Sebastian Langheinrich's Op-Ed

Sebastian Langheinrich

The problem society has with The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is whether we should let schools be able to read the book or not, due to the vulgar language “nigger” and “injun”.

            I think that schools should be aloud to read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn even though there is harsh language because Huck shows us to fight for what we want in life. I also believe that schools should keep the crude words because they give the reader a certain feeling. If the words would be switched than you wouldn’t get feeling of how harsh America was towards slaves during the time of the book.

            I believe that this novel shows Huck fighting for what he wants which is to be free from civilization and do his own thing. I believe that when Huck says, “But I reckon I got to light out for the territory ahead of the rest, because Aunt Sally shes going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I cant stand it.” (Twain Pg.260) he is showing that he wants to get away from being “sivilized”. He obviously “cant stand it” so he is doing what he wants and knows is best for himself and is going to “light out for the territory ahead of the rest”.

            I understand that the words in Huckleberry Finn are inappropriate, but if you would switch them, the student who would read the book wouldn’t have the same feeling at the end of the story. They wouldn’t notice how rough times were when the United States had slaves. When Huck says, “Tom Sawyer a nigger stealer!” (Twain Pg.202) you noticed how powerful the word “nigger” is. But now if you would switch “nigger” with the word “slave” it wouldn’t be the same. Because in our worlds history slaves could’ve been anyone from a person captured in war to someone just taken advantage of. Also when Huck says “nigger stealer” he is acting as if Jim is just an object or owned. But if it were “slave stealer” the words wouldn’t pop out to you as much because they didn’t symbolize a terrible time in our nations history, there have been slaves of any color all over our world. The word slave isn’t as insulting as “nigger”.

            For me after reading the novel I would disagree with Paul Butler who posted an Op-Ed on The New York Times because I didn’t see our society in colors like Paul Butler did. I still saw all of my friends the same and as equals except for their goofy personalities. When Paul Butler says, “If other teachers think keeping those epithets in is worth the pain they will cause students of color, I understand that too.” (Butler NY Times Op-Ed) to me it seems like he is saying that when students read this book they will automatically see everything in “color”, they will see their fellow students as black, white, yellow, or whatever other stereotypical colors there are. I also don’t believe that causing people to see their society in “color” is what Twain meant to happen. I feel as if Twain meant for his readers to see each other as equals despite the difference in skin color. I believe this because (on page 55 online) Huck explains that he saw “white” inside of Jim because of the good action and thought that Jim did/had for Tom. I understand that seeing him as “white” inside simply could be argued as seeing Jim once again as a color, but I feel that there is more meaning to it such as Huck only knowing white and black people so he says that Jim is also like a white person with a heart and mind (inside).

            I think that this book should be read in schools because the only reason as to why people see the society in color after the novel is because all they think about is how their was racism or how the story didn’t stop racism or slavery. Just reading the book and getting into deep thought will not cause this unless you’re trying to find some new whole meaning to this book. I still believe that the words shouldn’t be switched. Even Morrison says, “…what it cannot be dismissed” (Morrison) stating that you “cannot” “dismiss” the words to others that will have less effect. It will change the whole thought on the book and our nations history. So I believe that schools (mainly High School) should read Huckleberry Finn because it is a great novel that requires a lot of thinking and it also secretly told me to fight for what I want and I will achieve it.

Work Cited

Paul Butler, “Why Read That Book?” The New York Times (2011)

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.

Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2000. Print.