Reading Reaction -- 8.28.09

[Ryan Browne]

Aside from the possibly narrow explanation that it is a historically
accurate rendering of his speech, why does Huck still use the term
“nigger” at novel’s end? That is to say, go beyond the attribution of
his use of "nigger" at novel's end as simply 'how people talked back
then' to find other possible reasons for Huck's use of the term. What
benefits might Huck derive from maintaining this racial distinction?
Please cite evidence from the text; failure to do so will result in no
credit. 250 words.

[Calan]

Huck uses the term “nigger” the entire novel. It is to no surprise
that he continues to use the term until the final adventure. Besides
the fact that back in this day nearly all southerners used this term
on a daily basis, it could be habit for Huck to continue to say
“nigger”. Huck has grown up hearing the term and has used it for all
thirteen years of his life. Another reason I believe Huck continually
uses the term is to help with his disguise. In chapter twenty one,
Huck is pretending to be Tom Sawyer, a relative of the Phelps family.
At the same time Huck is helping Jim escape Huck is also talking to
the family about Jim in a derogatory manner. Huck must continue to be
negative when referring to the black slaves. The scene that Huck is
waiting for the doctor to return with news about Toms gunshot wound
Uncle Silas finds “Tom” and returns him to the house. “Tom” talks
about Jim like he escaped and he has to disguise his true feelings
about Jim so the family does not catch on to Huck and his true plans
with Jim. “"Why, TOM! Where you been all this time, you rascal?""I
hain't been nowheres," I says, "only just hunting for the runaway
nigger — me and Sid."(285). I believe that is one reason Huck
continues to use the term “nigger”.

[Ali Smith]

Mark Twain uses the raft in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as a
symbolic literary device for freedom. On the raft the boys are equals,
their race does not matter, as they are able to be friends without the
worry of society. Once the boys are off the raft, Huck picks up his
derogatory terminology again. One has to wonder if Huck speaks so
lowly of Jim in public to protect Jim from being discovered. In
Chapter 32, Huck arrives at the Phelps’ farm disguised as Tom Sawyer
in order to rescue Jim and set him free. Huck explains to Sally Phelps
why it has taken him so long to arrive; "It warn't the grounding --
that didn't keep us back but a little. We blowed out a cylinder-head."
"Good gracious! anybody hurt?", Sally Phelps says.
"No'm. Killed a nigger."
"Well, it's lucky; because sometimes people do get hurt”, Sally says.
In this particular scene it seems like Huck is trying to disguise his
motives by speaking badly of blacks. Huck is also a young boy with a
very impressionable mind, all of his life he has seen how the African-
Americans are treated by the whites. The mere fact that Sally Phelps
says how lucky it was no one was hurt in the accident shows just how
cruelly black people were treated. Huck is able to see how society
treats the blacks with zero respect or value. Although Huck has grown
closer to Jim over their many adventures, one could say its pure habit
for Huck to act the way he does at the end of the novel.

[Kristen]

At first, I couldn't think of any other reason as to why Huck
would still use the term "nigger" besides it just being the accepted
word at the time. But when I read page 145 it made me think of a
different reason. Huck was thinking to himself and says, "It would
get all around, that Huck Finn helped a nigger to get his freedom; and
if I was to ever see anybody from that town again, I'd be ready to get
down and lick his boots for shame." While he may not totally accept
and go along with being civilized, I believe he comes into it just a
little when he makes this realization. I believe he also feels like
he owes it to the widow in a way because she's taken care of him and
put her reputation on the line for him and him doing this would only
stain her good name. "...when it hit me all of a sudden that here was
the plain hand of Providence slapping me in the face and letting me
know my wickedness was being watched all the time from up there in
heaven, whilst I was stealing a poor old woman's nigger that hadn't
ever done me no harm, and now was showing me there's One that's always
on the lookout, and ain't agoing to allow no such miserable doings to
go only just so fur and no further, I most dropped in my tracks I was
so scared." He was becoming embarrassed to be the one that helped a
slave escape. His saying nigger, I believe, just helps him try to
prove to himself that his name is still good. Because, even though he
says, "...Aunt Sally she's going to adopt me and sivilze me and I
can't stand it," I think he does care about some aspects of
"sivilization" as he calls it. "...I couldn't see no advantage in my
representing a prisoner..." He was even more surprised at Tom's
enthusiasm in helping Jim. "...Tom Sawyer was in earnest and was
actuly going to help steal that nigger out of slavery. That was the
thing that was too many for me. Here was a boy that was respectable,
and well brung up; and had a character to lose; and folks at home that
had characters; and he was bright and not leather-headed; and knowing
and not ignorant; and not mean, but kind; and yet here he was, without
any more pride, or rightness, or feeling than to stoop to this
business, and make himself a shame, and his family a shame, before
everybody."

