Huckleberry Finn Controversy Essay

The racially charged novel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain causes much controversy, yet it still impacts American culture in a way that very few novels do. School districts debate whether the novel should even be a part of high school curriculum because of the controversy surrounding it. Twain’s novel does, in fact, have immense educational value and can contribute very much in shaping the minds and cultural literacy of soon to be young adults in America, through high school curriculum. In such racially charged times it is more important now than ever to reflect on the root of the racial discourse seen today. By reading about Huck Finn, high school students can have a better understanding of the racial inequalities and ideas
Hints of racist prejudices can be found in Twain's novel. As students go out into the world it is important to realize that there can always be hypocrisy embedded in any cause. The importance of this is as great as the message Twain hoped to convey through Huck Finn. In her article “Say It Ain’t So, Huck: Second Thoughts in Mark Twain's Masterpiece’”, Jane Smiley argues against the greatness of the novel for this reason and explores the underlying racism within. Smiley points to Twain's decision to have Huck take Jim down the river as an example. She comments,” What this reveals is that for all his lip service to real attachment between white boy and black man, Twain really saw Jim as no more than Huck’s sidekick...”(357). Smiley criticizes Twain’s failure to give Jim the plot line he deserves by today’s standards. While this is incredibly important, it is not a reason to discredit the novel. Showing students the flaws in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn causes them to think about the reasons as to how someone could advocate for the freedom of an entire group of people yet also contribute to the mistreatment of that group. It also causes them to think about how society got to the point it has today in regards to social injustices and awareness. In this way, the integrity of the novel deteriorates as early as chapter 4 when Twain integrates stereotypical behaviors
Everything about the book feels forbidden, from the intense language to the plot itself. In “This Amazing, Troubling Book”, Toni Morrison recalls that she found the novel to be extremely uncomfortable and worrisome, but Morrison also states that she was without guidance the majority of these times. Without the guidance of a teacher the message of the book disappears in the controversy of it all. On their own, high schoolers will read this book and have the same reaction. Teaching this book to the students offers the guidance they need to understand such an important and relevant novel. The very ending of the book is an example of the troubling nature of the novel that confuses most readers and provokes teachers to wonder whether or not the novel really is something of value. Twain reveals that Tom knew Jim was free and only pretended not to for the “adventure”