Molly Clark's Op-Ed

Huck Finn is a Must-Read for High School Students 

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, provides insight into the history of our nation from a person who was there to experience it first hand. I concede that it is an offensive novel, but so is our history. Therefore, the repeated sting it delivers to the reader is its very purpose—effectively teaching the reader of the true pain felt by the oppressed race at this time. In short, Huck Finn is both a literary masterpiece and a historical document—exactly the sort of work high school students should be reading in their English classes.

The words that Twain chose in writing this novel were incredibly deliberate, as he insists that he is telling the truth of what is happening to society at the time through Huck’s evolving situation with Jim.  At the beginning of the novel he even acknowledges his role as an author, stating that “…that book was made by Mark Twain, and he told the truth mainly…” (3). In recognizing the importance of “telling the truth” with his writing, Twain gives his book historical credibility. Effectively, he tells the reader to pay close attention to what he is saying, as he is doing his best to preserve and pass on the true climate of his society, which he recognizes as an important chapter of the nation’s history. In fact, this is one of the most memorable periods of American History and must be preserved, despite its brutal nature. It cannot be censored so that it might appear to be less brutal that it really was. It cannot be altered, as it would destroy the sting that Twain created through his word choice and plotline, and which is the truth of our history. We cannot simply skim over the tough bits to enjoy the story of a little boy on a raft, because that destroys the purpose of Twain’s novel. Beneath the sting of his truth, there lies a deeper message that he conveys through the implications of the same actions that have garnered the disapproval of critics, parents and teachers. For example, when Huck remarks that “…it was 15 minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger; but I done it, and I warn’t even sorry for it afterwards neither” (Twain 55), Twain intends the reader to focus on the progress Huck has made, not the reluctance with which he does so. The controversy surrounding the novel arises from misinterpretation of lines such as this, lines that actually highlight some of Huck’s greatest progress. If the emphasis was to be placed on Huck’s difficulty in “humbling himself to a nigger”, Twain would have ended the passage there, with “nigger”, for such is his deliberate style. However, the continuation of the passage shifts the emphasis to Huck’s redeeming moment, as he confesses that he is not sorry for what he has done. Deeper still, Huck’s humility towards Jim is a symbol of the process of reconciliation between two distinct cultures, as they try to overcome a history of offenses. Therein, Twain writes not of the divide between these people, but of the value of their struggle towards reunion. This is precisely the lesson that should be taught in American schools, as our students continue to struggle toward the ideas of acceptance and equality, both in and outside the classroom.

However, it has been argued that despite the best intentions of teachers, some black students in our High Schools have found reading Huck Finn to be an excruciating experience, and not worth the lessons underneath. In an article written to the New York Times, Paul Butler says, “I suffered through Huckleberry Finn in high school, with the white kids going out of their way to say “Nigger Jim… and the teacher’s tortured explanation that Twain’s “nigger” didn’t really mean nigger” (Butler). The continuation of this ridicule based on race, some argue, is promoted by the language of the novel, and causes unnecessary discomfort and teasing for the students. But the issue is deeper than the language Twain uses. As Francine Prose wrote, “Jim’s problem is not that he is called a “nigger” but that he is chattel who can be freed or returned to his master” (Prose). Though Twain’s language makes the topic more potent and personal, censoring out offensive words such as “nigger” cannot remove Jim from his situation as a chattel. Therefore too, changing the language of the novel cannot entirely remove its sting for black students reading Huck Finn; the heart of that sting is intertwined with the characters and plot of the novel, and these cannot be removed. The existence of this sting proves, to me, the essentiality of teaching Huck Finn in schools, so that in the horrors of their history they may come understand their role in America’s ongoing fight for equality.

Censorship of Huckleberry Finn is a futile attempt to erase the painful pieces of our history, while attempting to leave the stories intact. Toni Morrison got it exactly right in her essay response to Huckleberry Finn, saying, “it struck me as a purist yet elementary kind of censorship designed to appease adults rather than educate children. Amputate the problem, Band-Aid the solution” (1). Removing offensive words from the book does not make the book itself any less offensive, and removing Huck Finn from our schools does not erase our cruel history.  We must all face the issues, and teach our students to do the same, so that in all eventuality we might reach the solution we have been striving toward since the time of Twain’s publication.

Works Cited

Butler, Paul. “Why Read That Book.” The New York Times (2011). Web. 14 Jan. 2014.

Prose, Francine. “Why is Slave Less Offensive.” The New York Times (2011). Web. 14

Jan. 2014.

Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  Edited by Shelley Fisher Fiskin; introduction by Toni Morrison, afterword by Victor Doyno. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.

Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. David Widger, 2006.

projectgutenburg. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.