The Wrong Lens

Even the bravest heroes and most brilliant minds in history conformed humanity. Capable of sin, humans will always have something target of critic, both as a group and as individuals. Mark Twain is no exception. Our character is shaped out of everything that senses encompass. If society labels something as “evil” we will forever take it as such, even if it might have been heroic had society chosen so. Highlighting the positives serves no purpose. If we are to comprehend and study Mark Twain we must embrace his every particularity.

There have been, and still are, societies in which the concept of a single man courting various women is not only tolerated, but praised. In fact, great historical figures ranging from military geniuses to exemplary leaders fall into this category. Should that make them less heroic? The question is not whether Mark Twain experienced influence and even inspiration from minstrel shows, but how important this might be. Does it really matter? Will it change the way we perceive his novel? Is it really such a surprise? All forms of art are ultimately a representation of reality and our understanding of such, including writing. If, in writing a novel heavily reliant on historical data, Mark Twain embraced an already existent representation of the communication that goes on between certain individuals, should that be looked down upon?

In The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn Twain demonstrated a clear opposition to slavery and racism. He narrates a story of liberty and depicts the friendship between a white boy and a black slave. In making the reality clearer through language, he even makes our opposition to racism stronger as we connect with Jim on an emotional level. At the end “they all agreed that Jim had acted very well, and was deserving to have some notice took of it, and reward.” We accompany Jim through his troubles only to discover an exemplary person and true friend in him. Twain exposes the character’s ignorance as his strength for in it he irradiates trust. Unlike a minstrel show, the novel concludes in a heightening of a black individual as a result of his condition.

Mark twain is not a racist, and he did not intend to mock a respectable group of people. Far from it, he acknowledged them as equals in the conditions of a friendship. Many things add up as influence in the resulting piece, but if we must resent the responsible consider history and those who enforced it. Mak Twain accepted a reality and masterfully put it on paper for those to come, for those of us with the bliss of having had society say no to “racism” as it shaped our character.