One of the literary classics, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, By Mark Twain, is a novel that is widely controversial because of its use of racial terms, specifically, the “N” word. While this particular novel may use racial terms that public school teachers will not tolerate, it is simply a reflection of living in that particular region of the country in that particular time period and is by no means used in a derogatory form, with the exception of a few characters who are simply not model citizens. In a writing style known as “local color,” Twain uses his knowledge of the south to try and emulate a realistic overture that his readers can relate to. Unfortunately, what Twain neglected to ponder was the affect it might have one-hundred years after the novel was written. However, given the context and the situation Twain was in, it was virtually impossible for him to determine that life would drastically change that much. In a recent instance where a concerned parent complained about a certain novel being used in the classroom because of its content, Dudley Barlow of Canton High School in Michigan, used examples found within The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to show how elements of a novel are not merely taken at face value; they are, however, taken into context and viewed in the bigger picture. He says,
We also use The Adventures of HuckleberryFinn in which the word 'nigger' appears probably two hundred times. Our assigning this novel does not mean that we are racists or that we approve of this racist term. Mark Twain uses the term for its historical authenticity and to reveal Huck's character to us. 'Nigger' is the only word Huck has for slaves, so it is the term he uses . . . It is when Huck learns to see beyond this racist stereotype that he begins to grow, and this growth defines the theme of the novel. Twain could not have done this with any word other than 'nigger,' offensive as that word is. (Barlow)
In this instance, Barlow uses Twain’s novel and Huck as a segue into greater teaching opportunities. In order to establish the genuine environment in which Huck lives, Twain must use that word in the novel to be authentic. As a further argument for the term, Barlow states that Huck’s growth comes as a result of using the word. In either case, the word is essential to the novel. It does not, by any means, indicate a lack of respect for African Americans or support the idea of a racist classroom; it simply was used to make a point and indicate authenticity. If the school board were to misunderstand Twain’s use of this word and deem it as inappropriate, so many life lessons would be lost on the students without the necessary exposure.
What more, then, do students miss when teachers and parents decide to ban Twain’s novel? Lance Morrow, a writer for Time Magazine, argued that Huck’s voice, throughout the novel, is a reflection of many prominent writers, including African Americans. Morrow says, “But it is an act of real moral stupidity, and a desecration, to try to deprive the young of the voice of Huck Finn . . . Huck's voice echoes in Langston Hughes and Ralph Ellison and Alice Walker as well as in William Faulkner” Of the many important characteristics that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has, Huck’s voice is one of the finest in all of literature; in fact, it was so great that, as Morrow states, portions of it can be found many other literary geniuses. As Morrow mentions, students who are not allowed to read this novel in class are missing invaluable writing techniques, such as character voice, that Twain so meticulously includes throughout his novel. Moreover, Morrow mentions that Twain’s novel is much deeper than that of a simple racial issue. Twain’s novel dives into America’s past and helps it leap past hurdles that Americans have been faced with for centuries. Morrow says, “Huck Finn is about American civilization and about what it means to be civilized in a vast, experimental, provisional and morally unsettled territory” (Morrow). Those who look at Twain’s novel as racist propaganda are clearly missing the entire point of the novel. It would be a shame to lose out on so many different facets of learning that this novel has to offer if this book were inappropriately banned. Again, it was by no means to be racist or prejudice; it is, in fact, much deeper than that.
While analysts of Twain’s writing certainly help the reader and the casual observers understand that Twain’s novel did not have any malicious intent, there are also many life lessons that students can learn from reading it. For example, there is a section of the novel where Huck has the opportunity to turn his friend, Jim, in to the police as a runaway slave. Morrow states that Huck wrestles with the decision of doing what the law says he should do and what his conscious says he should do. Morrow states, “In one of the great moments of American literature . . . Huck says, ‘All right, then, I'll go to hell.’ He tears up the note to Miss Watson in which he meant to betray his friend. He has done the loneliest, bravest work there is - making a life-or-death decision against the law. . .” (Morrow). In this instance, the reader sees Huck doing what parents and other role models have been trying to instill: making the decision to be loyal and true as opposed to doing the “popular” thing. Huck shows tremendous character in this scene as he wrestles with his thoughts, and even legal obligation, as he decides to do what is best for friend, Jim. What more could parents and teachers ask for in a novel? What valuable lessons in life will students be missing out on if they are denied such a privilege as to read Twain’s masterpiece? Students will not learn invaluable lessons that they can apply throughout their lives.
Also, Morrow vividly says that this novel is not merely for Caucasian individuals. This novel was written as much for African-Americans as it was for Caucasians. Morrow states,
Huck Finn carries an almost magic cargo of deeper grownup meanings. How racially condescending to assume that such meanings of American civilization - even as they are relayed by Huck through his white genius/ventriloquist, Mark Twain - cannot concern blacks. A number of black writers in the past, uncontaminated by the ideologies of correctness, have agreed. (Morrow)
In essence, Morrow clearly refutes the fact that this novel was a “slap in the face” to the African American community. It was, however, written for African Americans just as much as it was written for anyone else. The morals and values that are portrayed in Huck’s character are for everyone; Twain did not intend to single out any certain ethnicity. He did, however, intend for anyone to be able to come away with these values and that’s exactly what he did. Parents and teachers opposed to this novel must look at the bigger picture in order to refrain from doing a great injustice to the students.
Barlow, Dudley. "The Teachers' Lounge."Education Digest (2008): 67-70. Academic
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Morrow, Lance. "In praise of 'Huckleberry Finn.'."Current 372 (1995): 28+. Gale
Opposing Viewpoints In Context.