[Katie]

Throughout our discussions in class, we learn about the
controversy Mark Twain is exposed to by writing the ‘ Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn’ . The main conflict is the amount of times the word
“nigger” is used during the novel. It has become a daily word for
everyday language for the white culture. I feel that Huck continues to
use the word throughout the novel because he is not ready to leave his
culture. Though it is part of the normal language, if Huck were to say
a black man, people would start to question his morality and purpose
of his life. During the novel when Huck meets Tom’s Aunt, he tells
Aunt Sally “ No’m. Killed a Nigger” ( pg 251)about a steam boat
accident. I think she would have judged him differently if he said “
no mam. killed a black man”. As I was reading I tried to evaluate this
question really hard but, I found it more difficult because Huck wants
Jim to be free and would go to “hell” for his freedom. Towards the end
of the novel things become confusing. I wasn’t sure if Huck really was
willing to give up his reputation for Jims’ freedom. After seeing how
Tom even betrayed everyone I feel that Huck leaves the novel not able
to trust society. Huck states “Tom Sawyer had gone and took all that
trouble and bother to set a free nigger free!” (pg 292) This quote to
me shows that Huck is in disbelief and fears he might as well just
live his life instead of being concerned about other people, therefore
the word “nigger” is indifferent.

[Kristofer Khoury]

Huck uses the term "nigger" because at the time black people were
referred to as "niggers." It is not suprprising for someone of Huck's
character to use this term. He knows what he knows and he heard it a
lot growing up in his childhood. He never knew it was wrong to say.
His love and affection for Jim helps oversee his frequent use of this
term. In the story of Hucklberry Finn Huck considers Jim a true
friend. He would never think twice about calling Jim a black person
because that is not what he is used to. Huck is used to his culture
The meaning at the time seems different than today. Twain is
making a point having Huck use the term "nigger" so much. It's like he
wants the reader to think less of the word because it is over used.
When meeting Jim at first is it read that Jim is somewhat lesser than
Huck, it turns out that Huck learns a lot from being with Jim. Huck
considers Jim as a positive role model proving his benefits from being
around Jim. Huck admits in the story that Jim "had an uncommon level
head for a nigger." If people were to look past the black and white
picture here then it is clearly a quote of acceptance.

[John]

The reason Huck continues to refer to Jim as a nigger is to cover
himself. If people realized that he and Jim were friends then they
would be able to deduce that Huck was helping Jim escape. He had to
continue calling Jim that for an alibi. He could say whatever he
wanted when they were on the raft but whenever they hit the shore and
came up on people Huck had to play the part and pretend that they
weren't friends. Even at the very end when Tom spills the beans he
makes like it's nothing to do with Jim himself but that he just wanted
an adventure,

"'Then what on earth did you want to set him free for, seeing he was
already free?' 'Well, that is a question, I must say; and just like
women! Why, I wanted the adventure of it; and I'd a waded neck-deep
in blood to - goodness alive, Aunt Polly!'"

There definitely is some habit and cultural reasons for why Huck
continues to refer to Jim as a nigger but he also intentionally does
it for appearances so that nobody will be suspicious of him.

