“Those attempting to find a moral in [this story] will be banished” (Twain 3). Much like his opening lines of the novel, Mark Twain fills The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with his signature style of humor and irony, making it one of the most influential works of American literature. This controversial novel tells the story of Huck, a rebellious white boy, and Jim, a black slave. Together, they fled in search of freedom on the Mississippi River. Upon its publication, the novel received much criticism for Twain's implicit moral message; the novel is Twain's indictment of racism. Over the years, Huck Finn's message has been misinterpreted as racist. In fact, according to John H. Wallace, the story is "racist trash" (112), mainly because of the word "nigger" (Twain 7), which is used over two hundred times. Nonetheless, most anti-Huck critics fail to understand the basic usage of the word. Twain intends to reveal the reality of the South; therefore, the absence of the word "negro" would misrepresent how an uneducated twelve-year-old boy from Missouri would speak. For the same previous reason, Twain gives each character a different speech. Not with the aim of generalizing and stereotyping, but rather “[forming] identity…from social realities” (James 16). Despite Twain's intention, the diction he uses for Jim's portrait offended several students and parents across the country, for its buffoonish characteristics (Henry 25). In fact, the different slangs, not just Jim's, give each character the humanity necessary to make them more "believable, complex and therefore worthy" (James 16). Twain's chosen diction exposes the reality of human beings, a censored version of which...... middle of paper ...... 14-17. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web, April 19, 2014. Nichols, Charles H. “A Real Book – With Some Stretchers.” Satire or evasion? Black perspective on Huckleberry Finn. Ed. James S. Leonard. Duke University Press, 1992. 210-15. Print.Rasmussen, R. Kent. Critical Companion to Mark Twain. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2007. Print. Smith, David L. “Huck, Jim and Racial Discourse.” Satire or evasion? Black perspective on Huckleberry Finn. Ed. James S. Leonard. Duke University Press, 1992. 103-120. Print.Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 2008. Print. Wallace, John H. “Huckleberry Finn is Racist Trash.” » Readings on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Ed. Katie de Koster. Greenhaven Press' literary companion to American literature. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1998. 112-20. Print.