Twain’s controversial novel came decades after the proclamation of Independence, yet the story shows the struggles and impact of racism on the blacks. In fact race relations was a dominant factor in the lives of individuals after the Civil War. The Jim Crow laws came into effect to restrain the power of the blacks who lived in the South in many ways. The white Southeners brough laws that offered a professed concept of self-defense to further restrain the blacks in the society. Whether or not the novel finds a place in the classroom, the history of the negative impact cannot change. Arguably, the novel teaches valuable lessons of the past, yet critics note that the language and the treatment of the blacks in the novel make the novel undesirable in the classroom. Nonetheless, educators can use the novel to teach the concept that the poor treatment of blacks is undesirable and this is not how one treats others. Therefore, the novel, ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ should not be banned from the classrooms.
Twain presents slavery as an allegorical and satirical representation of the treatment of blacks in the South after slavery was abolished. Slavery placed blacks in a degrading position, and Twain writes the plot as he interprets the treatment of the blacks in the South. Yet, many literary critics believe that the novel’s contents is heavy in the level of hypocrisy of slavery, and the demonstration of the distorted views of the oppressor and the oppressed in slavery. Telgen reiterates that ‘many critics agree that the book's presentation of the issue is complex’ (Telgen, p. 9). Huck eventually begins to respect Jim even though he is black, yet there are instances when Huck shows his prejudices. Chedwick notes ‘much controversy remains about whether Mark Twain had racist attitudes and whether he displayed those attitudes in his works,’ (Chedwick, par. 1) through teh character of Huck. As such, a number of critics see the novel as a satrical representation of a society that is quite racist and therefore the novel seeks to disrupt the order that exists between whites and blacks.
The satirical element in Chapter 1: “[b]y and by they fetched the niggers in and had prayers, and then everybody was off to bed” (Huckleberry Finn, p. 5). The satire adds humor to the harsh conditions of the novel and Twain uses this satirical element to express his beliefs that the society failed as the characters are bring out the evil in the society. Twain pokes fun at the education, religion, and slavery in the society. This mockery gives critics the power to insist that the novel be banned from the classroom. In addition, Twain’s constant use of the word “nigger” inspires more negative comments on the use of the novel as a teaching tool. Chedwick notes, “stereotypes in his portrayal of the character Jim, excessive use of the racial slur "nigger," and a paternalistic attitude toward African Americans are among the charges made against Twain,” (Chedwick, par. 2). The fact is that many individuals in the society understand that the word is derogatory at best and degrades the blacks. Nevertheless, educators can use the term to teach young minds of the negative impact that the term has on blacks. The word serves as a reminder of the American past. Rawls writes “the language depicts America's pastas it explores racism and slavery in the book, (Rawls, par. 7). In addition, parents in Arizona sued the local high school in 1998 for incluing the novel on the reading list, (Rawls, par. 11), but this ban does not change the fact the blacks faced terrible conditions in the past.
In concluding, the novel is a clear epresentation of the society’s desire to hide the truth from the young minds. The reality is that Twain presents the society as it was at the time. He does not hide the fact whites felt themselves superior to these blacks and treat them accordingly. Still, many critics would prefer if the present society not learn of the realities of the past. Twain looks at the impact of slavery in a witty or satirical way. His writings brought a number of critics to heated debates about whether the novel should be taught in the classroom. The content of Huckleberty Finn is a reflection of the truths of slavery that one cannot repress. The question is: How can a society move forward if there is no connection to the past? The fact that Twain shows the realities of the does not mean that one cannot learn from these expereiences and create new and improved attitudes toward the black minority group in the society. Therefore, the novel should be taught in the classroom to remind individuals of the journey that the blacks travelled to achieve their present status in the society.
Works Cited
Chadwick, Jocelyn (2000) Why Huck Finn Belongs in Classrooms, Volume 16, Number 6
November/December 2000. Web. Accessed December 11, 2014
Kallin, Frederick, 2007 ‘Racial and Religious Hypocrisy in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,
Web. Accessed December 11, 2014
Rawls, Phillip, (2011) Huck Finn: Controversy over removing the 'N word' from Mark Twain
novel Associated Press. Web Version. Accessed December 11, 2014
Telgenm Diane (1997) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Novel for Students Vol. 1. pp. 1 –
21. Gale Research. Web. December 11, 2014
