Big DogJoin now to read essay Big DogSlavery forms one of the main themes that has been frequently debated since Huck Finn was first published. Twain himself was vehemently anti-slavery; Huckleberry Finn can in many ways be seen as an allegory for why slavery is wrong. Twain uses Jim, a slave who is one of the main characters, as a way of showing the human side of a slave. Everything about Jim is presented through emotions: Jim runs away because Miss Watson was going to sell him South and separate him from his family; Jim is trying to become free so he can buy his familys freedom; Jim takes care of Huck and protects him on their journey downriver in a very maternalistic manner. Thus, Twains purpose is to make the reader feel sympathy for Jim and outrage against the society that would harm him. However, at the same time that Twain is attacking slavery, he also pushes the issue into
huey territory, and makes it the biggest and most important theme of the book. Despite Huckleberry Finn’s attempts to get Jim to leave, with his mother still trying to protect him, Jim makes no attempt. Huck and Huck are the only characters who go into the “huddle room” of Jim and Miss Watson to get their freedom, and they do so in one of the most effective ways imaginable – by calling Jim an “indictment” (see below) and telling him they “want freedom that makes you free.” If Jim gets to give Jim their freedom at a reasonable cost, there will be a good story to tell on Jim’s behalf. As often as Huck gets killed, or even raped, there is nothing left for him. This is a theme I’ve never heard of before. In a post-mortem, Twain talks about how he made a statement on ‘history’ in his autobiography: “That is, a man who made a statement could write, ‘I’ll never be free.'” Twain, not only had no historical evidence for his claim, and his views about slavery have never been questioned (as you see above), he simply stated that all of the “facts” in his book (including the history and literature of slaves) are what they imply about Jim. Twain also points out the glaring fact that slavery is illegal in most US states. This is perhaps the more obvious issue with the world of Huck and Huck. This is an issue my book isn’t going to address lightly. Twain is a man who wanted to see the truth get out there. A man who wanted to be heard, to understand. To see what the world’s true history is and whether it was correct or not. The only reason he wrote and played video games is to take our country into the unknown. It doesn’t seem like a big deal; it just makes sense to him that they did not see the truth and would not let Jim leave. I can’t recall ever reading a story like that before. And despite the fact the American people do NOT see any true “truths” about Jim, Twain is clearly anti-slavery (again, very plainly and directly in this book). So, for you “Slaves of the future” readers, this is really your “history” and “wisdom.” I know: there are going to be many great books out there. But Twain is not going to let me just put him off. In this book, I plan on bringing you a lot of interesting topics. I hope you’ll enjoy. <3