By Greg Robinson, Multimedia Editor
Some literary classics have been the target of criticism and scorn due to their controversial subject matter and sensitive dialogue. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain’s classic tale about the literal and figurative journey of a boy and an escaped slave, is being released in an updated and edited version where the n-word has been replaced with the word slave, and the word Injunhas been replaced with Indian. It will be released in a companion volume with an edited version of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. The changes have ignited a censorship debate amongst scholars, teachers, students, and aficionados of literature everywhere.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the most contentious books in American history. Twain’s novel has been criticized for its off-color language since it was originally published in 1884. Some scholars consider it a classic and the zenith of American literary prowess. Others argue that the novel’s racist yet historically accurate language is not didactic enough and promotes improper values. These individuals believe that younger students reading the novel might not understand the context of the dialogue and find it acceptable to start using racial slurs.
The man responsible for the edited version of the novel is renown Twain scholar Alan Gribben. He concedes that removing the word doesn’t remove the racism inherent in the novel, but argues that it provides educators with an alternative option if they don’t feel comfortable teaching with the uncensored text.
Mr. Gribben is a scholar and important historian on Mark Twain’s life, and certainly has a valid reason for providing an edited version of the text. Shouldn’t he be allowed to provide educators with this alternative? Although Mr. Gribben’s aspirations are laudable, there are several issues his alterations don’t address.
First, it is important to examine the threat this novel presents. The chance of a teenager encountering racism for the first time in a copy of Huckleberry Finn is unlikely. It is no secret that teenagers and adolescents of all ages largely prefer television, the internet, and video games to reading. Isn’t it more likely that most of their exposure to violence, sexual behavior, coarse language, and racism will come from digital media and television programs? According to kidshealth.org, the average American child witnesses 200,000 acts of violence on television by the time they reach high school age. Also, the media presented on television promotes stereotypical depictions of race and gender and reinforces these in children, whereas literature such as Huckleberry Finn could be explained and comprehended in the classroom.
Context is the biggest issue surrounding this new edition of the novel. Gribben believes that young minds encountering the language for the first time will not be able to comprehend the racist language in the text. However, the novel is almost universally taught in public high schools. Is Gribben suggesting that educators are not qualified enough to teach basic U.S. history to their students? Or that the students are not smart enough to comprehend the time period of the novel and why the n-word was acceptable?
Whatever the case may be, it is unwise to shield students and adolescents from great literature because of fear of misunderstanding. If we believe that they are too naïve to comprehend racism and do not try to teach what is morally acceptable, then they will be forced to decide for themselves, based on the negative depictions of race in the media. Have we lost so much faith in our education system that we no longer believe it capable of teaching right and wrong to a group of teenagers?
