The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Racism Outline Models
Example Theses:
1) Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is racist/perpetuates racism.
2) Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn criticizes slavery/racism.
3) While Twain is influenced by stereotypes, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn does
serve to criticize racism/slavery.
4) While Twain intends to criticize racism/slavery, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
perpetuates racism.
Example Topic Sentences:
A) Twain’s depiction of Jim is heavily influenced by the racist caricature of AfricanAmericans known as the minstrel show.
B) The claim that Twain’s depiction of Jim is influenced by the racist caricature of
African American’s known as the minstrel show is false, obscuring the fact that Twain
creates a caring and sympathetic character that humanizes African-Americans.
C) In Jim, Twain creates a caring and sympathetic character that humanizes AfricanAmericans.
D) While Twain attempts to create a caring and sympathetic character, what he has
actually created in Jim is an unthreatening and passive “good slave”.
E) By choosing to write a novel about a runaway slave’s friendship with a white boy, and
the boy’s decision to participate in his escape, Twain clearly criticizes slavery.
F) Although Jim runs away in the novel, his independence is downplayed, thereby
reinforcing racist stereotypes.
G) Throughout the final third of the novel, Jim is characterized as uncritically accepting
his humiliation at the hands of Tom Sawyer.
H) Twain’s repeated use of the “N” word is uncritical and fails to acknowledge its
negative, racist connotations.
I) Twain criticizes white Southern society, and therefore racism.