Mark Twain's, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is one of the best-known American novels. It is said to be one of the greatest novels ever written, "A national epic" (Janows). Almost everyone knows the story of Huck, either by reading the novel, or hearing about it. And why is it so popular? Huck Finn is a classic "children's" story of adventure and friendship, as well as being the cause of tremendous controversy. The novel has been banned from classrooms and libraries nationwide because of its "racist" views and offensive writing. Many believe Twain was a racist because of the repetitive use of the word "nigger", and the stereotyping of slaves. Did Twain do this purposely? Did he support the ideas of slavery, or was he using the language and ideas to describe the era realistically? Julius Lester states, "Twain did not take slavery, therefore black people seriously" (Lester, 343). Though I can understand why Huck Finn may offend some, I believe Twain was opposed to slavery, and wrote this novel to make fun of the ignorance of racism. When I first read the novel, I thought it reinforced slavery. The word "nigger" was used so repeatedly, I was offended, and it seemed Huck saw himself superior to Jim because of his skin color. I obviously failed to read it carefully enough, though. After rereading it, the satire was clear. Justin Kaplan said, "It seems unlikely that anyone, of any color, who actually read 'Huckleberry Finn', instead of merely reading or hearing about it, and who allowed himself or hers
             even the barest minimum of intelligent response to its underlying spirit and attention, could accuse it of being 'racist' because some of its characters use offensive racial epithets. These characters belong to their place and time..." (Kaplan, 356). I agree fervently. When reading this novel, it is important to separat...