A bustling female fury, an indifferent teenager, and an irresponsible slave. A
baby snatching, a murder at midnight, and a “dead” person attending his own
funeral.2 These stereotypical people and ironic events were introduced to many
Americans by Mark Twain. However, fewer and fewer Americans are introduced to
the stereotypical people and the ironic events in Twain’s book The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn due to controversy over it. When Mark Twain wrote The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1885, he used the word “nigger” to raise
issues about racism, and stereotypes to reinforce those issues, so instead of
condemning and banning the book, we should deal with past and present racism.
The book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Hereafter, Huck Finn) has been
raising controversy ever since it was written. The first reported library to ban
Huck Finn was in Concord, Massachusetts (Marx “Huck at 100”). According to the
JustBooks website, the library called Huck Finn “‘trash and suitable only for
the slums’.” When Twain heard about it, he was elated: “that will sell 25,000
copies for us” (V. Fischer 66). The biggest centers of controversy were Boston
and New York. Critics there were very harsh and severe. However, even with all
of the controversy and negative remarks, Huck Finn still sold well. By 1896,
only 10 years after publication, it had become a national classic (V. Fischer
56). After years of controversy, the subject died down.
In 1957, the critics came back stronger than ever due to a statement by the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. It called Huck Finn
“racially offensive” says Marx. Since then, critics have tried numerous times to
ban it. A modern day example was on April 24, 2000, when the Oklahoma School
Board in Enid, Oklahoma decided to keep Huck Finn on their list of required
reading for high school juniors. The decision came after 5 months of debates.
The debates began when members of the Southern Ministerial Alliance asked that
Huck Finn be banned, due to the use of the word “nigger.” Over the months of
debate, the biggest influence on the members of the school board was an author
named Jocelyn Chadwick-Joshua. Her view on Huck Finn is that it should remain in
school curriculum, but that the historical context of Huck Finn should be taught
as well. After listening to her, the school board agreed. They asked her to come
back and give workshops to their teachers so they would be prepared to teach
Huck Finn in context (Zwick “Oklahoma School Board Votes to Keep Huckleberry
Finn”).
Not only have people tried to ban Huck Finn in recent times, they have also
written many articles in protest of it. One of the most famous articles is, “Say
it ain’t so, Huck; second thoughts on Mark Twain’s ‘masterpiece’,” by Jane
Smiley. She compares Huck Finn to Uncle Tom’s Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe.
She says Uncle Tom’s Cabin is the greater of the two books, because it actually
confronts the issue of slavery, whereas Huck Finn does not. Her article has been
largely read and criticized by a wide variety of contemporary critics.
The biggest reason people have looked down on Huck Finn over the years is
because it uses the word “nigger” over two hundred times (Maseda “Curriculum
should be sensitive to students’ feelings”). “Huck’s repeated use of that
demeaning epithet is enough to convince many black Americans that schoolchildren
should not be required to read the book” (Marx “Huck at 100”). According to
Maseda, another reason people don’t want schoolchildren to read Huck Finn is
because by reading it, impressionable children could begin to think racist
actions are acceptable, since racism is never outright condemned. A third reason
for agitation, according to Marx, is because the leading black character, Jim,
resembles a “stereotypical minster (sic)-show darky.
If Mark Twain had not used the word “nigger,” what would he have used?
“African-American?” “Black?” “Negro?” Obviously, he would not have used
“African-American,” since that term has appeared only in the latter half of this
century. He could have used “Black,” but that again is a recent term. That
leaves “Negro.” “Negro” was the accepted word for blacks for a long time. Martin
Luther King Jr. used it in his famous speech, “I Have a Dream”. So, Twain could
have used the word “Negro”. However, soon after King’s death, “Negro” became an
offensive word as well. So, even if Twain had used “Negro,” it still would not
have lessened modern critics. Therefore, if you look closely at the argument
against the word “nigger,” you see it is really a pointless argument, since
there is no other word Twain could have used to refer to blacks that would have
satisfied contemporary critics.
