Huckleberry Finn: Racist Propaganda or American Classic?, Clarke, Allison
School of Humanities
Professor: Dr. Doni Wilson
As I near the end of my journey through college, I have begun to prepare for the fact that in just one short year, I will be someone’s teacher. In today’s ever changing climate of politically correct speech and sometimes over the top cultural sensitivity, I fear I may be in for quite a fight. Case in point, I hope one day to teach Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn which has unfortunately been shrouded in controversy since it was first published in 1885. Although Twain’s beloved tale is considered by many to be the quintessential realist American novel, many critics of the work believe that it should not be taught in America’s public schools due to the use of racial slurs and belittling portrayal of African Americans. The biggest opponents to the teaching of the novel try to assign a negative ulterior motive and completely disregard the positive moral message that so many teachers have imparted into their lessons for generations. Twain writes in the preface, “Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot will be shot.” It would seem that Twain’s words were almost prophetic. Those who choose to teach about the poor, young white boy and his adventures with a black slave who becomes his greatest friend believe that it is one of the greatest anti-racism satires of the Nineteenth Century. The problem, as I see it, is that critics are both unhappy with the history itself and are obviously unaware of how satire works. It is my hope to defend the novel and, through extensive research, make a case for its place in the classroom.
