The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as a Required Novel in High School

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is arguably Mark Twain’s most valued and accomplished work of literature. Since its publication in 1884, however, its potential literary value has been critically debated. Commonly considered a social commentary, the book portrays the perspectives of Southern society from a young boy as he journeys down the Mississippi river with a runaway slave. Due to its implied themes on controversial and sensitive subjects, some have praised this novel as a masterpiece, while others criticize it as a propaganda that promotes racism. Despite the controversy of its worth, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a book of literary and historical values that should be taught in high schools.

At the heart of the controversy, many critics argue the novel has an ulterior motive to promote racism. When people read the book at the “surface level”, it is often perceived that the practice of discriminating towards blacks is acceptable. Many characters in the book are depicted with extreme white prejudice with the mentality that black people are inferior. Insensitive racial slurs such as “nigger” are used throughout the book that can lead people to believe that Twain is attempting to promote racism. Some even believe teenage readers might perceive the book’s language and behavior as acceptable without fully understanding the true negative connotation. Treating blacks in a demeaning way is prevalent throughout the book and can translate as acceptable racist behavior. Black people in the book are treated disrespectfully, in many cases inhumanely.

While racial slurs and discriminating events are present, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a book of tremendous literary value. During the time period that Mark Twa...

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...on, gender, or socioeconomic issues often become controversial. People must carefully examine the context and intentions of a book to fully understand its meaning. Mark Twain’s use of literary devices such as satire and symbolism make it a novel with priceless literary value, while the vivid portrayal of history in the 1800’s explains in clear context as to why the book should be required reading in high schools. The people who insult the book by arguing it should be banned because of racist language and the innocence of children obviously fail to understand the reason behind Twain’s writing tactics and hidden intentions in the book. As difficult as it is, people must explore our past to understand that discrimination is a prevalent and difficult issue in our society. Losing this book in high school classrooms would be equivalent eliminating our nation’s history.