The End of Huck Finn

The End of Huck Finn

  • Submitted By: arya
  • Date Submitted: 02/24/2009 4:40 PM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 1450
  • Page: 6
  • Views: 1328

The End of Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel set in 1830’s that recounts the journey of a young white boy, Huck, and a runaway slave, Jim, through the American south. The Novel shows the inhumane and frankly racist side of the American society of the 1830’s. Huckleberry Finn exposes the contemporary student to the embarrassing past of the country, a past marred by unfair stereotypes as well as disgusting racial epithets. The contemporary student should not be exposed to such racially charged slurs and stereotypes, for in many cases, those very slurs and stereotypes become reality for students. Whether used jokingly or seriously, the use of a racial slur or stereotype is not acceptable in society. Although a work by one of America’s most prominent writers, the novel Huckleberry Finn should not be taught in high schools in America. Mark Twain could have written an equal or better novel without having it pervaded by unacceptable slurs and stereotypes. With many stereotypes already prevalent in high schools, the contemporary student would not be able to handle the exposure to those in Huckleberry Finn.
In the 1830’s, slavery was a thriving societal institution. With the economic boom caused by the invention of the cotton gin, slaves were at their highest demand ever. The economic uses of slaves in no way justified slavery, for the taking of someone’s freedom cannot ever be justified. Accepting slavery, however, was just a fact of life. Because of its economic implications, the abolition of slavery was not feasible at the time. It is not, however, for the exposure to slavery that the novel should not be taught, but for the novel’s excessive use of the word “nigger”. The “n-word” was and still is a racial slur used to describe a person of African-American descent. It is a very sensitive topic in contemporary racial relations, and its improper use has lead to numerous scandals, violent uprisings, and much of the like. This word...

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