The Truth of Huck Finn
Throughout the classic novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain continuously and loosely uses the word "nigger." In the society of the year 2002 that word has become one of the most evil and hated in the English language. It is thought of as so bad that it is rarely even spoken, as people prefer to be politically correct and say "n-word" in it's place. The use of this word has caused the book to be banned and censored by many schools across the country, as people want to shield children from the supposed racism of the novel. It was found to be the fifth most challenged book of the 1990's. This word is definitely terrible and has no place in the current society, but it is important to examine Twain's motive behind the inclusion of this word in the story. The book should not be dismissed as cruel and racist before all of the facts are examined. Before forming a wrong opinion, the evolution of the word and the reasons behind it's use in the novel should be examined. After learning all of the facts, the use of the word in the book shouldn't be looked as evil, but as a reminder of how far society has come.
This novel was written in a time very different from today. It was first published in 1884 and is set some years before in the early 1800's. At this time slavery was common practice in the southern part of the United States. People grew up believing there was nothing wrong with it. People in this time spoke almost identically to the language presented in the book, including referring to African-Americans as "niggers." Twain explains the dialects he was trying to present before the story even begins. In an explanatory he says he was using "the extremist form of the backwoods Southwestern dialect" and "the ordinary Pike County dialect." Both of these types of speech would have included this word. Twain did not use this word to be derogatory toward black people but for the story to remain authentic. The appearance of the word in this book should be looked at as a reminder of a bad time in history. It should be viewed as a chance to realize that people were wrong and their mistakes are still trying to be fixed today. Should slavery not be taught in a history class because it shows the racism of America's past?
It must also be pointed out that Mark Twain was not a racist. This is amazing to think of for a white man who grew up in the state of Missouri in the 1800's, where racism was widespread. Many people claim Twain was expressing his personal ideals in the racism of certain characters. This is ridiculous to believe when you consider that the main plot of the novel is a boy overcoming his racist upbringing to realize that slavery is evil and becomes friends with a runaway slave. Why would he write such a novel if he didn't believe in the views he expressed through Huck? It is also often said that Jim is portrayed as an inferior human being. This is another incorrect idea. Twain portrays Jim as a caring and compassionate character. Jim is shown to be unintelligent, but this is another thing that makes the book authentic. A slave would not have had access to education and most of them were not very smart. Jim still overcomes this to be a person of great personal character. He was a courageous and loving man who risks his life and freedom to help his friend Huck. Even well respected African-Americans like Booker T. Washington and Ralph Ellison have expressed their pleasure with Jim's character. Ellison once said that Twain gave Jim "dignity and human capacity." Washington stated that with the character of Jim he "exhibited his sympathy and interest in the masses of the Negro people." All of this gives indisputable evidence that Mark Twain was not racist and did not intend his use of "nigger" to invoke such thoughts.
The evolution of how this word is interpreted should also be examined. Today it has become a racial slur that is used by people who still carry a racist point of view. As most people would attest, it is probably one of the worst things a person could ever say. During the time in which Twain wrote the book and especially when the book was set, this word was not seen as evil, but merely a name for slaves. This is shown by the word's first appearance in the book. In the beginning of chapter as Huck and Tom sneak away they see Jim. As Huck says "Miss Watson's big nigger, named Jim, was setting in the kitchen." This is a great example of what the word is used for. It was simply what Huck called the slaves. He does not say it in a mean or derogatory way. It is simply how white people in Missouri referred to slaves. It is not meant to be malicious but only to enhance the realistic feel of the story.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the greatest and most important books in the history of American literature. Another great American author, Ernest Hemingway, once said, "all modern American literature comes from Huckleberry Finn."
This does not sound like a book that should be banned and censored in schools because of the use of one word. The word may be evil and hated now, but people must understand its importance to the novel. People should not try to hide from the past but embrace what we can learn from it. This novel showed the stupidity of slavery and racism in a society when these were common place. This is probably the best novel ever written by an American and for people to try to dismiss it as a racist book is absurd. Twain had numerous, excellent reasons for using "nigger" in the story. Hopefully someday everyone will appreciate this novel for what it really is and stop dwelling on false claims of racism.
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