Also, if you are going to condemn Huck Finn for using the word ”nigger,” then
why not pick out all the other offensive words in the novel? These might
include: “witches,” “bucks,” and “wenches.” In one scene in Huck Finn, during
one of the traveler’s stops along the river, Huck refers to the bystanders not
only as “niggers,” but also as “bucks” and “wenches” (Twain 201). To the writer,
those words are just as offensive, if not more offensive, than the word
“nigger.” If she were to write a paper about the negative aspects of Huck Finn,
then the use of those words would probably be one of the main points. The other
episode in Huck Finn that bothered her was in the very beginning, when Huck and
Tom play a joke on Jim. In that episode, witches are mentioned numerous times
(Twain 74). The writer didn’t especially care for that either, thinking that
some other cause for Jim’s hat being in the tree could have been used. While
these words were offensive to her, she still enjoyed the book since she
understood that Twain was just using common words of the day. So, since she
could get past these offensive phrases, it seems logical that other readers
should be able to put phrases that are offensive to them in historical context
as well.
Twain’s book is an important one to study—even for schoolchildren, because it
make us think about issues of racism. According to an online PBS discussion with
S.F. Fisher, since Twain portrays a racist society through the eyes of a child,
who doesn’t understand his society is racist, and can’t judge it as so, it
forces the reader to see and judge for themselves. “That Huck can acknowledge
Jim’s humanity only by violating the moral code of a racist society is an
implication that the boy is unable to grasp or put into words. It is a thought
that Mark Twain’s readers must formulate for themselves“ (Marx “Huck at 100”).
At a certain point in Huck Finn, Huck decides that Jim is a human being, capable
of feelings and emotions. He decides he would rather “go to hell” than to betray
his black friend (Twain 257). This is a powerful moment. Twain shows us even
though Huck’s culture had raised him to think of Jim as nothing more than a
“nigger,” he still broke free, and did what he thought was right—He didn’t
betray his friend and turn Jim in to the bounty hunters.
Another of the arguments against Huck Finn is that Jim is portrayed
stereotypically. When the writer heard that, she was amazed. She had always
thought of everyone in Huck Finn as stereotypical people. This did not make her
react to them in a negative fashion, but it helped her to see many of the points
Twain was trying to make. She had always seen Huck Finn as a stereotypical
motherless street boy; Tom Sawyer as a stereotypical adolescent boy, full of
mischief; Miss Watson as a stereotypical old biddy; The Widow Douglas as a
stereotypical godly widow trying to make a difference in her community; Aunt
Sally as a stereotypical domineering farm wife; Uncle Silas as a stereotypical
female-dominated man; and the Phelpses as a stereotypical plantation family.
These stereotypes, negative or positive, presented images which made her think.
It helped her to realize more about people from the past, and also helped her to
see things from their viewpoint. So, the argument that Jim is portrayed
stereotypically made no sense to her.
In the culture of the 1800’s, blacks were not thought of as people. One example
in Huck Finn is when Huck arrives at Aunt Sally’s house. He pretends to have
been in a steamboat accident. When Aunt Sally asks him if anyone was hurt, he
says “No’m. Killed a nigger.” Aunt Sally responds by saying she is so glad no
one got hurt (Twain 262-3). This episode is a contrast to Huck deciding that Jim
is a person, and a way of showing the fact that “perfectly ‘nice’ people didn’t
consider the death of a black person worth their notice” (Salwen “Is Huck Finn a
Racist Book?”). Many critics have misunderstood this point, believing Mark Twain
meant it literally, and that it is his own opinion. However, if you read Huck
Finn with an open mind, that episode does nothing more than drive home another
point about racism.
Banning Huck Finn will not solve the problem of racism. Since “Twain gives us an
opportunity to keep [racism] on the table,” then we should use the opportunity
to recognize that racism is still an issue (Fisher “Mark Twain’s America”). When
Huck Finn is read for a class, then the class should discuss issues of racism.
