The Black Huck

When I started reading the book I thought for some reason that Huck was black. Whether the influence of the media or simply an unjustified hunch gave me false prejudice, at least, during the first few pages I really believed he was black. The examples are simply too many two quote. In fact, Huck is the narrator of the book and therefore, he sets the tone. Somehow though, making Huck black would not affect the book’s tone over all. Although Jim’s speech seems to be representative of how Black people talk in the book, I can not find a reason why Huck’s speech can not represent a black person despite their inferior education at the time.

Clearly, to give that innocent yet satirical voice to the story, it needed Huck as a white person. Otherwise the juxtaposition between society’s treatment of both main characters would be impossible. Still, although the book needs the boy’s tone to create its identity, it has many other elements that show its literary merit. The synergy between the story, the context and the importance it has for American Literature in combination with its satirical tone make it an excellent work. Mark Twain did not borrow unjustly.