The Controversy Over The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twain, there are events, words, and ideas that are very controversial today. Many people believe that the book should be banned from schools because of the ideas from the novel. The book actually has been banned from many different schools and libraries today. There are many different topics why there is controversy in today’s society with the novel. Three controversial topics in the novel is racism, Huck’s personality, and the crudeness of the novel. The first reason why The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is controversial is because of the racism portrayed in the novel. Racism in the novel is actually the biggest controversy. Some people believe that the educational system should censor any racism the novel by taking out offensive words towards the black race. In the novel, it accurately portrays society as it was in the time period, with black people being the property of white people. Many …show more content…
The novel has some very crude events that pertain to racism, death, and torture. A few of these being Buck, Huck’s friend getting killed along with his family, the ‘King’ and ‘Duke’ being tarred and feathered, Jim being escaped out of captivity, and Tom getting shot. These events have some very morbid explanations in the novel, which causes debate on whether these events should be available for the youth to read, and even more be forced to read in certain classes. One side of the debate argues that these events have a negative influence on the youth of today, and that the events should either be censored or banned. The other side of the debate argues that the events in the novel accurately pertain to the society of the time. Even though the individual cases are not true, the society that it depicts is accurately shown through these
Many of the eminent author Mark Twain’s books have been banned from school reading lists and libraries all over the country. These books, like The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn are iconic and give readers an insight into just what life was like in slavery. Although some people think The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be banned, it should not because in the book readers get to experience a character grow in morality and the book shows the history of the country but in a fictional way that is interesting to young readers.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is considered by many to be the greatest American novel ever written. Despite this praise, Mark Twain’s masterpiece has never been without criticism. Upon its inception it was blasted for being indecent literature for young readers because of its lack of morals and contempt for conformity. Modern indignation toward Huck Finn arises from its racist undertones, most notably Twain’s treatment of the character Jim. As is the case with many canonized yet controversial books, the biggest conflict revolves around the inclusion of Huck Finn on required reading lists of public schools throughout the country.
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a significant book in the history of American literature that presents readers with the truth of our past American society in aspects such as speech, mannerisms, and tradition that we must embrace rather than dismiss by censorship. It is a novel that has been praised and proclaimed America’s “first indigenous literary masterpiece” (Walter Dean Howells) as well as one that has been criticized and declared obscene. It has undergone much scorn and condemnation as a novel and many feel that it should be censored. This, however, is not the way it should be. Huckleberry Finn is a masterpiece and, as a matter of fact, it is one on many levels. The story itself, though
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a novel by Mark Twain, has been controversial since it hit the shelves on its release. The novel had ideals of racism, slavery, tricks, and societal wake up calls that was a smack in the face to readers. This novel has been fought now and again to be censored, or to be banned altogether from public high school reading lists. Huck Finn is a novel in which the reader doesn’t have to look very far below the surface to see the message and proofs it brought to the surface. The word choice, character traits, and plot line are all factors that made Huck Finn what is considered the greatest fiction novel in American writing. Ernest Hemingway, author of The Great Gatsby and other major literary works, said, “All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn." The novel was written to shock people, and that is exactly what it did. Censoring or banning this novel would be taking away a piece of American culture and taking away meaning from the purpose of the novel. Huck Finn should be encouraged in high schools, as written, and taught to show the meaning and influence this novel had on people at the time it was written.
Since the early ages of literature, there have been works of literature that have been considered controversial because of the content, as some believe they are offensive or inappropriate. Works such as Martin Luther 's 95 Theses and The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger are just two works of literature that have sparked major controversy. One of the most controversial works of American literature is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twain and eventually published in 1885. The novel expresses major points of that controversial time period that many people take offense to. One problem that people have had for years about Huck Finn is whether or not to allow this novel to be taught in the English Language Arts curriculum. People included in a grade nine through twelve grade are taught by the use of the ELA curriculum. The groundbreaking themes of Huck Finn, outweigh the reasons why people believe it should be banned, making it an essential read in American literature. There are parts of the novel that should not be read by young children, such the use of the word "nigger," how Huck saves a black man, Huck’s lack of maturity, and Huck’s fraudulent schemes require a certain amount of maturity that is not possessed by middle school students. Therefore, the teaching of this novel should be restricted to ninth grade as the minimum age to read this novel in an English classroom.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a classic novel with the ongoing debate of whether or not the novel should be read within schools. This debate is surrounds to book within the matter of slavery and harder writing for students to understand. However, Huck Finn educates students about the past in a different view also opens students up to local color by showing slaves are humans as well.
