Is Huck Racist?

A big question throughout this novel is whether or not Huckleberry Finn is a racist. It is a difficult question because of his actions towards Jim and then his actions towards all other African Americans. Many would say he is not a racist because that is how everyone was in his society during that time period and that is how he was raised. Even if Huck was raised to think less of blacks and he couldn’t help it that does not mean he is not a racist. A racist is a person who thinks someone from a different race is inferior to another. “ It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger; but I done it, and I warn’t ever sorry for it afterward, neither” ( Twain 89). This is what Huck said to himself after he played a mean joke on Jim and realized he had to apologize. It is obvious that he thinks less of African Americans since he almost wasn’t even able to apologize. Huck would have been able to apologize much easier if it was a white person. But because it was Jim and he is black he had to humble himself to be down on the same level as him which shows his racist thoughts. Even though Huck was born into that society and it influenced his thoughts and he didn’t have control over what he was brought into he is still a racist.

Huck could still be considered a racist even if he is kind to Jim. He thought of Jim to be an exception to black people which shows that he thought less of them all as a group.  “He was thinking about his wife and his children, away up yonder, and he was low and homesick;  because he hadn’t ever been away from home before in his life;  and I do believe he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their’n . It don’t seem natural, but I reckon it’s so” (Twain153). Huck found Jim moaning and crying upset one night because he was homesick and missed his family. Huck was very surprised by this.  Huck thought that only white people loved their families but this showed Huck that Jim even though he was black could love his family just as much as a white man does. He thought it would be impossible for a black man to have feelings or care about something like a white man does. Huck also thought of blacks to be unintelligent and worth less than himself. These thoughts of his match the definition of a racist perfectly. One could argue that Huck isn’t a racist because of his love and compassion for Jim but he is only one African American and Huck still thinks of all others as not having the same ability to do things as him and inferior in society.