Jack Wager's Op-Ed

Whether or not The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain should be read in schools is a subject of great controversy. Many people believe that students should not read it because it contains greatly offensive language, namely, the word “nigger.” Others believe that the book would be more acceptable if the word were substituted with a less offensive word, “slave.”

However, other people believe it should be read and taught in schools because it is a classic American novel, a great American story. They feel that the novel teaches us lessons about the past, and that the n-word is part of our past, right or wrong. Purists believe that altering any word would be an outrage, even if it were offensive, that it would alter the meaning of the story.

I think the book should be read in schools exactly the way it was written. Shelly Fisher Fishkin reminds us in her New York Times op-ed, of something Twain once wrote, “’The difference between the almost right word and the right word…is the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.’ He chose his words with care. The ‘new edition’ of Huck Finn is not new; and it is not Huck Finn.” We must assume that Mark Twain chose that word intentionally. If the word is changed, it changes the meaning of the story. Then, “it is not Huck Finn.” It would also be wrong to modify Jim’s dialect, such as, “Well it’s a blame ridicklous way, en I doan’ want to hear no mo’ ‘bout it.” Although some may be offended by the way Twain depicts Jim in his stereotypical speech, modifying it to be less “offensive” would completely alter Jim’s character.

Huck uses the n-word often referring to Jim, “Here was this nigger, which I had as good as helped to run away, coming right out flat-footed and saying he would steal his children—children that belonged to a man I didn’t even know…” It is true, the word stings. However, reading it in the context of the times of Huck Finn reminds us of a terrible part of American history, where the phrase, “he would steal his children,” tragically, makes sense.  It gives an idea of people’s attitudes during that time. Even though Huck sees Jim as a friend, he still has an attitude toward black people that was typical of the time. He accepts that Jim’s children could actually “belong” to a man, like property.  

The word is offensive. However, Jane Smiley says, “If  ‘great’ literature has any purpose, it is to help us face up to our responsibilities instead of enabling us to avoid them…” It is important for students to be reminded of this time in our history.  It was an ugly time that is hard for us to understand, but is a responsibility we must face up to as a society. From our history lessons, we learn the dry facts about slavery, the Civil War, and civil rights. But, I think it’s necessary for us to realize what the country was like back then. Reading stories like Huck Finn help make it real. Not reading them enables us to avoid our responsibilities.

Huck Finn is too powerful and teaches us too much to avoid it in schools today. It ought to be read as a great American story. But, more importantly, it should be read with an open mind to understand our past mistakes, so we are not doomed to repeat them.

Smiley, Jane. "Say It Ain't So, Huck: Second Thoughts on Mark Twain's ‘Masterpiece’." Harper's Magazine 292 (1996): 61-67.

Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  Edited by Shelley Fisher Fiskin; introduction by Toni Morrison, afterword by Victor Doyno. New York: Oxford University Press, 1996.

Fishkin, Shelley Fisher. "The Words of Pap Finn’s Rant." Nytimes.com. The New York Times, 06 Jan. 2011. Web. 13 Jan. 2014.