Huckleberry Finn: The Immorality of Racism The majority of people in American society believe that school systems should teach children that racism is morally wrong. Often, however, tensions build up over how to teach this important lesson. Unfortunately, there has been controversy surrounding the teaching of Huckleberry Finn. Although some believe that Mark Twains' novel perpetuates racist sentiments, Twain actually uses the characters to demonstrate the immorality of slavery. Miss Watson and Pap, the reprehensible objects of Twains' satire, demonstrate the racist views society has towards slaves. Slave Jim, who may appear stereotypically ignorant, actually represents the true goodness and humanity that society hinders with its racist views. Huck shares racist views about slaves until his friendship with Jim teaches him what Twain himself believes: that those whom society calls "niggers" deserve to be perceived as intelligent, honorable individuals. Huckleberry Finn should be incorporated into the curriculum of school systems because it is imperative that teachers instill the immorality of racism in the young people they teach. Most believe that Twain uses satire to portray the immorality of racism, however some assume that the common slanders in Huckleberry Finn are used to portray that Twain himself is a racist. It is also a common argument that the book should not be taught to students of certain ethnicities due to the harsh language used by Twain. Since The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a children's book and a prequel to Huckleberry Finn, many children may inadvertently pick up Huckleberry Finn believing that it is also a children's book. Twain, however, failed to… middle of paper… racism is immoral. Huckleberry Finn proves a statement suggested by T. S. Elliot, that Huck: "He has no imagination in the sense in which Tom Sawyer has it: instead he has vision. He sees the real world; and does not judge it: it allows him to judge." himself" (349). This quote also portrays Twain's point of view, similar to that of Huck, which may lead one to think that the character of Huck is taken from Twain's.Works CitedTwain, Mark.The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. 3rd ed. Thomas Cooley. New York: Norton, 1999.Eliot, TS "Introduction to the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." By Mark Twain. 3rd ed. Thomas Cooley. 1999. 348-354. Morrison, Toni. "This Remarkable and Disturbing Book." The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. 3rd ed. Thomas Cooley, 1999. 385-392.