Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written in the early 1880s, persists as an international classic and a staple in American literature. However, the portrayal of Jim Twain and the use of the most powerful racial epithet in African American history has caused the ire of many who have analyzed it as harsh and unnecessary for the publication of a "good" novel they believe the reason behind Twain's characterizations stems from his immersion in the time of realism where Black Minstrel Shows were a popular form of entertainment by Mark Twain parallels the racism publicized in Black Minstrel Shows. Both Jim and Twain's Black Minstrel shows exemplify black alienation from society's apparent diversity between black slaves and their white owners, "I (Huck) wouldn't shake my n-word, True? - the only n-word I had in the world and the only property" (Twain, 1985, chapter 31, par. 37). Although over the course of the novel Huck develops a genuine friendship with Jim, the society in which he grows up it prevents him from considering Jim anything but property. Twain makes it palpable that in the era of slavery, white humanity forces blacks to provide themselves with a less valuable role, completely separate from the high regard of the white man in the same way , popular in this same era, Black Minstrelsy embodies the advertising of blacks as an inferior being. Black Minstrel Shows advertise a white man appearing in blackface and replicating the acts of slaves in these productions in their own skin, these shows demonstrate the whites' conception of blacks as property and not as equal beings Secondly, Jim... in the middle of the paper... ., blame is often placed on where or how we grew up. Realistically, Mark Twain should be entitled to the same excuse. He wrote his novel years after the “end” of racial discrimination, but he references it because of the way he was raised. In other words, Twain reflects the immortality of racism and stereotypes in society. All in all, Twain teaches that although we believe we are not stereotyped, these things will undoubtedly continue to survive many ages beyond Realism. Works Cited Carleton, H. J. (n.d.). Bones in love. In Blackface Minstreley. Retrieved November 17, 2011, from http://etext.virginia.edu/railton/huckfinn/minstrl.htmlSparkNotes Editors. (2002). SparkNote on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Retrieved November 16, 2011, from http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/huckfinn/Twain, M. (1985). The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Penguin books.