“Yours Truly, Mark Twain.”
Andrew Gazzillo
ERH-206WX-02
Col Ball
20141107
Help Received: sources in bibliography, feedback from peer review
Image from: http://fabeetle.com/tag/huck-finn-quotes-about-morals/
Bibliography
Blair, Walter. Mark Twain & Huck Finn. Berkeley: U of California,
1962. Print.
Budd, Louis J. New Essays on Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1985. Print.
Quirk, Tom. Coming to Grips with Huckleberry Finn: Essays on a Book,
a Boy, and a Man. Columbia, MO: U of Missouri, 1993. Print.
Sattelmeyer, Robert, and J. Donald Crowley. One Hundred Years of
Huckleberry Finn: The Boy, His Book, and American Culture:
Centennial Essays. Columbia: U of Missouri, 1985. Print
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain,
is undoubtedly a timeless American classic. Twain’s tale brightens the reader’s imagination,
painting vivid imagery of life along the Mississippi River in the 19th century and has proven
successful over the test of time. Or has it? Upon publication the work was instantly subject to
widespread criticism for its vulgar vernacular and racist persona. It is still considered one of the
most challenged novels in America, and frequently the debate has been made to ban the book
from American schools. This is an abomination. Those who question the novel simply based on
language have completely overlooked the true implication of the piece. Despite protest from
critics Twain would never had wanted readers to question his piece as slander. He wrote The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn the way it is not because of racist ideals, rather to challenge
stereotypical southern thinking and provide a work about growing from child to man and the
lessons along the path of boyhood.
Before readers can understand the novel, they must understand the author. Mark Twain is
Huckleberry Finn. He like his character was born along the grand Mississippi banks in mid-19th
century Missouri. Twain and Finn were exposed to slavery, a norm during the era, and were
without a father for most of their lives (Sattelmeyer; 59-64). This generalization of comparisons
provides a legitimate hypothesis for why Twain molds Huck into the character he is with similar
language, norms, and opinions.
One purpose to Twain’s style is to entertain readers while providing a moral through
American culture. It is necessary for Twain to assess the realism of American during this era in
order to effectively convey his purpose (Budd; 36). Without the hardships of slavery or the
struggle of living without parental guidance, the significance of Huck’s epiphany is far less
significant. The novel takes place pre-Civil War but was written almost twenty years after the
wars end. The setting is noteworthy because even before the total abolition of slavery Twain
provides an instance where a white southerner freely chose to against his culture and aid a black
slave. The moral present is the importance of sticking with your gut to do the right thing even it
means lying and stealing to protect a friend. For many, it is difficult to decipher this realization
due to the amount of satire, and sarcasm presented by Twain however it is a ploy by the author
himself to make a mockery of southern slavery greed. Twain’s glimmer of hope for society was
Huck’s ability to see through the fog of his culture. Being able to have a clear conscience
through decision making is a true testament to growing up as a man.
The most frequent challenge made by opponents of the novel is the language, particularly
the use of the word “nigger” and the perception of African-Americans. However; if one were to
look at the history of the south in the mid-19th century it would have been completely normal to
use this term. As much as many American’s hate to remember, the reality is slavery was very
significant in the culture of the United States during this time period. Any child whether it be
Missouri or another slave state would be influenced by slavery either by their parents or by their
surroundings like a sponge simply absorbing the liquid it is placed in. Twain himself was not a
racist, rather a strong supporter of Abraham Lincoln and the abolitionist movement . Through his
choice of such a derogatory word he is merely expressing the time period as he recalls, an era
where sadly African-Americans were not regarded as human beings and an age where it was
common practice to do so by all, regardless of color. But according to these opponents the word
“nigger” is not the only issue, as Twain also portrays Jim and other black characters as
uneducated, and only fit to be slaves. This too is merely an issue of time. How many educated
and proper speaking African-Americans would truly be found along the Mississippi in this time?
How many free African-Americans made their livelihoods in the south in this time? Despite the
harsh nature of slavery and the grim history that surrounds it, Twain has no reason to omit it
from his novel. He based his writings on his own surroundings in a time period were such
thinking was appropriate. How would readers of Twain’s era analyze today’s works like 50
Shades of Gray, or The Catcher in the Rye? In order for Twain to captivate the realism,
characters, and morals of the story to those of his own experience it was necessary for him to use
such diction in order to give the reader a true glance into this era (Budd; 47-48).
If readers can take a look past the controversy and beyond the vernacular and degrading
history, there is but one feature left; the story of a young boy and his self-education of right and
wrong on the banks of the Mississippi. Huck like any young boy is very influenced by his own
surroundings, and many life lessons come from these experiences. Boyhood involves testing
your boundaries, and discovering the evolution from a mere boy to a man. Take for example
understanding right from wrong when Huck questions whether or not he should save Jim.
Growing up is learning to make decisions for yourself without relying on others for support.
Huck was left to his own accord on that raft. His whole life he had been taught it was unlawful to
aid a slave and that he was to turn in runaways (Budd; 119). However, Twain reveals that Huck
experiences an epiphany and wins an internal battle with his conscience to do the right thing and
save his friend (Blair; 334,338-342). This decision made solely by Huck is by no means racist
and can be interpreted as a glimmer of hope in an age where the stereotype that black and white
cohesion was virtually nonexistent is proven false.
Does The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn deserve the controversy? How can readers
possibly overlook the ominous cloud of racism? The simple answer is read. Place yourself into
the beat, worn out shoes of Huck. Immerse yourself in his environment, thoughts, and education
and you’ll find only a boy from Missouri undergoing the same internal conflict all boys face. The
author never sought out the significance of slavery as anything more than a piece of the setting.
Huck Finn is Twain’s analogy for the fault in human thinking, and is promoting the equality of
all men in coordination with his true intent in mind.
Reflective Tag
While researching topic and ultimately writing my essay, I came across a multitude of
knowledge I was not made previously aware. I found it very interesting that despite being from
the south, Twain was an avid abolitionist. From my research it seems he like his character Huck
came to the conclusion that all men are equal at a very young age. This goes against everything
someone with a rather broad knowledge of this era’s history would understand. The standard
assumption would be that children living in the south would follow in the views and opinions of
their parents and their environments. Even though abolitionist and equal rights activist in the
south were not impossible, they were certainly rare and even scarcer would be willing to write
about such a topic in a manner like Mark Twain.