If there is any debate about the worth of “Huckleberry Finn,” Mark Twain’s masterpiece, it usually centers on its precise place in the nation’s literary history. Many scholars and writers convincingly argue that it is the pre-eminent American novel. Those who argue otherwise don’t deny its merit, but its precise placement on the Top 5 list. Despite its fame, though, “Huckleberry Finn” doesn’t reach the audience it should. That’s because it is firmly ensconced on another Top 5 list. Year after year, it is among the most banned books in U.S. schools.
The reason for the ban is Twain’s use of the “N-word.” The author uses the racially offensive phrase more than 200 times in the course of his classic. That has prompted its widespread ban in many schools. The word is so offensive to modern ears and society that many teachers, administers and parents clearly believe it is better to remove it from the curriculum than to give the appearance of approving such language. That, of course, misses the point.
“Huckleberry Finn” was written more than 125 years ago when the “N-word” was used far more often and far more casually in everyday conversation. Twain’s use of the word reflects the views of his time and of the characters he brings to life in the novel. Even so, there are those who advocate changing the offensive language to make the book more acceptable to modern tastes and sensibilities, thus restoring it to contemporary reading lists.
Alan Gribben, an English professor at the Montgomery campus of Auburn University, has done so in a highly anticipated new joint edition of Twain’s “Huckleberry Finn” and “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.” Among the most prominent word changes are replacing the “N-word” with “slave” and changing the name of the villainous “Injun Joe” to “Indian Joe.” That might solve the problem many have with the novel’s offensive words, but it creates another problem.
Altering Twain’s words changes the language in the book and the novel’s intent. Twain chose words and phrases carefully, and insisted that his text be followed without exception. He once said that “the difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter.” Given that, Gribben’s well-intentioned desire to make the book accessible to a larger audience by changing offensive words to what he considers more palatable ones is a disservice to Twain and to those who read his books.