Why Huckleberry Finn Should Stay in Schools Author Jay Greene once said, “If it matters, it produces controversy.” This quote could not be more true or applicable to Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Many people argue that the classic American novel should be kept out of schools, but they are wrong. Huck Finn should stay in schools because it is one of the greatest pieces of literature in our libraries today. This is because of it’s themes, great use of satire, and that it gives readers a challenge. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be kept in classrooms because of the themes that are within the novel. According to EXPLORING Novels, three of the main themes are freedom, conscience, and race/ racism. The entire story
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The novel provides no easy reading, which is exactly what makes it so great. The dialect within the book can be difficult to read and understand, but makes the brain truly work. When talking about Twain’s use of many dialects, David Carkeet says, “The shadings have not been done in a hap-hazard fashion, or by guess-work; but pains-takingly and with the trustworthy guidance and support of personal familiarity with these several forms of speech” (315). An example of this is when Jim, a runaway slave, speaks to Huck. It is obvious that his dialect is unique and difficult when he says, “‘You go en git in de river ag’in, whah you b’longs, en doan’ do nuffin to Ole Jim, ‘at ‘uz alwuz yo’ fren’’” (Twain 41). Not only is the way the book is written challenging, but so are the characters. The main characters of the book are Huck, Tom, Jim, Miss Watson, Widow Douglas, Judge Thatcher, Pap, the Shepardson family, the Grangerford family, King, Duke, the Wilks family, Aunt Sally, and Silas Phelps (novelguide). That is a total of fourteen characters, and this number does not include individual family members, townspeople, and other small characters scattered throughout the novel. The amount of people that are being kept track of while reading adds an obstacle. Another challenge readers face is keeping track of the plot. This is a challenge because Twain includes …show more content…
These people are focusing solely on the fact that the book has the word “nigger” in it over 200 times, and because of that, claim it should be kept out of schools. However, it is crazy to think that a book is racist from of its use of one word; plus it was such a common word in the setting of the book, pre-Civil War South. Not only is it said the use of the “n-word” is excessive, but that the black characters of the book are portrayed stereotypically and offensively as well. In an online article about the novel, Tom Jan says, “But Twain also portrays whites, the supposedly ‘superior’ and dominant race in the South, having just as many negative traits as the stereotyped slave.” While yes, a black slave in the book, Jim, is shown as ignorant and gullible, there are also white characters with unfavorable flaws. Huck’s white father, Pap, is a greedy abuser and rampaging alcoholic, the King and Duke are two deceitful and conscienceless conmen, and Tom Sawyer is a selfish boy who treats Jim’s life like a game. All of these factors (and facts) are important to recognize in order to conclude that Huck Finn is not racist. Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is one of the most important and classic pieces of American literature, and must stay in our schools to continuously be taught. This is because
The novel provides no easy reading, which is exactly what makes it so great. The dialect within the book can be difficult to read and understand, but makes the brain truly work. When talking about Twain’s use of many dialects, David Carkeet says, “The shadings have not been done in a hap-hazard fashion, or by guess-work; but pains-takingly and with the trustworthy guidance and support of personal familiarity with these several forms of speech” (315). An example of this is when Jim, a runaway slave, speaks to Huck. It is obvious that his dialect is unique and difficult when he says, “‘You go en git in de river ag’in, whah you b’longs, en doan’ do nuffin to Ole Jim, ‘at ‘uz alwuz yo’ fren’’” (Twain 41). Not only is the way the book is written challenging, but so are the characters. The main characters of the book are Huck, Tom, Jim, Miss Watson, Widow Douglas, Judge Thatcher, Pap, the Shepardson family, the Grangerford family, King, Duke, the Wilks family, Aunt Sally, and Silas Phelps (novelguide). That is a total of fourteen characters, and this number does not include individual family members, townspeople, and other small characters scattered throughout the novel. The amount of people that are being kept track of while reading adds an obstacle. Another challenge readers face is keeping track of the plot. This is a challenge because Twain includes …show more content…
These people are focusing solely on the fact that the book has the word “nigger” in it over 200 times, and because of that, claim it should be kept out of schools. However, it is crazy to think that a book is racist from of its use of one word; plus it was such a common word in the setting of the book, pre-Civil War South. Not only is it said the use of the “n-word” is excessive, but that the black characters of the book are portrayed stereotypically and offensively as well. In an online article about the novel, Tom Jan says, “But Twain also portrays whites, the supposedly ‘superior’ and dominant race in the South, having just as many negative traits as the stereotyped slave.” While yes, a black slave in the book, Jim, is shown as ignorant and gullible, there are also white characters with unfavorable flaws. Huck’s white father, Pap, is a greedy abuser and rampaging alcoholic, the King and Duke are two deceitful and conscienceless conmen, and Tom Sawyer is a selfish boy who treats Jim’s life like a game. All of these factors (and facts) are important to recognize in order to conclude that Huck Finn is not racist. Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is one of the most important and classic pieces of American literature, and must stay in our schools to continuously be taught. This is because