Many critics think that Huckleberry Finn is a racist novel, and schools have gone as far as banning the novel. They base this view on the fact that the word "nigger" is used often, and they believe black people are portrayed in a degrading and humiliating manner that portrays them as being inferior to whites. Contrary to this view, Huckleberry Finn is not a racist novel. Mark Twain actually attacks racism by using satire from the lifestyles of white people. In addition, Twain uses the lifestyles of African Americans to
             demonstrate their true humanity. Huckleberry Finn was cleverly written in an attempt to influence society's stereotype of how a black person was viewed, and is intended for people to see that everyone is created equal no matter what color.
             Twain portrays white characters as foolish, insipid people throughout Huck's adventure down the Mississippi River. Satirizing of the white people is effectively seen in the characters of the king and duke. Twain mocks the king and duke as soon as they are first introduced in the novel. Their appearance gives the reader an unfavorable impression of the two from the start. The king is described as having "an old battered-up slouch hat on, and a greasy blue woolen shirt, and ragged old blue jean britches stuffed into his boot tops" (91). The duke is described as much of the same. This first impression makes the reader feel as if these men are scum and that it is not worth having a good impression of them. As they continue down the river, the duke and king are constantly being portrayed as low lives. These two unsavory characters scam innocent people constantly, and feel no guilt for their wrongdoings. "I say to myself, this is a girl that I'm letting that old reptile rob her of her money" (132). In this situation, Huck is referring to when the king and duke are pretending to be uncles of a family that just recently lost their father. Th...