The Moral Bankruptcy of Whiteness in Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Abstract

Many critics focus on the prejudice of the slavery system and its negative impact on the American society after the Civil War in Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, while at the same time overlook the moral corruption of the white community that oppressed and mistreated not only the blacks but also the powerless whites. The child Huck suffers from abuse and inhumane treatment at the hands of his violent father that makes him form an alliance with the runaway slave, Jim, and search for illumination and freedom on a raft down the Mississippi River. This implies that violence was an emblem of the whole nation that was not only practiced against blacks but also against the helpless children. The white community in the novel takes advantage of the insecure status of Huck and Jim, as a child and a runaway slave, respectively, that presents whites as frauds and murderers.