Huckleberry Finn--Slavery
Slavery in our society is usually thought of as physical. In Mark Twain's novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, there are many varied examples of slavery. Because Mark Twain's novel is set in the American 1840s, it reflects the points of view of individuals and society in this time, which differs greatly from now, the American 1990s. Three types of slavery that catch the reader's eye in Huckleberry Finn are psychological, biological, and moral. These forms can be either very subtle or very prominent throughout the novel, depending on one's point of view. Psychological slavery has to do with the mind. It can be interpreted in two different ways, as a kind of bondage induced by one's own mind, or as control shown over someone's mind by another person. This form of slavery digs deep into a person's psyche and changes them, for the better or the worse. In Huckleberry Finn, Huck is psychologically held by his drunken, abusive father, Pap. Pap is illiterate and oppressive and threatens to Huck that he will "take some of these frills out o' you before I'm done with you" (20) because he suspects Huck of putting on airs and thinking he is better than his father. Pap treats Huck very badly, but since he is Huck's father, Huck
Like Tom Sawyer, Jim is intelligent but his intelligence is not as intimidating or as imaginary as Tom's intelligence. When Jim thinks he is close to freedom he reveals his future plans for his family to Huck "saying how the first thing he would do when he got to a free state he would go on saving up money. "The Widow Douglas she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me; but it was rough living in the house all the time, considering how dismal regular and decent the widow was in all her ways; and so when I couldn't stand it no longer I lit out" (1). The reader can also see a bond and mutual respect develop between Huck and Jim almost to the point where Jim becomes a father figure to the boy. Overall, slavery is a controlling factor in people's lives, whether it's for the worse or the better. The Widow Douglas and Miss Watson try hard to conform him to their way of doing things, thinking that they are helping him. Jim, the African man whom Huck befriends in the novel, begins as being owned by the Widow Watson as a slave while his family belongs to other white families. He is, in fact, the moral center of the book that risks his freedom and his life for the sake of his friend Huck. " "I hain't got only a dollar, and I want that to--" "It don't make no difference what you want it for-- you just shell it out"(21). Although Mark Twain was white, he gives the slave Jim a certain dignity about him and leads the reader to develop a respect for him and see him as a human being. Many whites easily split up families and sold slaves because they did not believe that blacks were actual people with feelings and the right to live.
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Acceptance Essays
