In "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", the author, Mark Twain, tries to show a country (particularly the South) which was (at the time the novel was written) under the spell of slavery, that the black population is just that, they are people, and should be treated like people. And Twain illustrates this point through the relationship that the runaway slave Jim builds with Huckleberry over the course of the novel and then puts an exclamation point on this at one specific point in the novel which culminates Twain’s intentions. This novel also examines how white southerners viewed the blacks during the period of slavery mainly through Tom and Huck’s actions and words towards Jim.
At the start of the novel, it was clear that Huck did not think too much of Jim as he and Tom played a rather vicious trick on the slave to make him believe that there were witches after him. And this was to be expected as Huck was a product of southern mentality which had him accepting that blacks were not his equal and that they need not be treated as equals. However, when Huck first runs into Jim on the island, Huck sees him as a familiar face which, as they continue down the river together, begins to progress into an actual relationship. But at first, Huck seemed very reluctant to befriend a slave as it was going against everything his environment had taught him to that point in his life. This is what makes his decision to never turn Jim in despite all of the chances he had, all that more meaningful because by not doing so he was going against not only what he had been learned, but the law as well. And what this shows is that Huck is honoring his friendship to the point where he could not betray it, even though the friend was black. Thus, Twain illustrates the point that blacks are capable of inflicting positive feelings onto a white person, even if it is only a child, indicating that blacks should be looked at as people just like any other human.
Tom Sawyer’s feelings also begin to tilt in favor of Jim and anti-slavery as the novel moves along, which is obviously indicated in the effort he put forth to free Jim. And although it can be argued that perhaps Tom only wanted to do so because it was an excuse for his most elaborate adventure yet, and because he knew all along Jim was already a free man, just the gesture that he made by attempting to free him speaks volumes of his change of heart. And it became clear that he actually began to feel for Jim because when he finally awoke, his first question to Huck was not if Jim had got away, but it was if Jim was all right, meaning he cared for Jim’s well-being and that he cared for Jim.
While Tom and Huck’s trick played on Jim in the beginning of the novel showed how little children thought of blacks, it was often showed that southern adults, despite being more mature and more sensitive to feelings of others, were even less respectful of the blacks than their children. For Tom and Huck’s actions nearly implied that they didn’t see blacks as people, but the words and actions from the adults were very outright and direct to what the meaning was behind them. One truly perfect example of this came in chapter 32 on page 213 when Huck was explaining to Aunt Sally why he had arrived there so late. He had told her that the boat blew a cylinder-head and "killed a nigger" to which she responded "well, it’s lucky; because sometimes people do get hurt". And this certainly indicates that Aunt Sally, a woman who shows her kindness and sensitivity throughout the conclusion of the novel, does not regard any black as a person. She also, by the way she said it, does not seem reluctant to make such a bold statement which further shows the coldness southerners had towards blacks.
Another large indicator of this fact is in the frequent use of the word "nigger" to describe a black person, which, although very harsh and insulting by today’s standards, was merely another word used to refer to such people. And this is one of the reasons that not only has this novel been censored, but why many have regarded Mark Twain as a racist. However, those who make these accusations could not be more wrong as Twain is merely using a terrible truth of the South to show the reader how cruel southerners had been in order to create sympathy from the reader towards the slaves. Thus, he is further trying to convey his message to the reader.
Finally, Twain shows how a black can be and should be accepted by the white race in the way Jim nobly gave up freedom to help the doctor tend to Tom. And this action was then respected by the men who had captured Jim when they "agreed Jim had acted very well, and was deserving to have some notice took of it, and reward. So every one of them promised, right out and hearty, that they wouldn’t cuss him no more."(page 274) Although this may not seem like such a great gesture by these men because they still kept Jim in his chains, they, nonetheless, were showing respect to a black man, and by doing so were treating him like a person. Hence, this became a fitting end to a novel who’s intention was to speak out against the abuse of black slaves in the South.