Huckleberry Finn Should Be Banned Essay

Contemporary society has adapted much to the stringent guidelines which focus on being morally correct and inoffensive. . The need to be righteous has provoked citizens to “fine-tune” or completely ban offensive literature and other outlets of media. Such distasteful works include Mark Twain's fictional bildungsroman, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which—due to its racist and inappropriate use of language—has struck much debate on whether it should be taught in high school curricula. Some chastise the novel for the improper behavior that sets a bad example for the readers, believing it deserves to be banned. In contrast, others argue that the literary work’s original and realistic point of view that accurately depicts American life in the South educates us on the history behind this antebellum era, allowing
it to be praised as the first true American novel. However, there are others who maintain an impartial view on the topic and think that the novel should be kept as an optional read for students. Though each side of the argument advocates valid points, I agree with the belief that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be taught in schools, for Twain’s satirical commentary — conveyed through his naive narrator — is necessary to effectively inform students of the religious hypocrisy that characterized the South.
In order to light-heartedly chastise the Southerners’ vices without being offensive, Twain utilizes Huckleberry Finn, a thirteen year old boy who provides an innocent outlook on the events that occur throughout the novel. An example is when Widow Douglass tries to teach Huck the history of the bible, but after the widow “let it out that Moses had been dead a considerable long time,” Huck takes no interest in learning about him, since he “don’t take no stock in dead people” (Twain 4). Most individuals would find it insolent that Huck blatantly states that if someone is dead, learning about them is irrelevant. Nevertheless, Huck’s perspective is not taken seriously and his comments are quickly forgiven because he is young and states his thoughts without filtering them. His point of view makes the audience aware of Twain’s criticisms about religious hypocrisy and allows them to accept it without belligerence. In addition, Twain also uses satire to add levity to his mockery of the Southerners’ practice of Christianity.
By the same token, Twain establishes a satirical tone throughout his piece, enabling him to further attack the audience’s vice of religious hypocrisy without evoking any hostility. An example of this is when Huck goes to church along with the Grangerfords. “Next Sunday we all went to the church...The men took their guns along...kept them between their knees or stood them handy against the wall...one of the roughest Sundays I had run across yet” (Twain 129). As feuding continues between the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons, they go to church with their guns in hand. They listen to the sermon about brotherly love, which they all agree with, but the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons do not apply this to the feud between them. This eventually leads to the murder of Huck’s friend, Buck, and Huck having to the horrendous experience of covering up Buck’s face (Twain 136). With the help of Huck’s innocent perspective, Twain’s description of the situation allows it to be more comical than criticizing. Twain confronts the audience in such a humorous way that they do not take it seriously while simultaneously evoking guilt for the consequences that stem from religious hypocrisy through Huck’s experience.
Despite Twain’s approach of improving society, many still support the banishment or changing of the book due to its derogatory language.
Mr. Gribben edited The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to exclude the N-word and replacing it with the word “slave” so that it would be approved of and allow teachers to include it in their curriculum without offending anyone with the term. He disregards that the N-word is used today in social media and that labeling Jim as a slave implies that he is property, making the term derogatory, therefore defeating the original purpose of what he was trying to do (Kakutani). The removal of the N-word and the replacement with “slave” occurs due to its demeaning definition; however, the term “slave,” in a sense, has the same as the original N-word. It still serves as an insulting label and it makes the degree of racial discrimination during the antebellum era appear smaller than it was. Yet the word “slave” is still considered as an improvement from the term “nigger” simply because it is not as vulgar. The censorship of the novel serves as a denial to the harsh historical realities and represses them from being remembered
(Kakutani).
Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is filled with content that some would characterize it as worthy of banishment. While some criticize the novel for the demeaning terms and immoral content it carries, others argue that the literary work’s originality recognizes it as the first true American novel and that it should not be banned due to the history that it contains. In contrast, there are others who maintain that the novel should be kept as an optional read for students. I, on the other hand, agree with the belief that the book should be taught in schools for it teaches students of the religious hypocrisy that plagued the South in such a way that it is not found offensive. Twain’s satirical tone and naive narrator help soften the blow of his criticisms to society and encourages them to improve. As the debate becomes more heated, disputes about how to solve this situation continue. It is up to the readers to ensure that it is not banished, and it maintains its originality that educates its young readers.