Dear Board Members,
It has come to my attention that you are considering banning teachers in our district from using The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain as a central text in the American Literature course at Schreiber High School. I am an eleventh grader at Schreiber and have recently studied the book in my American Literature course. I would like to voice my strong opposition to such a ban. It is my opinion that Huckleberry Finn provides an excellent opportunity to teach important ethical lessons to high school students who are difficult to reach in other ways.
The novel has certainly received it’s fair share of criticism. There are those such as Julius Lester who claim that the childlike way in which Jim is portrayed encourages the stereotypical view that black people are less intelligent that white people. I strongly disagree with this criticism. Jim is portrayed by Twain in a way that brings out his humanity. Twain lets us in on Jim’s emotions every chance he gets. For example, he discusses the fact that he regrets not having been a better parent with Huck during their escape. These passages create empathy for Jim in both the reader and Huck. Jim is actually one of the only characters to show this depth of emotion. Many of the white characters are portrayed as very one-dimensional and seem to possess only one negative trait. For example, the Duke and the Dauphin are greedy con-men, the Sheperdsons are petty grudge-holders and Pap is a drunken abusive father. It is the white characters not the black who Twain makes the objects of satire.
The book faces a great deal of unjust criticism by individuals such as Margo Allen on the grounds that it presents a racist perspective. Yes it is true that the book exposes its readers to racism but it most certainly does not condone it. It is in fact very clear to anyone who reads this book for its actual meaning, rather than to count how many times a certain “n” word appears in its text, that a strong argument is being made against racism. I understand the pain some people feel when they are reminded of this time for it is, I would imagine, very similar to the pain I feel when studying the holocaust in my A.P European History class. However I would be horrified if the decision were made to not teach about the persecution of the Jews because of this. To the contrary, I think it is essential that the culture that creates racism and prejudice be fully exposed to avoid recreating such cultures in the future.
Not only does Twain expose the racism and bigotry of slavery but he shows us how to evolve beyond the mentality that created it. He does this through tracing the maturation of Huck from a boy who believes what he is told by others regarding the treatment of Blacks to an individual who follows his own heart and rises above this mentality to treat Jim with the kindness and respect he deserves. For example, The first time Huck feels sympathy toward Jim he reacts with guilt at having gone against the racist notions he has been taught. By the end of the novel Huck has developed such a strong inner sense of right and wrong that he would rather face hell than go against what he knows is right and chooses to set Jim free.
What better lesson to teach impressionable teenagers than the lesson Huck learns. That becoming and adult involves taking the responsibility to develop a code of ethics that includes respecting the basic humanity of all people wether or not they are similar to us. In addition, Twain teaches us, coming of age means following that code in the face of pressure from society to go against it. Aren’t we teenagers always being taught to “just say no” to what we feel is wrong. Well, that is what Twain is teaching us as well and what better way to teach this than an exciting and colorful adventure story that teenagers enjoy reading.
Thank you for your consideration,