The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not a racist novel, nor was Mark Twain a racist author. The novel was written as a satire on slavery and racism, which raised social awareness; it is considered by many to be one of the greatest American novels. Since it was first published in 1884, the story has caused much controversy for mixed reasons, including the use of racial slurs, and accusations that Mark Twain was a racist.
             Most of this controversy stems from Twain's frequent use of the word "nigger" when referring to black slaves, including one of the main characters, Jim. Today, that term is considered a seriously offensive racial slur, but during the time period in which the novel was written, the term was most frequently used to describe African Americans. Since The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is set in the South before the Civil War, it would have been inaccurate to use terms that are now considered politically correct. The use of the term "nigger" was also used for effect. One of the devices Twain applied to call attention to the immorality of slavery was the use of an innocent child to narrate the novel. Especially today, hearing such words come from a child is distressing enough to drive home the point that racism and slavery should have never occurred.
             Some people also take issue with the ways in which Jim's character was portrayed. Jim was a black man; a runaway slave who is comical and uneducated. His somewhat childlike and silly behavior is a common trait of characters in satirical literature, and many of Twain's white characters, who are neither sophisticated nor intelligent, are a literary exaggeration of what was then a contemporary likeness to those who lived in the American South. Unlike most of the fiction written before it, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn contains a character who was a black slave. Jim had emotions, a family, a sense of purpose (arguably, taking care of Huck), and hopes for freedom. Unl...