There is a major argument among literary critics whether
             Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, is or is not a racist novel. The
             question boils down to the depiction of Jim, the black slave, and to
             the way he is treated by Huck and other characters. The use of the
             word "nigger" is also a point raised by some critics, who feel that
             Twain uses the word too much and too loosely.
             Mark Twain never presents Jim in a negative light. He does not
             show Jim as a drunkard, as a mean person or as a cheat. This is in
             contrast to the way Huck's (white) father is depicted, whom Twain
             describes using all of the above characterizations and more. We see
             Jim as a good friend, a man devoted to his family and loyal to his
             He is, however, very naive and superstitious. Some critics say
             that Twain is implying that all blacks have these qualities. When Jim
             turns to his magic hairball for answers about the future, we see that
             he does believe in some foolish things. But all the same, he is
             visited by both blacks and whites to use the hairball's powers. This
             type of naivete was abundant at the time and found among all races-the
             result of a lack of proper education. So the depiction of Jim is not
             negative in the sense that Jim is stupid and inferior, and in this
             aspect of the story clearly there is no racism intended.
             It is next necessary to analyze the way white characters treat Jim
             throughout the book. Note that what the author felt is not the way
             most characters act around Jim, and his feelings are probably only
             shown through Huck. In the South during that period, black people were
             treated as less than humans, and Twain needed to portray this. The
             examples of the way Jim is denigrated: by being locked up, having to
             hide his face in the daytime and how he is generally derided, are
             necessary for historical accuracy. So, Mark Twain had to display Jim's
             treatment in this man...