The Adventures Of Huck Finn Analysis

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The adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a novel about a young man, Huckleberry Finn, who travels down the Mississippi with an escaped slave named Jim. In the novel, Mark Twain creates a complex relationship between Huck and Jim that reflects the complicated relationship between the ideals of American freedom and the brutal history of American slavery. Ernest Hemingway claimed that Mark Twain’s novel was the root of all modern American literature. Hemingway is correct in his assessment of Huckleberry Finn through Mark Twain’s use of language in the novel, the presence of American themes, and the controversy that the book has created and continues to create. Language is key to the diverse backgrounds that the characters have in…show more content…
This biggest reason that the novel is talked about for the bad and looked at as something that should be banned from schools and libraries is the use of the N word throughout the novel. Yes, it is American history and all kids and adults should be aware of how things were in past times, but for younger children it could give them the idea to use the word in the wrong way and in a way that’s not acceptable to many African Americans today. Right away in the beginning chapters Mark Twain incorporates the N word very heavily and in a way that could be degrading and disrespectful. In the chapter it says, “by and by the fetched the Niggers in and had prayers;” (Pg. 3) that can be a very controversial statement as he uses the word “fetched” and the N word. In a school setting were kids don’t think that strong about serious topics could take this as a playful statement and use it in a degrading way where it would degrade the African Americans in the school. As kids are older and more knowledgeable the novel isn’t a bad read, because it understands as an adult but not so much in the eyes of children. On top of the use of the N word, there are also other "coarse" language in the novel--slang and grammar issues that would not be good for kids to pick up and use in their own grammar. Sentences like “ Doan’ you ‘member de house dat was float’n down de river, en dey wuz a man in dah, kivered up, en…show more content…
And to have Huck the narrator of that was a bold choice on Mark Twains part. Huck is essentially a child, so to see his view of Jim is about the purest way to look at slavery and America’s past. In a way that could be what Hemingway was aiming for. In the novel, Mark Twain’s use of language in the novel, the presence of American themes, and the controversy that the book has created and continues to create is the main attraction to the book and why it is apart of American History that needs to be heard about. As an adult reading the novel it was easy to look past the use of the N word and the grammar errors and for that reason it shouldn’t necessarily be banned but brought to the attention of college students or young adults that understand the message behind it and can not be offended or effected by
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