Kevin McAdam
AP English 11/ Mr. George
9/15/09
Huck Finn Societal Notes

·A very important aspect of society in the United States at the time of this story was slavery and the racist treatment of blacks. Black slaves were given such harsh treatment at the time that it is hard to imagine in the relative racial peace in the world today. On top of the harsh treatment for slaves, runaway slaves, if caught, faced even more unbearable punishment from their owners. That was why escaping was such a risk for Jim. He was putting his own life at stake and was basically forced to work with Huck in order to reach his ultimate goal of escaping to the north.
·We see in the story how public views are forced upon other citizens. In Huck’s case, he feels resentment towards blacks because that is what he had been taught his entire life. However, when Huck is on his journey with Jim, his views of blacks are changed and he eventually built a close bond with Jim: “I got to thinking over our trip down the river; and I see Jim before me, all the time, in the day, and in the night-time, sometimes moonlight, sometimes storms, and we a floating along, talking, and singing, and laughing,” (227).
·Another societal critique of the south was that most people had to do anything possible just to survive. One example of this is the duke and the dauphin when they scammed people all over and took their money.