Historical and Social Benefits of Mark Twain’s Novel the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

For those who are responsible for educating the next generation to abandon realism and shy away from controversy is a shame. Yet this is slowing becoming our reality in America. A timeless staple in American literature, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is currently wrapped up in a flurry of debate about whether it should remain a part of school curriculum, as it is in 70% of American high schools (PBS). In Twain’s novel, Huckleberry Finn, a Southern boy, runs away from his abusive father along with a runaway slave, Jim. During their misadventures through the 1800’s South, they encounter racism and other hardships. Often hailed as “The Great American Novel”, Mark Twain’s critically acclaimed masterpiece carries with it an extensive array of controversy such as coarse language and racial stereotyping. Despite many critics pushing for the revocation of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as a required reading due to coarse language and racial stereotypes, Twain’s novel is an essential part of any high schooler’s education on the issues of racism, past and present, and therefore should remain a required reading.

Those who oppose The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn being a required reading in schools almost universally cite the novel’s coarse language, saying that it is much too inappropriate to expose to students. In fact, according to writer Dean Rader’s count calculations, the word ‘nigger’ appears in the novel 219 times. This racial slur remains the main focal point of critics’ arguments. They insist that the excessive use of this term was unnecessary and offends many people while soiling the minds of children. This belief that the book insults certain groups and causes discomfort in the classroom is certainly not new. In fact, the dean of a school that recently pulled Huckleberry Finn from its curriculum defended their decision by saying, “We have all come to the conclusion that the community costs of reading this book… outweigh the literary benefits. [Some students] found the use of the N-word to be challenging, and [the school is] not being inclusive” (Hall). Without the use of this word however, Twain’s novel has decisively less impact. Many students continue to believe that the literary benefits of reading such a novel stretch far and wide. After reading Huckleberry Finn, Tom Jan, a high school senior, wrote his reflections on the novel. “[The book] has values that students need to be taught. [Also], this book can help students mature and grow in life. It’s the kind of book that makes you really think about what [Twain] was trying to say” (Jan). From this novel, students are able to learn history, but not just the type of textbook education one receives in history class. From Twain’s novel, students are able to grasp the true reality of the time period. As students read Huckleberry Finn, the sudden realization that the oppression and discrimination going on the in novel are not just a hypothetical scenario but rather the reality of the 1800s turns their world upside down. PBS interviewed high school students who read Huckleberry Finn, and one eleventh grader recalls, “Racism was always part of the conversation… until this unit I didn’t really realize how much racism continues today” (PBS). The reading of Twain’s novel widens students’ historical perspectives on racial issues and opens their eyes to this issue that continues to fester today. While students may not feel comfortable with the topic at first, they cannot argue with the fact that racism was a huge issue plaguing the country in the nineteenth century and has evolved to live on in present day America. Not everything in life is cream and sugar, and Twain certainly doesn’t sugarcoat any events in the novel. Near the beginning of the novel, Huck’s abusive and racist father known as Pap sprouts a drunken rant about blacks and voting. “There was a free nigger there, from Ohio… They said he could vote when he was at home. Well, that let me out. Thinks I, what is the country a-coming to?… when they told me there was a State in this country where they’d let that nigger vote… I says I’ll never vote agin” (Twain 36-37). For a high schooler to read this and to understand what this time period was really like is eye opening. The very idea that this kind of language and these ideas were not only tolerated but widespread throughout the area at the time truly stuns students and progresses their knowledge of history and racial issues. Without using such radical language, Huckleberry Finn would be nowhere near as impactful for students as it currently is. Twain’s usage of this type of language is a harsh wake-up call for students and instantly exposes them to the true histories of current racial divides. The entirety of Huckleberry Finn is something that could truly have happened in the 1800’s and from that, students get a valuable lesson in the realities of life.

Another common point brought up by those who wish to see the removal of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from school curriculaum is that the racial stereotyping and racist scenarios scattered throughout the novel may make it difficult for students to read. An example of racial stereotyping critics bring up is Jim’s ignorance about the world. While sailing on their raft, Huck and Jim get into an argument about languages. Jim appears to be unable to grasp the concept that different languages besides English exist. He ponders, “Well, then, why ain’t it natural and right for a FRENCHMAN to talk different from us? You answer me that… why doan’ he TALK like a man? You answer me DAT!” (Twain 92). Critics point out that this debate between Huck and Jim highlight the depiction of blacks as ignorant and uneducated. However, what they fail to realize is that Jim, as a former slave, would receive minimal to no education to begin with and therefore it is only logical for him not to understand many basic concepts readers today might. Jim’s lack of education also further highlights racism from an educational inequality standpoint. Since the colonial era, blacks were often times not educated, which just perpetuated the cycle of slavery, poverty, and ignorance, hence the reason why these stereotypes exist today. The stereotypes are not a result of ignorance on the part of non-blacks but rather a result of the inaction or oppositional action that whites take when faced with issues of racial inequality. Thus, another invaluable talking point is brought into the classroom and yet another reason emerges as to why The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should continue being taught in the classroom. Jim’s argument has sense to it, and is a very good point for someone who has received the little education he has had. This is a direct contrast to the arguments and other racially charged speeches by many of the white characters in the book. Pap’s rant on blacks’ right to vote, for example, is groundless and completely irrational. Twain confirms this very shortly after Pap’s rant, as

Pap was agoing on so he never noticed where his old limber legs was taking him to, so he went head over heels over the tub of salt pork and barked both shins… he let out with his left foot all of a sudden and fetched the tub a rattling kick. But it warn’t good Judgment… now he raised a howl that fairly made a body’s hair raise, and down he went in the dirt, and rolled there, and held his toes. (Twain 37)

Pap gets so fervid while rambling on about why America shouldn’t let blacks vote that he trips and hurts his leg, then injures his toe while bemoaning his injured leg. Pap proceeds to ironically hop around like an animal, right after comparing all blacks to animals. Add this humorous turn of events onto such an ignorant diatribe and it is clear that Twain intended this scene to be a satirical depiction of many Southerners’ thoughts on African Americans. When compared to Jim’s thoughts on languages, Pap’s tirade is completely absurd and devoid of sense. Those who believe that Twain is trying to paint Jim and other blacks in a negative light typically only look at the surface of the scene and not the deeper meaning. Twain pounces on this opportunity to make people who believe whites are inherently smarter than blacks look foolish. In addition, critics fail to see the parallels between Jim and Huck’s dialogue and slavery in general. Jim can’t believe that people speak different languages, since everyone is supposedly the same. However, if everyone is the same, why are some people enslaved while others free? This theme of racial inequality is presented all throughout the novel and, contrary to opponents’ beliefs, not because Twain’s novel is based on a racist core. Instead, Twain is using his novel as a basis to promote discussion on racial issues, which is a crucial lesson for teachers to explore in the classroom.

In conclusion, Twain’s novel should be kept a required reading in schools due to the literary, historical and social benefits it can bring students. Twain’s novel requires careful analysis to understand the issues he is trying to bring to the table by using irony and satire. Students are more aware of racism today after having read about racism in the nineteenth century and drawing their own parallels regarding segregating behavior then and today. After reading Huckleberry Finn, students are made more aware of racial issues. Mark Twain’s eye-opening words put into their hands the tools they need to shape a better, more equal tomorrow. History is harsh, but there’s no use sugarcoating it. It is unalterable. The only thing humans can do from it is learn and change the future.