Many people in the mid-1800s believed that whites were naturally superior to blacks. When Mark Twain first published his novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and even until this day, people argue about whether the novel supports or attacks this white supremacist attitude. Twain uses white racism in the book to more effectively and accurately portray the mindset of the white racist culture of the south. He expects the readers to understand that, and realize that he is actually attacking white racists. .
One reason that people consider The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn a racist novel is because of the use of the word "nigger". This was not racist at the time it was being used, though. During the mid-1800s, the word "nigger" was commonly used as the words "black" or "African-American" are commonly used now. Even when Jack is helping Jim in the woods, Jim says, "Dat Jack's a good nigger, en pooty smart" (p. 124). Jim was not trying to be racist to him and all the other black people, he was just using "nigger" in place of, say "person". The usage of black dialect is not put in the novel to be racist, either. Twain even explains in the "explanatory" at the beginning of the book that he's not making these dialects up, he is merely representing the way these people talked. The dialect and "nigger" did not hold racist values when they were being said, but came to incorporate racist meanings later. When somebody says "nigger" in 2003, it is a much more racist comment than it was said in 1850. .
Huck's personality and character proves this novel does not support racism. Huck was brought up to believe that blacks are inferior to whites and should never have any rights. Pap epitomizes the way Huck was raised when he goes on his rant about the government. He is angry because a black man was voting, and Pap's response is " when they told me there was a state in this country where they"d let that nigger vote, I drawed out.