They should discuss aspects of being black and living in the South. They should
discuss why it was that whites didn’t think of blacks as human beings. They
should discuss why the word “nigger” is offensive. From these discussions, a
healthy perspective on racism can be reached. This will allow the students to
recognize racism in their own and others’ lives, and enable them to begin
dealing with it.
Racism was a problem in 1885. It is still a problem now. However, our society is
“still in denial about issues like slavery” (Fischer “Mark Twain’s America”).
So, when authors like Twain bring up such issues, people automatically want to
shy away from them. But, “if we sanitize the past we forego the rawness of its
pain, but also the force of its lessons.“ So, if we just “stick [our] heads in
the sand, and ignore the problem,” that will not make it go away (Shepherd
“Curriculum needs to recognize, not ignore racism”). In order to fully deal with
racism, we need to openly discuss it. A big part of that discussion should be
things like the word “nigger” and negative stereotypes. Therefore, the writer
believes that Huck Finn plays an important role in the fight against racism, and
should continue to be a part of high school curriculum, not banned and
condemned.
Works Cited
Fischer, Victor. “Huck Finn Reviewed: The reception of Huckleberry Finn in the
United States, 1885-1897.” Susan K. Harris 55-66.
Fishkin, Shelly Fisher. “Mark Twain’s America.” Online NewsHour Forum: Mark
Twain - - Prof. Shelly Fisher Fishkin - - April 11, 1197. 11 Apr. 1997. PBS
News. 15 Nov. 2000
<http://www.pbs.org/newshour/authors_corner/jan-june97/fishkin_4-11.html>.
JustBooks UK. “Mark Twain and the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” JustBooks.de.
JustBooks UK. 15 Nov. 2000
<http://www.justbooks.co.uk/cmt_article.asp?gettaID=250>.
Marx, Leo. "Huck at 100." The Nation 241 (1985). 9 Nov. 2000
<http://www.web5.infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/…>.
Maseda, Marissa. “Point: Curriculum should be sensitive to students’ feelings.”
Point/Counterpoint: Huck Finn gets sent down the river. San Diego County Office
of Education. 15 Nov. 2000
<http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/huckcen/pointcounter.html>.
Salwen, Peter. “Is Huck Finn a Racist Book?” Is ‘Huck Finn’ Racist? 1996. Salwen
Business Communications. 15 Nov. 2000 <http://www.salwen.com/mtrace.html>.
Shepherd, Stephen. “Counterpoint: Curriculum needs to recognize, not ignore,
racism.” Point/Counterpoint: Huck Finn gets sent down the river. San Diego
County Office of Education. 15 Nov. 2000
<http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/huckcen/pointcounter.html>.
Smiley, Jane. "Say it ain’t so, Huck: second thoughts on Mark Twain’s
masterpiece’." Harper’s Magazine 292. 1748 (1996). 9 Nov. 2000
<http://www.web5.infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/…>.
Twain, Mark. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Ed. Susan K. Harris. Boston & New
York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000. 67-320.
Zwick, Jim. “Oklahoma School Board Votes to Keep Huckleberry Finn.” 25 Apr.
2000. 15 Nov. 2000. <http://www.marktwain.about.com/arts/marktwain/ library/
weekly/aa000425a.htm>.
Notes
1. Growing up, I was a big reader. I read everything I could get my hands on.
One of my favorite books was The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain. When I
discovered there was a sequel, I was really excited. But when I went to read it,
I thought it was boring, and never really got into it. When this paper was
assigned, it took me a while to figure out what author to do. I finally decided
on Mark Twain. When I began to do some preliminary research, I discovered the
only one of his books with plenty of literary criticism available was The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. So I decided to write about it. When I re-read
the book, I really enjoyed it. I noticed many more hidden meanings and ironies
than I had as child. I think if I had read the book in a class setting, I might
have missed them as well, unless the class had a discussion about it.
2. These examples were suggested to the writer by Ms. Maralee Crandon in a
discussion. Ms. Crandon has kindly given her permission to use them.
Please Send All Comments Or Suggestions To: Ruth