[vsjackson]

Throughout the novel Huck continues to use the term “nigger.” Huck has
grown up in a rural town in Missouri and is accustomed to hearing and
using the term. The novel takes place in the 1840, when people could
still own slaves. Black people were not considered human in those
times and did not receive respect from the white people who that
worked for. Huck does not know the difference and continues to call
Jim a “nigger” even after they have become friends during their time
together on the Mississippi river.
I also believe that Huck continues to use the derogatory term because
he knows that he is helping a run away slave and he knows that if he
is caught he will suffer serious consequences. He calls Jim a nigger
because he realizes that there is no power distribution while they are
on the raft together. Huck may use this term to make him feel like he
has authority over Jim, even though he does not. Huck also calls Jim a
nigger to protect himself as well as Jim. He does not want anyone to
know he is helping runaway slave and he also does not want Jim to get
caught. When Tom tells Huck that he wants to help “steal” Jim back
Huck is very surprised and says “Tom Sawyer was in earnest and was
actuly going to help steal a nigger out of slavery.” This shows that
Huck does know it is a derogatory term but still uses it and he knows
that helping Jim escape is unacceptable to society because he is
shocked when Tom tells him he wants to help.

[vsjackson]

Throughout the novel Huck continues to use the term “nigger.” Huck has
grown up in a rural town in Missouri and is accustomed to hearing and
using the term. The novel takes place in the 1840, when people could
still own slaves. Black people were not considered human in those
times and did not receive respect from the white people who that
worked for. Huck does not know the difference and continues to call
Jim a “nigger” even after they have become friends during their time
together on the Mississippi river.
I also believe that Huck continues to use the derogatory term because
he knows that he is helping a run away slave and he knows that if he
is caught he will suffer serious consequences. He calls Jim a nigger
because he realizes that there is no power distribution while they are
on the raft together. Huck may use this term to make him feel like he
has authority over Jim, even though he does not. Huck also calls Jim a
nigger to protect himself as well as Jim. He does not want anyone to
know he is helping runaway slave and he also does not want Jim to get
caught. When Tom tells Huck that he wants to help “steal” Jim back
Huck is very surprised and says “Tom Sawyer was in earnest and was
actuly going to help steal a nigger out of slavery.” This shows that
Huck does know it is a derogatory term but still uses it and he knows
that helping Jim escape is unacceptable to society because he is
shocked when Tom tells him he wants to help.

[mikecb122]

Huck Finn, like most every other southerner at the time this story was
written, found it very normal to use the word "nigger" in every day
conversation. While we can look at it now as ignorant and racist, at
the time being a racist, espically in the south, was almost a
necessity. Southerners felt very strongly that blacks were less than
human and that they had the right to treat them any way they wanted.
Many critics of Mark Twain say that he used the word "nigger" too
freely , and that he himself was a racist. That may very well be the
case, but the fact is, without the use of this word, Huck Finn would
have never became an iconic figure in literature. When trying to
decide why Huck still chose to use this word at the end of the book,
one could choose to see it in two different ways. The easy answer is
simply that Huck, like every other southerner at the time, was a
racist at heart and thought of himself as being better than blacks.
Hucks action told another story all together. For example, Huck
refused to tell slave hunters where Jim was hiding and said "he would
rather go to hell", this alone showed that he saw Jim as a true
friend. I think the most convincing example of Huck seeing Jim as a
friend is how he reacted over Jims children belonging to a slave
owner. He encouraged Jim to go after them even when Jim thought it was
a bad idea. The fact that he went against that idea that a someone
could be owned by another person, showed how far Huck had come
personally. I think Huck continued to use the word "nigger" in order
make it less obvious that he and Jim were friends so that he could
continue to be close to him and help him.

