Should Huck Finn Be Taught In Schools Essay

Should Huck Finn be read and taught in schools? This question has been constantly debated since the book was published 132 years ago. According to the American Library Association, it was number 14 on the Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books list for over a decade. Mark Twain’s novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, contains language that may be considered offensive to some, but this should be overlooked because the lessons the reader learns are more important than the language it contains. By Jim’s kindness and love towards Huck, and the different characters that have impacted Huck’s life, readers can gain a deeper understanding of how racism can lead people to judge character too soon. Huck’s experiences of living with Pap impacted him in a negative way. For example, Huck’s thoughts on his relationship with his father are shown when he says, “Pap he hadn’t seen me for more than a year, and that was comfortable for me; I didn’t want to see him no more. He used to always whale me when he was sober and could get his hands on me; though I used to take to the woods most of the time when he was around” (Twain 21). Huck realizes that life will be easier away from his father because whether Pap was drunk or sober, Huck was always in a bad situation, either neglected or abused. In addition, due to the way he was treated, the woods felt like more of a home than his house. Despite Huck's difficult and challenging childhood, he didn't

The lessons that the reader learns through this novel are still applicable today. For example, people today are judged based on their looks and how they dress, not on who they really are. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should be read and studied in schools because the truths found in the book are still relevant to us and can be applied to our daily