Controversial in death as he was in life, Mark Twain has been critically accused by some as being a "racist writer." These critics believe his writing is insulting to the black readers of his books and deserves no place on today's bookshelves. Many others believe the previous idea is falsely believed. At several points in the novel, Jim's character is described to the reader as stupid and childlike, and some people have looked upon the characterization as racist. Believing that Twain is only racist toward the black people is incredibly farfetched. He is just as chauvinistic towards the white society in the novel. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the basis for all American literature. Without Huck Finn, America would have never been blessed with great pieces of literature from such people as Hemmingway. Ernest Hemmingway himself once stated that truth. That, among other reasons, is why The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, should not be banned from the high school curriculum.
             On a superficial level, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn can appear to be racist. The first time the reader meets Jim, a very negative description is given. The reader is told that Jim is illiterate, childlike, not intelligent, and extremely superstitious, "Jim always kept that five-center piece round his neck with a string, and said it was a charm the devil give to him with his own hands, and told him he could cure anybody with it and fetch witches whenever he wanted to just by saying something to it..." (8). However, it is important not to lose sight of who is giving this description and of whom it is being given. Although Huck is not a racist child, extremely racist individuals who have, even if only unintentional, ingrained some feelings of bigotry into his mind. This description is important to the novel, although the description is quite saddening. The characterization of Jim is presumably accurate about any slave during ...