Racial attitudes in Melville’s 'Benito Cereno' and Twain’s 'Huckleberry Finn'

Examination Thesis , 2008 , 53 Pages , Grade: 1,0

Didactics for the subject English - Literature, Works

The American literature is a reflection of the socio-political developments in the different stages of the history of the country, and especially slavery is a crucial topic in it. Many works dealing with slavery have been published in the 19th, 20th and 21st century, and some of them have sparked debates that are not only on literary issues. Two of these are Herman Melville’s (1819-1891) Benito Cereno (1855) and Mark Twain’s (1835-1910, born Samuel Langhorne Clemens) Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884). These two novels are often seen as major works in American literary history, and their authors are among the country’s most celebrated. Both books have in common that their stories play in the time before the abolition of slavery. Benito Cereno deals with a slave revolt on a ship, while Huckleberry Finn depicts the adventures of its eponymous hero and a runaway slave, Jim. Another feature the novels share is the fact that both have been charged to contain racist and pro-slavery attitudes. This paper will evaluate and analyze these assertions in order to show that they are false because they are based on misunderstandings. It aims to provide a profound delineation of the racial attitudes in the two novels.
The assumption here is that neither Melville nor Twain wrote racist novels. This shall be proven with the help of a close analysis of the narrative perspectives and literary devices used in the books. Both of the stories, as will be shown later, are told by narrators that are far from being easy to grasp without a deeper examination of their character and function. A comprehensive insight into these appears to be beneficial for a better understanding of both of the novels.
The present paper will begin with an exploration of the individual attitudes of the two authors. Although the knowledge of writers’ opinions can never be used as the sole key to a literary work’s interpretation, it can still be helpful to gain an insight into his ideas about the world he or she depicts in his or her fiction. After this, the two novels will be dealt with separately. In a first step, the assertions about each one’s racism will be delineated. Then, the narrative perspectives and other literary techniques will be thoroughly analyzed. In a last step, the novels’ racism will be evaluated with the help of the insights gained about the techniques used. It shall be shown that in the light of this, neither Benito Cereno nor Huckleberry Finn are racist books.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

• Introduction
• The Racial Attitudes of Herman Melville and Mark Twain
  • Introduction
  • Herman Melville
  • Mark Twain
• Analysis of Benito Cereno
  • Racist Attitudes in Benito Cereno
  • Narrative Perspective in Benito Cereno
  • Benito Cereno as an Exploration of the White Racist Mind
• Analysis of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
  • Huckleberry Finn as a Racist Novel
  • Literary Techniques in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
  • Huckleberry Finn as an Indictment of Slavery and Racism
• Conclusion
• Bibliography

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte

This paper aims to analyze the racial attitudes in Herman Melville's "Benito Cereno" and Mark Twain's "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn". It will argue that both novels, despite accusations of racism, are actually critical of slavery and racism. The paper will examine the narrative perspectives and literary techniques used in the novels to demonstrate their anti-slavery stance.

• The portrayal of racial attitudes in 19th-century America
• The use of narrative perspective and literary techniques to convey social commentary
• The critique of slavery and racism in "Benito Cereno" and "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"
• The complex relationship between authorial intent and reader interpretation
• The historical context of the novels and their relevance to contemporary discussions of race and racism

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel

The introduction sets the historical context for the paper, highlighting the significance of slavery and race relations in American history. It introduces the two novels, "Benito Cereno" and "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," and their controversial reputations regarding racism. The paper's objective is to demonstrate that both novels are actually critical of slavery and racism, despite accusations to the contrary.

Chapter 2 explores the racial attitudes of Herman Melville and Mark Twain. It examines their personal writings and public statements, as well as their literary works, to gain insight into their views on slavery and race. The chapter highlights the complexities of interpreting an author's intentions and the challenges of separating personal beliefs from fictional representations.

Chapter 3 analyzes "Benito Cereno," focusing on the portrayal of racist attitudes within the narrative. It examines the novel's narrative perspective and the use of literary techniques to explore the white racist mind. The chapter argues that "Benito Cereno" is not a racist novel but rather a critique of slavery and the psychological effects of racism.

Chapter 4 analyzes "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," examining the novel's portrayal of slavery and racism. It explores the literary techniques used by Twain to critique slavery and the complexities of Huckleberry Finn's character. The chapter argues that "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is a powerful indictment of slavery and racism, despite its controversial language and characters.

Schlüsselwörter

The keywords and focus themes of the text include racial attitudes, slavery, racism, narrative perspective, literary techniques, Herman Melville, "Benito Cereno", Mark Twain, "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn", American literature, 19th-century America, social commentary, authorial intent, reader interpretation, historical context, and contemporary relevance.

• College: University of Heidelberg (Anglistisches Seminar)
• Grade: 1,0
• Author: Ole Wagner (Author)
• Publication Year: 2008
• Pages: 53
• Catalog Number: V130687
• ISBN (eBook): 9783640362998
• ISBN (Book): 9783640363322
• Language: English
• Tags: Racial, Melville’s, Benito, Cereno, Twain’s, Huckleberry, Finn