uel and pointless acts of hatred directed toward Jim. The least severe of the cruel acts toward Jim is that whites often ridicule him. Another dehumanizing act is when Jim is made to hide his face in the daytime. The most foolish and ignorant idea of the whites, however, is when Silas Phelps locked up Jim. Another demonstration of the whites' folly is when Pap, Huck's father, violently objects to the granting of suffrage to a black man. Pap does not take into consideration that this man is an educated professor; he believes that he is superior to this black man simply because of the color of his skin. In actuality, however, Pap is an uneducated drunk. This adds to the irony of the white's actions. These cruel acts performed by white people are silly and ignorant. These acts show the true close-mindedness and foolishness of the white people that materialized from society's preformed hatred and racism.The changes in Huck's attitude toward Jim suggest that society's negative attitudes can be revised. Many times society is expected to have a negative view on certain topics; in this case, the topic being blacks. No one person wants to rock the boat by voicing his or her opinion. However, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn demonstrates that preconceived ideas can be changed. All society needs is an open mind. By the end of the novel, Huck did not care at all about what anybody thought of him. He was proud to be friends with Jim, and Jim was proud to be friends with Huck. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an eye-opening novel that causes the readers to come to a blunt realization of what really went on before blacks gained their freedom. Through Huck and Jim's rich friendship, the readers realize that preconceived notions are not always intelligent ones. Huck and Jim show that society can empty itself of hatred through an open mind and an open heart. Jim endured many unnecessary cruel acts of racism throughout the no...