[Matt Rotenstreich]

Matt Rotenstreich
Reading Response
8/27/09

Throughout the novel Huck continues the use of the word “nigger.”
There are many reasons for Huck’s disregard for social educate. The
most important reason is that Huck was never taught any better. He has
no real adult figure in his life besides Jim to teach him right from
wrong. Also in the time the book was written, slaves were very common
especially in the area where the book takes place. Because of these
surrounding, it would have been ok for Huck to use this awful term.
Another way to look at is to look at the story and notice that Huck is
saving a slave, which is a huge crime at this time. He may use the
word in front of bystanders so they don’t think that Huck is trying to
cover for Jim or protect him. In the story Huck is talking to himself,
thinking about what the consequences would be to be caught aiding a
runaway slave. He refers to Jim as a “nigger” because this is what has
been taught to him throughout his life. He has learned that “niggers”
are slaves, and that the ones who runaway should be beaten or killed.
Although he uses the term I don’t think Huck means to say it most of
the time as a bad term. I think that is just how he refers to Jim and
doesn’t know any better. Jim and Huck are friends and I don’t think
that Huck would want to hurt Jim or his feelings in anyway.

[cjrogers]

Huck uses the term "nigger" at the end of the novel not just because
it was a commonly accepted term, but it helped Jim get by. When the
Duke and King inquire about Jim, Huck interacts with them and uses the
word nigger because it makes it more believable that Jim is a slave
and not a run away. If he was to just call him a friend or something
of that nature, it would raise questions amongst the local populus and
Jim would be discovered and arrested. When they are alone on the raft,
which is a symbol of a social "utopia" where evryone i just as good as
anyone else,Huck never refers to Jim in a disrespectful way, but when
in public it is almost necessary in order to protect their ultimate
goal. The raft represents an equal society and that is why Huck shows
a lot of respect for Jim but off the raft Huck needs to maintain their
cover and he does this by talking and referring to people a the locals
do. The raft is the freedom that both Jim and Huck were looking for.
There is no social order or classes, everyone is on the same playing
field and generally respectful of one another. Huck says that Jim "had
an uncommon level head for a nigger" It is just how Huck talks. He was
born in the south and at the time that was the term to use, it was not
considered to be anything bad. If Huck went against the status quo,
they would have been comprimised. He calls Jim a "nigger" at the end
of the book because no matter what, in any society, people are always
looking for acceptance, so he goes back to his old ways of saying that
because of the environment he is surrounded by. But ultimately, Huck
uses the word "nigger" because he doesn't want to jeopardize his or
Jim's plans.

[Tracey]

Huck uses the term "nigger" to refer to black people throughout the
novel, but Huck isn't a person, he's a character. He still uses the
term "nigger" at the end of the novel because Twain feels that society
still sees African Americans as "niggers," and Twain is writing the
script this time. Remembering that Huck is a proxy for his author's
thoughts and ideas drives me to this conclusion. However, Twain uses
Huck to prove another point about society. No matter how much Huck
would like to run away from society, he can't. That isn't how the
world works. He can form his own opinions and listen to his
conscience, but societal constrains follow wherever he runs. Huck is
driven by practicality, and life on a raft just isn't practical. Huck
becomes frustrated with his conscience in Chapter 13 where he says,
"But that's always the way; it don't make no difference whether you do
right or wrong, a person's conscience ain't got no sense, and just
goes for him anyway. If I had a yaller dog that didn't know more than
a person's conscience does, I would pison him. It takes up more room
than all the rest of a person's insides, and yet ain't no good,
nohow." Here, Huck shows just how torn and conflicted between
society's way of doing things and his own way. Huck makes up his mind
to help Jim no matter the outcome in Chapter 16 when he tears up the
letter he had written to Miss Watson to turn Jim in. He says, "All
right then, I'll go to hell." Even though he has taken a stand, it's a
personal stand. I believe Huck feels that he must have a way into
society, whether he cares for it or not, and he does this by keeping
the word "nigger" in his vocabulary and fresh on his tongue. In this
way, he has somewhere to turn if his plans don't turn out the way he
hopes. Tom Sawyer uses the word, so it must be acceptable for Huck
too. At the end of the novel, on page 294, Huck decides to "light out
for the Territory ahead of the rest" because Sally plans to adopt and
civilize him and he "can't stand it." Huck can't stand society because
Twain can't handle society. It's too constricted; it's broken.

