Banned Books: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

We're currently reading The Tempest in English class, and somewhere in October, we have to write an essay about it. We can pick one of two options for the subject: colonization or Biblical parallels. If you know me, it's quite obvious that my choice will be the former. We're supposed to compare the meaning of Shakespeare's play in colonial times vs. post-colonial times, which moves my teacher into continuous ramblings about how timeless Shakespeare's writing is.

Then, Ms. Teacher, let me please convince you of the timelessness of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. About how with each mentioning of the n-word, I felt a slight stab near my chest. How the discussion of slavery makes me wish for different ancestors. And exactly those things make me understand, for the first time this month, the reason for banning a particular book.

Justification: Not granted, but I do understand the problem.

Anthem: Don't Panic by Coldplay

Rating: ***1/2

Risk: XXX for younger, mean teens


Review: If we're talking reading enjoyment, this book was a legitimate struggle. I staggered through the audiobook, missed a chunk because I fell asleep, and spent two more days on it than I'd planned to. (As a result of the third, I will have to read Lord of the Flies in one day!) It's not so much that Huck's story bored me. A combination of factors slowed down the process.
A. I dislike reading in dialects. Reading Hagrid's dialogue was a trial from book 1 all the way to DH.
B. The purpose of an audiobook, which is the multitasking, to me, was lost because of the age of the book. Modern English or Dutch, even simple German audiobooks are a blessing, since I can listen to them while I do my homework or study for my Chemistry test. They help solve the biggest dilemma in my life: I have limited time and unlimited desires. But Huckleberry Finn is over a century old and not written in my native language. I need to concentrate on keeping track of the story. So, in the end, all I could do while listening was a.) lying in bed, falling asleep as a result, or b.) drawing. I hold nothing against drawing, but it's not the incredibly lucrative activity I had set my sights on.

I don't dislike the novel, though. One might say I appreciate it rather than liked it. The story is well-written. Despite his racist but historically correct morals, Mark Twain's Huck is a likable character. And, speaking as a possible future literature student, this is the type of novel I want to study in the light of its history. With my limited knowledge of African American history, I'd say Twain was ahead of his time, crafting a very sympathetic, good-hearted dark-skinned character in the form of Jim. Against the backdrop of a world of slavery and racism, Jim and Huck form a strong friendship. This must have made The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn quite the controversial book in 1884 when slavery was just barely abolished. Funny, how even now, we find his work too unsafe to be taught in schools.
In a way, I understand, though.

The following will contain spoilers for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Offensive language

There are two words no one should ever say to an American: 'socialism' and 'n-word'. See? I can't even type it. Logical, really, because the United States carry a long history concerning one of the most painful issues this world has ever faced: racism. So of course, it's scary to allow a child or teen to read a book that keeps repeating a racist slang. You're afraid they will repeat it and use it to belittle African American classmates.

And I'm not going to tell you that the world is a cruel place or that society will reject you but to just continue your journey and fight the baddies or something. We need to stop accepting that the world is cruel and stop blaming society for problems we all create. Society is like a piece of music. It's composed of many verses and notes. And it's awful music. Torture to the human ear. But the music won't get better unless the individual notes change.

But Huckleberry Finn won't change a note for the worse. Don't teach it in middle school, but in high schools, I think students who are already hateful will be hateful and students who are already kind-hearted will be kind-hearted. Yes, racism is taught, but not by expanding one's vocabulary. Racism is a seed planted in unfathomable ways, fueled by our lingering fear of those who look different from ourselves.

Racism/discrimination

An argument to defend this challenge is the way the characters never come out and say racism is wrong. For all those who trod after this theory:

Twain was a firm supporter of African-American and women's rights. But he was no time traveler. At the time, racism was baked into society like chocolate chips into cookies, even in the oppressed ethnic groups. It would have been unrealistic to let either Jim or Huck say, "WTF? Let's quit this slavery shit. Black Lives Matter!" It would be like the queen of England protesting topless with the word 'feminism' written in Sharpie on her torso, to translate it into this time period. Instead of being obnoxious and obviously patronizing, Mark Twain opts for a more subtle approach.

Subtlety explained:
Throughout the novel, Huck is forced to choose between what his gut tells him is right and what society has told him is right. He's told to choose between love and cultural norms. This still applies today. Choose love and what is right instead of what the majority teaches you is correct. When enough people choose what is right over what is considered normal, we can achieve more than you might expect.