Discuss The Controversy Of Huckleberry Finn

You have decided that the book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain should be removed from the American literature department’s curriculum. I believe this is a poor decision because of how important Huck Finn is to our: nation’s history, morals, and our development as people. In the case of Huck Finn its greatest criticisms are also its greatest strengths. A main criticism of the novel is its heavy use of the n word. It is understandable to to avoid books with racially degrading words and symbols especially books that promote them. What makes Huck Finn exempt from this criticism is the fact that its use of the n-word was never to promote racism. Mark Twain had wrote his book in the southern vernacular he grew up with. The use of

To condemn Huckleberry Finn for its use of the n-word is like banning works by Anne Frank or The Boy in the Striped Pajamas for mentioning swastikas and nazis in their books. The n-word and swastikas will always be big parts of our history and because they are such delicate topics they need to be understood. Due to its language The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the best lense for understanding racism at the time which makes its use of the n-word serve an educational purpose. On another note, Huck Finn is often criticized for promoting the idea that telling lies is ok when your young. The main character Huck almost never tells the truth to the adults he meets thought out the story. This is an idea that no school would want to convey to their students but Mark twain counteracts this by showing what happens to people that never stop lying. In the later half of the book Huck meets the Duke and King who both make a living as con men. Mark Twain makes an example out of them when they get tarred and feathered for one of their past cons. They were characters that probably spent their whole lives lying and Mark twain makes sure the reader knows the habit of lying will catch up with