[Luke]

Huck uses the term “nigger” for obvious reasons. Knowing his
background and how he’s adapted to society around him growing up, the
term was just a part of everyday life and how, like any young boy, has
heard the term being used and directed to. I think Huck was
knowledgeable enough to continue to use “nigger” to help himself and
Jim get through all the run-ins with the people trying to take Jim
back into slavery. Huck disguises Jim as his own property to the Duke
and King when they ask if he’s a runaway “nigger” (Chapter 20). He
realizes that on the raft, they are two friends where race has no
barring and could maintain equality without the negativity influence
of society. Off the raft, he has to fit with society’s “normal” ways
to protect them both from harm and to secure Jim’s path to freedom.
Huck saw Jim in a different light as their friendship developed, and
Huck realized how much Jim became a positive role model as he matured
into his “civilized” role back home. At times Huck felt guilty helping
Jim because he felt he was dishonoring Miss Watson for her sacrifice
of taking him in and making him a part of the community, which was one
of the first signs that showed that Huck actually cared about how he
could be perceived for helping a “nigger”.
In order to help Jim escape from captivity at the Phelps farm, Huck
plays the fake “Tom Sawyer” and benefits from it tremendously. When
the real Tom Sawyer shows, Huck confronts to Tom his loyalty to Jim.
“I know what you’ll say. You’ll say it’s dirty low-down business; but
what if it is? I’m low down; and I’m agoing to steal him, and I want
you to keep mum and not let on. Will you? (Ch, 33 p. 254). Huck hides
his feelings and beliefs for sake of protecting himself and free Jim.
He establishes his true mark being above his own society as a whole by
acknowledging the true morals of equality among race.

[Tricia]

Even though Huck becomes friends with Jim and there is not societal
hierarchy on the raft, Huck still uses the n word to maintain racial
distinction. Benefits of this distinction are ensuring Huck’s
reputation and making sure people do not think that he is a “full
blown abolitionist.” Jim is a special case for Huck and his opinion
still does not apply to the entire black race. “I never seen a nigger
that was a better nuss of faithfuller, and yet he was resking his
freedom to do it…[Jim] is worth a thousand dollars.” Huck only refers
to Jim as a slave, nigger, or not by his name when he is in the
presence of others. As a child he is still vulnerable and can get in a
lot of trouble for not only himself being a runaway , but also for
Jim. Keeping the racial distinction helps separate his crime and Jim’s
crime of fleeing home. When Huck is constantly reminding society that
Jim is black he is also reminding them that Jim’s crime is worse than
his own. Also subconsciously he is trying to reassure himself of his
own decision to fake his death and leave, if Jim has “free will” to
run around than so does Huck. It is used as a rationalization tool and
a comfort to know that if caught someone will take more of a brute of
the heat than he will. Although Huck tries to at times appear
fearless, he is still a boy that fears authority.

On Aug 27, 9:03 am, Ryan Browne <ryan.j.bro...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Michael]

Michael Patrick
Reading Reaction 8.28.09
Mark Twain- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Mark Twain as a writer and social activist always has some agenda
whether in diction or in plot. He throughout The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn develops this relationship between Huck Finn and Jim;
however, Huck continues to refer to Jim as a “nigger.” The question
therein is “Why?”

As the story develops, so does the complexity within Huck and Jim’s
relationship. Huck and Jim become legitimate friends as the story
develops and the plot continues to move forward. The friendship allows
them to confide in one another and rely on each other as well, but
Twain insists on Huck continuing to use the word “nigger.” The
explanation that I see in this is as follows: Twain is using Huck to
demonstrate the South’s perception of African Americans even post the
American Civil War. Huck shows how southern persons believed that even
though they were equals (on the raft) he still felt somewhat superior.
His use of this derogatory term gives him credibility with other white
people and gives him a small sense of power over Jim. Too, this shows
that just because you have one black friend that does not in anyway
make you open-minded or not racist.

