In the 129 years the book has been in print, Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been met with much controversy, for many different reasons. As it progressed, the subject of this controversy changed almost constantly. This essay will explore some of the claims and explanations of the controversy, as well as a discussion of whether the book is really that controversial. While everyone is entitled to their own opinion about this novel, the main complaints seem to revolve around three main topics: Twain's portrayal of Jim and other blacks, the extensive use of racial slurs and racism, and the final chapters of the book itself . Charles Nilon, in his essay “The Ending of Huckleberry Finn, 'Freeing the Free Negro'” (1992) argues that the final chapters of Huckleberry Finn “figuratively display, and judge, this process of 'freeing the free Negro' which Twain became increasingly aware of this after 1880” (Nilon 62). Nilon describes Tom and Huck's treatment of Jim as a class issue. Tom, who Nilon says represents the upper class of the South, thinks “blacks were 'niggers.' They were inferior, and freedom for them was necessarily different than it was for whites.” (Nilon 66). Huck, on the other hand, who is argued to represent the lower and more morally conscious class of Southerners, becomes increasingly ethical in his decisions (for example, when Huck decides that they must free Jim from capture, instead of leaving him). Nilon brings up another example of contrast between the two boys, and therefore between the two classes, when Huck and Tom enter Jim's holding area and are confronted by another slave standing guard. Tom doesn't want the guard to consider them "equals" and forces the slave to blend in and submit. Huck, once again on the other end of the spectrum, pulls it off