For Huckleberry Finn

What Huck Finn naysayers are denying is that the novel is of undeniable literary merit, and should therefore remain on the list of books to read. According to The College Board, a work is generally considered to have literary merit if it meets certain criteria including entertainment value and has “a social, political or ideological impact on society during the lifetime of the author or afterward.” Cleary, Huck Finn meets these requirements, along with others.

Twain’s use of heavy satire throughout the book is meant to entertain the reader, poking fun at things like religion, family feuds and superstition to name a few. Undoubtedly, Huck Finn has also stood the test of time, and has been read ever since its original publication in the United States in 1885.

Also important is the impact the novel has had on society. Today, in 2015, exactly 130 years after its publication, Huck Finn is still considered one of the great American novels. Ernest Hemingway, one of the most well-known American writers of the 20th century, was quoted having said that “All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called ‘Huckleberry Finn.’”

Huck Finn may contain racial slurs and they are patently offensive, but ignoring a problem isn’t going to make it go away. Racism is still an issue in our society and turning our back on it isn’t going to make it any easier. Unless we encourage discussion and debate about an issue to stimulate change, we are merely perpetuating the problem.

Additionally, choosing another book from the same time period may be an option, however we are ignoring a defining characteristic of the time period. There is no denying that racially motivated inequality and mistreatment occurred in the past and that such mistreatment was wrong; however, it is a characteristic that must be observed and acknowledged in order to achieve a full portrait of the era and combat the racist views of the past.

Huck Finn has shaped how writers write today and how we as a society view literature as something that should not only reflect the values of our time, but draw attention to them as well. Taking it off the list of books to read in English class would be like taking Huck away from Jim and the Mississippi River- a decision that just doesn’t have a raft to float on.

Against Huckleberry Finn

Advanced Placement Literature students are reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a book that glorifies small children running away with grown men that they don’t know. A book written with racial slurs, adult situations, and horrible grammar. The pages are absolutely dripping with racism. This book is currently being read within the walls by students who are barely even old enough to drive.

The main reason for keeping this book on the curriculum for this school is the fact that it has literary merit, but so do so many other books. The Invisible Man follows similar themes of racism and how a black man can survive the racist tendencies in America. This book doesn’t have nearly as many racial slurs, and can save the students a lot of uncomfortability while still getting the point across.

But instead of going along with another viable option to replace Huck Finn, teachers continue to subject students to the bullying that this novel provides. Students already have to endure the foul language of TV shows, and other students, but now they’re also forced to be verbally abused by the books they are reading for class. Students barely have any other option; if they choose not to read this book then they are sent to the library to read an alternative novel, forcing them to be excluded from the class altogether.

This book was written satirically, and some people would say that makes it okay for them to use these slurs, but just because it’s said as a joke doesn’t take away the meaning of the word. No matter how it is analyzed it is still a word with racist connotations that could potentially offend and hurt the students who are basically forced to read it.

While banning a book seems scary, and people automatically flinch away from it as an intrusion on our free speech, it shouldn’t be seen in that light. Banning a book is merely a way to ensure that students are protected from content that could be considered inappropriate or potentially harmful. Huck Finn is offensive, rude and completely unnecessary for the education of students. There are millions of people around the world who never read Huck Finn in high school, and it’s not like their lives are crashing down around them. They are managing just as well as everyone else, the only difference is they weren’t forced to read a book that cusses like a sailor.