Another reason could be that Twain wishes to use Huck’s use of the
word “nigger” to show the difficulty the nation was going to face in
building race relations even after slaves were freed.

On Aug 27, 9:03 am, Ryan Browne <ryan.j.bro...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Laura Pope]

The reason why Huck still uses the term "nigger" even when refferring
to his friend Jim, is because yes, at the time it was a commonly used
word, but also I think it would have been socially unacceptable not to
refer to black people as niggers at the time. Huck was slightly weary
about what people would think of him for running around helping a
black man escape in the first place, but then to have respect for the
man as well, I think was just pushing the limit too much for Huck. As
much as he wanted to help Jim, he seemed to have kept thoughts of what
people back home would think of what he was doing, in the back of his
mind throughout the course of his journey with Jim. The section that
was alluded to last class about how Huck thought to himself how he
couldn't help but feel bad for helping Jim escape is a perfect example
of this. It was almost as if Huck felt like he was betraying his
people back home by helping not just any black man, but one of their
own slaves, to escape. Another reason Huck may have continued using
the word nigger is so that it wouldn't seem as suspicious that they
were traveling together. Calling Jim "nigger" even to his face,
probably made it more believable that Jim really was a slave of Huck's
family, and not a friend of his. Another observation is that Twain
could be having Huck continue to refer to Jim as a nigger so that the
few times he does refer to Jim as a man and not a nigger, it seems
very meaningful. For example, after Jim is treated by the doctor, Huck
says that he was glad the doctor saw that Jim was a good man, just as
he did himself. I think that Twain saves opportunities like this one,
where it shows almost a turning point in people's attitudes, by
continuing to have Jim be referred to as a nigger except in certain
parts.

On Aug 27, 9:03 am, Ryan Browne <ryan.j.bro...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Brittani Boice]

Throughout the entire novel, Huck uses the term “nigger” to refer to
Jim and other African Americans. I think that the most obvious reason
that Huck uses this term so much is due to the fact that everyone else
in his life and the society in which he lives uses this word to
describe African Americans too. I would assume that Huck probably
does not even know that the word is degrading but rather just the
common name for African Americans. Aside from the fact that the word
“nigger” is just part of the common language of the time, there is
also another reason that Huck uses the word even towards the end of
the novel. It could be that Huck does not want it to be discovered
that Jim is a runaway slave and by calling Jim “nigger” in public, it
would show that Jim probably belongs to Huck and would not draw
suspicion to them. On the raft, Jim and Huck are free to treat each
other as equals and Huck does not have to conform to the mold of
racial inequality that his society has created. However, this freedom
is not there once Huck and Jim step foot in a town and they must go
back to acting their expected roles in society. There is a scene in
the book when Huck is pretending to be Tom Sawyer and is telling Sally
about a boat accident and uses the word “nigger” in his story. He
could have used this word just because it is part of his everyday
jargon or because it would seem strange to refer to a “nigger” as an
African American and could create a greater risk of him and Jim being
caught.

[courtney]

In this book the word "nigger" is used a lot. Just like it is a common
thing to say. Huck along with all of the other characters use this
term. I guess to them it might not seem so offensive.  On page 248
Huck talks to the Duke and tells him that he wants his "nigger" back.
To me it seems that Huck likes Jim pretty well. Yet he still feels
comfortable calling him this term. Maybe he knows that Jim is not
offended by it. There is also the possibility that he does not want
these people to know that he and Jim are so close. He might want them
to think that Jim is just a slave. Then also on page 253 when Huck is
trying to get Jim back he tells them that there is a nigger that he
wants to get out of slavery then he tells them that his name is Jim.
Huck really seems to try to protect him. He just wants to fit in with
everybody and act like he feels the same way toward slaves. He doesn’t
want these people to know that he and Jim are friends. As long as Huck
continues to use the term “nigger” he will not lead anyone to be
suspicious. He will still be able to get help from other people. That
is some of the benefits. He will get along with the other people too.
I’m sure that there are words we use today that would have been
considered to be offensive if they were used back then.