Mark Twain’s novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is considered an American classic. However, critics demand the book should either be censored or banned from high school classrooms, because of its racial overtones and use of the “N-word” 215 times. Several schools, in fact, have already banned the book. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should not be censored or banned, and should be read by high school students, because it is an important work of literature that illustrates what life was like for African-Americans prior to the Civil War.
Many students and parents believe that this book should not be taught in schools because it can be offensive to some readers. Parents complain of their children reading such a "racist" book at school and demand that it should not be forced upon them to do so. Huckelberry Finn is said to be one of the greatest novels in American history and it is very brave for someone to say that it should not be taught. Most people believe that Jim is portrayed as a fool in Huck Finn when in reality he wasn't. Jim is the stereotype for a slave from that time period, but he is also different than people see him, Jim is a very caring man. He stays with Huck after realizing that his father had died, he also went through so much trouble to be with his family again. That is something that not all men would do.
There are many important and historical themes in Mark Twains “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” The one that I found to be the most interesting and the most historically accurate was the controversial racism that is presented all throughout the book. A lot of this time period was predicated on racism, and this book shows it by giving us eye opening examples from beginning to end.
Mark Twain has always been one of the most controversial authors of all time. Though in recent years, there has been increasing controversy over the ideas expressed in his novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In some extreme cases the novel has even been banned by public school systems and censored by public libraries. The basis for this censorship is the argument that Mark Twain's book is racist, but in reality Twain was against racism and used this book to make people aware of what was going on in the south. He did this by using the regional dialect of the south, showing the attitude of the other characters in the novel toward black people, and showing his depiction of black characters. If one were to "read between the lines"
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a sequel to the Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain illustrates the Southern states and slavery. Published in 1884, the novel focuses on the important issues that affected America. These issues included racism, slavery, civilization and greed. The book has become one of the most controversial books ever written. The controversy has grown to the point that the novel became banned in several states due to its racial and slavery context. Various symbols, quotes and events have been used in the novel to show hypocrisy in the civilized society in the novel.
The novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, has sparked debate ever since its release. Many question whether or not the book should be censored or even banned, due to its supposedly controversial content and dialogue. In Mark Twain’s time, the author of the novel, racism was an extremely delicate topic. Twain takes racism, exposes it to his audience, while reminding the world of humanity’s nature through the themes of hypocrisy, societal justice, freedom, conscience, and friendship, to name a few. As a result, it is no surprise that there are varying views in terms of Huck Finn’s availability to the public.
Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn is perhaps one of the most controversial novels the North American Continent has ever produced. Since its publication more than a hundred years ago controversy has surrounded the book. The most basic debate surrounding Twain's masterpiece is whether the book's language and the character of Jim are presented in a racist manner. Many have called for the book to be banned from our nation's schools and libraries. Mark Twain's novel is about a young boy who was raised in the south before slavery was abolished, a place where racism and bigotry were the fabric of every day life. The novel is the account of how Huck Finn, who is a product of these
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain has been called one of the greatest American Novels and considered a masterpiece of literature. The book is being taught by teachers across the country for years. Now, Huckleberry Finn, along with other remarkable novels such as Of Mice and Men and To Kill a Mockingbird, is being pulled off the shelves of libraries, out of schools and banned from classrooms because it has been considered unsuitable and racist for today's youth. An classic American novel like this book should not be banned from schools; it shows history, growth and friendship.
Huckleberry finn or huck finn for short has had plenty of controversy since the book was first published. Many people believe that because of the words Twain used in the book many people blatantly believe that the book huck finn is racist. Since the book was First Published people have been trying to ban and not allow people to read huck finn. Many people believe that Huck Finn should not be taught in school simply because of the tone and words Twain decided to use while writing the book while others on the contrary believe that Huck Finn had a powerful message that spoke against racism and slavery. “ Falling from grace” ( Twain 35) This quote can mean many different things but how most people see it, it can show how much this book affected racism and hate in america it really portrays what life was like during the time period that Huck Finn was set in. Why should Huck Finn be taught in school and why is there so much controversy surrounding a novel.