emotions. Jim shows this to be untrue. Jim could have just ran away and been free. Instead, he decided to give up his freedom in order to save Tom’s life. This shows that Jim is good, caring, and loyal, all of which are traits that people thought slaves could not have.
  • Connection to how: This quote connects to the how because the doctor, a white person, is complimenting Jim. The doctor says that he has never seen a black person that has been so selfless as Jim. The doctor defends Jim and says that he should not be punished. The doctor is basically attesting to the fact that Jim is capable of the same things as white people and is therefore human.
• “It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger; but I done it, and I warn’t ever sorry for it afterwards, neither. I didn’t do him no more mean tricks, and I wouldn’t done that one if I’d a knowed it would make him feel that way” (Twain 86)
  • Explanation: In this quote, Huck is talking about how he apologized to Jim. Huck almost died but managed to survive and returned to the raft. Huck crawled onto the raft when Jim was looking and then acted like nothing had ever happened as a joke. Eventually, Huck told Jim that it was a joke. This made Jim feel mad and disappointed because he seriously thought that Huck died. So, Huck apologized for making Jim feel this way. Huck talks about how it took him a while before he could get himself to apologize to Jim since Jim was a slave. After apologizing, Huck ends up becoming an equal to Jim.
  • Connection to what: This quote connects to the what because it shows the unjustness of slavery by showing Jim’s humanity. After Jim lost sight of Huck, Jim stopped caring about himself and could only think of Huck. This shows that Jim was capable of attachment. Also, Jim believes Huck’s joke, which shows that he is trusting and loyal. Slaves were generally thought to have neither of these qualities, which is why they were considered subhuman. Jim shows that slaves were actually just as human as white people and did not deserve to be treated how they were.
  • Connection to how: The quote connects to the how because it shows Huck treating Jim almost like an equal. Usually, white people did not do things like apologize to black people. They did not because they thought of themselves as superior and justified in mistreating their slaves. Huck, however, says sorry to Jim for joking about what happened. Huck basically shows that he respects Jim as a person and acknowledges that Jim is human.

Concluding Thoughts: Basically, Twain wrote The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in order to express his belief that slavery is wrong. Twain showed this belief by depicting Jim as smart, loyal, and compassionate. Jim shows that, although uneducated, he is intelligent multiple times. Some instances include when he predicts it will rain and when he sees the truth behind the Duke and the King. Jim also shows that he is a good person when he risks his freedom to help Tom and tries to shelter Huck from his father’s death. Lastly, Twain shows slavery as bad by having even white people acknowledge that Jim is human. Twain has Jim freed at the end of the book to get across that slavery is wrong. Slavery is an important issue in this world because caused the mistreatment of many people. Although slavery no longer exists, it stemmed from another problem which still exists today: discrimination. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn shows that people do not deserve to be treated differently because of how they look. Instead, people should be defined by their personality. Essentially, in today’s world, people are constantly stereotyped for things that they cannot control, and it needs to stop.

Works Cited

Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Bantam Books, 2003.

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