[Matt]

Matt Kirkpatrick

Huck uses the word nigger all throughout the novel, despite the fact
that he knows Jim to be a good man. For example, after Tom has been
shot in the leg and Jim and Huck are desperately trying to figure out
what to do, it is Jim who steps up to say that there is no way we are
going to let this boy die. After that moment Huck thinks to himself,”
I knowed he was white inside, and I reckoned he’d say what he did
say.” Huck finally begins to see the good in Jim, and that slavery is
not a good and fair thing. The disturbing part about this is that he
believes that only thing that makes Jim good is the fact that he is
white on the inside. Huck thinks the only way he could ever be a good
person is if he was not totally black, but if he a had a little bit of
white on the inside. Huck is still to young to understand that the
color of the skin is not what makes the man, but it is the heart that
makes the man. I also do believe that he also used the term to
protect Jim in a sense. For example when Huck is waiting for the
results from the doctor about Tom’s leg, he is mistaken for Tom.
Uncle Silas says,” Why, Tom! Where you been, all this time, you
rascal?” Huck says,” I hain’t been nowheres, only just hunting for
the runaway nigger.” I think uses the term “nigger” to make sure that
no one will catch on to him, and to protect Jim’s freedom.

On Aug 27, 9:03 am, Ryan Browne <ryan.j.bro...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Michael Bodkin]

Throughout the novel Huck uses the term nigger to refer to someone as
being of African American decent. I believe when Mark Twain wrote
this novel the term nigger was used very commonly and most people
didn’t really think of it being a bad thing to say because everyone
said it. Twain may have used the work nigger at the end of the novel
because he was against slavery and racism and he is trying to show
people how badly the word is used and that an African American can be
a good person and could be just as smart as a Caucasion person if he
or she was brought us the same way. I think Twain may have also just
used the word nigger in ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Fin’ because it was
very appropriate for the novel and for the time period he was in Huck
probably doesn’t even realize nigger is a derogatory term. The word
nigger was used so much back then without any thought of what it could
mean or stand for by some people. . Huck grew up his whole life
hearing the term nigger used so of course he would use it too. There
is a part in the novel when Huck covers for Jim saying that Jim is his
family slave that’s showing that when they are not on the raft that
can’t act like they are equal or like they are friends because they
don’t want to get caught. He uses the word at the end of the novel
because he has to act like Jim is beneath him in public so that it
will not be suspicious and so people will not know he is a runaway
slave.

[Tanner Logan]

Huck still uses this term at the end of the novel for his own self
satisfaction. He is not using the term in a sense of “that’s how
everyone talked back then.” Aside from that he is using it in a way to
make himself a little higher up on the class scale than Jim. Huck
knows that once the whole runaway experience is over with that Jim
will somewhat leap into a higher category than Huck. Huck was born
into a life of misery with a broken home and a slightly hobo
lifestyle. Jim is just a slave, that can easily be changed without
very many “side affects” if you would. Jim is even somewhat smarter
than Huck, that only coming with the age difference. Huck seems to
know this and is slightly frightened by this fact. So he uses the term
as a way to strike back at Jim. It makes himself feel better about the
outcome that might happen. Twain seems to try and make Huck use this
term every time in a slightly rude way. Like when Huck says "had an
uncommon level head, for a nigger (chapter 14).” He is saying this
with a somewhat rude intention and I think it makes him feel better
about himself and his own intelligence. That is why Huck still uses
the term in the end of the book. He has progressed further in life and
knows that it is morally wrong and was created by everyone else. He
knows it is not supposed to be like this but it keeps him in check..