A new edition of Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn" will be released this year by NewSouth Books, but with one notable change: Every occurrence of the "N-word," which appears 219 times in the novel, will be replaced by the word "slave." Alan Gribben, who writes the introduction for this new edition, insists this is not an attempt to negate the racial character of the novel, but instead to make the text more accessible to high school students. "Huckleberry Finn" has been a source of controversy throughout the 20th century, primarily because of Twain's use of racial slurs to characterize Southern racism of the 19th century. Parents have protested the novel's inclusion in high school reading lists in school districts across the United States. "It's such a shame," Gribben says, "that one word should be a barrier between a marvelous reading experience and a lot of readers."
This is an understandable but ultimately misguided project. I can understand the perspective of the NewSouth Books: This is not an insidious attempt to rewrite or obscure the facts of history, nor is it an attempt to apologize for white racism. Gribben himself said, "This is not an effort to render 'Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn' colorblind ... in the new classroom, [the N-word] is really not acceptable." Educators want to present "Huckleberry Finn" without making parents or students uncomfortable, and NewSouth is willing to accommodate that need by releasing an edition strictly intended for the classroom. In that context, it would be unfair to raise the "slippery slope" argument; a compromise on "Huckleberry Finn" today does not preclude a wholesale rewrite of "Catcher in the Rye" tomorrow. Certainly, the intention with this edition is to change a single offensive word in a single text.
We should closely consider, however, concerns that necessitate this proposed edition. Ostensibly, parents are upset about the "N-word" appearing in a text assigned to high school students, yet no one has proposed edited editions of "The Color Purple," "Beloved" or "The Invisible Man" - all texts written by black authors. What we have to deduce is that parents do not simply object to the use of the word in any context, but on some level are concerned that the "N-word" wielded by Twain is inevitably racist, or that the text itself is racist.
This is a legitimate debate to engage in, although we should acknowledge that racism is the issue at hand. Literary scholars have argued for years whether "Huckleberry Finn" is a racist text. Twain certainly toed the line between capturing Southern racism and operating within it, but the serious debate in the academic community does not center on Twain's use of the "N-word." "In Twain's perfectly controlled depiction of Huck's thoughts we can hear - we can feel - the full difference between a racist label and a human being," English Prof. Stephen Railton said. Twain clearly associates the use of the "N-word" in the novel with a particular moral condemnation of Southern racists. Rather, scholars take aim at the much-maligned final chapters of the novel in which Jim's suffering becomes a source of amusement and his expansive personality is reduced to a caricature.
The question that arises for educators is whether or not "Huckleberry Finn" has something to offer modern high school students, with the full awareness that portions of the text are potentially racist. In my opinion, it does, and partly because of its 219 "N-words." First, let us end the charade that "Huckleberry Finn" is introducing current students to the "N-word" or the concept of racism for that matter. Today, racism is alive and visible, and the "N-word" is still a complicated component of our national discourse. It is complicated by the alteration of its intent, its context and its continued existence in the face of moral indignation like that currently being discussed. What "Huckleberry Finn" offers is a forthright depiction of the "N-word" as it was originally intended: as a means to dehumanize blacks, to rob them of all defining characteristics - a word meant to convey abject disgust and contempt for all black people. It is this meaning that gives the "N-word" a disturbing amount of power in our national discourse today; it is a singular word that in its use encapsulates and conjures an entire history of racial discord in America. It is important to present this meaning of the "N-word" to students, who today cannot comprehend what the word once meant.
Travis Ortiz's column appears Wednesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at t.ortiz@cavalierdaily.com.
Read More
CARTER: U.Va. Health owes clarity to transplant patients
By Nathaniel Carter | YesterdayUnfortunately, this negative press is fully the fault of U.Va. Health — it failed to address significant stakeholder concerns when crafting its justification.
EDITORIAL: Upholding medical amnesty is a collective effort
By Editorial Board | 2 days agoUniversity leadership, Greek life organizations and students themselves must recommit to the safety provided by an effective and knowledgeable use of medical amnesty.
KURTZWEIL: Dockworkers’ unions cannot avoid the threat of automation
By Paul Kurtzweil | 3 days agoInstead of continuing to demand decreased automation, the union should work with the legislature in the hopes of driving investment into the reorganization of the current workforce.
