The Perils of Being Huck Finn For all its greatness in the history of American Literature, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has a history of problems—from the start. It has been argued over, derided, dissected and banned. In the 19 th century critics (especially those from staid Boston) faulted its “coarse” manners and language. In the 20 th century many African-Americans attacked the novel because Twain uses the N-word—something any 14 year old southern racist white boy would do in 1855—the setting of the novel. Here is a link to what that “good guys” say about Huck Finn—writers as disparate as T.S. Eliot and Ernest Hemingway: ckfinn_writer.htm They all love the novel. And they are why you are reading it now! Source: Huckleberry_Finn_book.JPG Huckleberry_Finn_book.JPG

“It is Huck who gives the book style. The River gives the book its form. But for the River, the book might be only a sequence of adventures with a happy ending. A river, a very big and powerful river, is the only natural force that can wholly determine the course of human peregrination.... Thus the River makes the book a great book... Mark Twain is a native, and the River God is his God.” --- T.S. Eliot "Huckleberry Finn took the first journey back. He was the first to look back at the republic from the perspective of the west. His eyes were the first eyes that ever looked at us objectively that were not eyes from overseas. There were mountains at the frontier but he wanted more than mountains to look at with his restive eyes--he wanted to find out about men and how they lived together. And because he turned back we have him forever." --- F. Scott Fitzgerald “All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called 'Huckleberry Finn.' If you read it you must stop where the Nigger Jim is stolen from the boys. That is the real end. The rest is just cheating. But it's the best book we've had. All American writing comes from that. There was nothing before. There has been nothing as good since.” --- Ernest Hemingway

Negative 19 th century views “Mark Twain's ‘Royalty on the Mississippi’ has a trifle of "too muchness of that sort of thing," which is the prevailing characteristic of that sort of writing. It is pitched in but one key, and that is the key of a vulgar and abhorrent life.” The (Boston) Herald February 1, Banned in Concord, MA: “The Concord Mass. Public Library committee has decided to exclude Mark Twain's latest book from the library. One member of the committee says that, while he does not wish to call it immoral, he thinks it contains but little humor, and that of a very coarse type. He regards it as the veriest trash. The librarian and the other members of the committee entertain similar views, characterizing it as rough, coarse and inelegant, dealing with a series of experiences not elevating, the whole book being more suited to the slums that to intelligent, respectable people.” Boston Evening Transcript, March 17, 1885 ( “Here and there are spatches of Mark Twain's best work, which could be read over and over again, and yet bring each time an outburst of laugher; but one cannot have the book long in his hands without being tempted to regret that the author should so often have laid himself open to the charge of coarseness and bad taste.” Boston Daily Advertiser March 12, 1885 ( Huck&Jim on the raft; illustration from the first edition, 1884/1885

20 th century negative reviews Here’s an article summarizing the negative reviews and various bannings of Huck Finn: Common Sense Media’s summary analysis: This article reports on the publication of an edition of Huckleberry Finn where the word “nigger” has been expunged: “Huckleberry Finn and the Whitewashing of American History”: #ixzz2fqHkeqpL Here’s a link to John H. Wallace’s famous/infamous attack on Huckleberry Finn as “racist trash”: ”The Case Against Huck Finn”: _the_case_against_huck_finn.pdfhttp:// _the_case_against_huck_finn.pdf “ 60 Minutes” broadcast on the N-Word in Huckleberry Finn—the text version: html The video on youtube: Article about a Seattle high school student wanting to ban Huck Finn: Huck&Jim: illustration from the 1884/1885 edition.

20 th century negative reviews, 2 : Here’s an article that reports on novelist Jane Smiley’s demotion of Huckleberry Finn as worse that Uncle Tom’s Cabin (from which we get the term “Uncle Tom”; Smiley seems to have a tin ear to black culture!): “Selling ‘Huck Finn’ Down the River”: Common Sense Media’s (commonsensical) summary analysis: Banned Book Week’s list of banned books in the US—Huck Finn is at the top of the list: nnedbooksthatshapedamerica Another article on banning Huck Finn because of the N-word: inn.html Schmoop’s very good, simple and clear take on Huck Finn and the controversy: Huck & Jim investigate a wreck on the river, this is a turning point in the story. Jim has seen Pap, dead; he doesn’t tell Huck—in essence, Jim assumes a fatherly role for Huck. From the 1884/1885 edition.

Strange question from the Internet by Lewiej, September 03, 2012Lewiej Is Jim gay for Huck?! ( When I saw this question I first thought, “Really? Does one man’s expression of concern and love for a teenage boy mean—to some people—that Jim is gay?” I was reminded of the passage in Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily,” where Homer Barron is described as a man who “liked other men”—sure, he liked to drink and smoke cigars and hang out with other men, because in the 1920’s, in the South, women didn’t smoke cigars and drink whiskey with men. They just didn’t. So what we have here is a failure of the younger generation to understand the past. Jim is a slave. Huck is a young teenage white boy who has treated Jim with respect. Of course Jim likes Huck. Why wouldn’t he? Huck doesn’t run to the authorities and tell them that he knows where Jim is! Jim telling the story of “Sollermun” to Huck; illustration from the 1884/1885 edition.