Why Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Should Be Banned
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Why Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Should Be Banned
There have been controversies regarding the novel “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” on whether it should be taught in schools or whether it should be banned. People argue that the novel should not be abolished in schools. Nevertheless, there are many reasons why people object to the teaching of this novel in schools. The paper focuses on reasons why “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” should not be taught in schools. Some of the reasons why the novel “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” should ban include its racist language, is not appropriate for kids, and its slavery viewpoint.
The novel should be banned because it contains offensive content making it inappropriate for learners. Huck uses the word “nigger” n-word, which is not appropriate for children. Notably, the term nigger is inappropriate in public communication since it is an insult. If the novel is accepted, learners will be able to use the term and abuse other children, and this would result in moral decay in society. Additionally, the term n-word used in the novel will contribute to race strife and hate crime (Flood, 2015). Students require to be taught good family values so that they may make the best families in the future. When they read books or novels with such offensive content, they may use them until their adulthood. Additionally, the offensive language used in the novel offends political, moral, and religious sensibilities. The use of the word nigger throughout the novel forms the basis of banning its use in schools. Due to the offensive content of the novel, it should be banned from use in schools.
The other reason why the novel should be banned in schools is that it contains acts of violence. It is not appropriate to teach this to young children since it may affect them psychologically. There is plenty of violence in the novel, but the most devastating act of violence takes place in chapter twenty-one during the shooting of the Huck witness (Ferris, 2019). Such violence describes happenings after the firing of the initial shot at Boggs by Sherburn. If this novel is taught in school, it will affect children negatively. Therefore, the novel should be banned due to its violent content.
Thirdly, the novel “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” should be banned because its ending is lousy, and it diminishes the literary value of the novel. The novel should not be taught in schools because its ending is irreversibly flawed. According to critics, the author completed his work, making the novel lose its way, concluding that the end of the novel reprobates into silliness, hence negating the whole narrative’s thematic value. At the end of the novel, Huck abandons moral values which he distressingly acquired, and he regresses them to meaningless Tom-foolery. Additionally, the emancipation of Jim comes in the form of post-dated technicality. Also, Twain leaves readers with a conclusion which implies that the adventure does not mean anything.
Lastly, the novel “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” should be banned because learners may misinterpret it that it condoned the racism of Huck. Notably, there is a possibility that the teachers and students would not realize that the theme of racism is satirized—Huck practices racism which makes him fit in his society. Huck utilizes the n-word without restrictions. The interpretations of the actions and thoughts of Jim are usually based on stereotypes of racism (Twain, 2010). In the novel, Twain understands the racist perception of Huck, but he satirizes it instead of condoning it. Therefore, the novel should be banned because it is difficult for readers to understand.
References
Ferris, W. (2019). Trying to Tame Huck Finn. The Magazine of The National Endowment For The Humanities.
Flood, A. (2015). US school stops teaching Huckleberry Finn because of ‘use of the N-word’. The Guardian.
Twain, M. (2010). Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Vol. 9). Mark Twain Library.
