Essay, Research Paper: Huck Finn

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain is inappropriate reading material for high school students. A story like this may further corrupt a teen s mind. This book deals with adult themes and concepts that are not suitable for immature readers. This book is not to be taken lightly and should not be taught at the high school level.
To begin with, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is not appropriate because it can corrupt a young person s mind. At the age of twelve, Huck Finn is roaming the woods alone and later floating down the river with a group of criminals (Gibson 86). This novel explains in depth various scams, in which Huck, the Duke and the King steal money from good, honest people. Huck and his crew are homeless and they are surviving by stealing and cheating. This is not a good example to set for young adults.
In addition to giving the wrong ideas about life, the language is unsuitable for teen reading. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, takes place in the pre-civil war south. At this time slavery is common and even condoned by society. Blacks were thought of as property (Hirst 26). They were treated very unfairly and inhumanly. When Huck makes up the story on why he, Tom , was late getting to Aunt Sally s house he explains that a cylinder had blown up. When Aunt Sally asked if anyone was hurt, Tom said no; just a few blacks were killed. Aunt Sally was relieved and said, good, sometimes people get hurt. This is an example of how blacks were treated. They were treated like animals and/or property. The niggers were left to live in shacks near the Phelp s house. Telling kids about niggers being killed and treating niggers as servants is a contradiction to our current beliefs that slavery and racism are bad. Another thing is the excessive use of the word nigger . Nigger is an extremely inappropriate word to use in a high school classroom.
Furthermore, not only is the language unsuitable, it is a brutal and vulgar book that teens should not be exposed to. There are a couple of deaths in the book: Colonel Sherburn kills the harmless town drunk, Boggs. Earlier, Huck is staying with the Grangerford family that is in the middle of a feud with the Shepherdson family. Buck speaks of murdering all of the Shepherdsons. Eventually, a Shepherdson kills Buck right in front of Huck. The King and Duke are tarred and feathered later in the book and Huck doesn t think twice about this. Huck also encounters a wreck on the river with two criminals who are about to leave the third to die. Not to forget the alcoholic and abusive father that is killed in a whorehouse (Kaplan 46). These are all examples of the vulgarity of this book. In today s society with all the killings and school shootings we don t need any more ideas in kids heads.
In conclusion, Huck Finn is not the ideal literature for high school students. The ideas, language, and content of the book are not suitable for maturing, growing minds. Huck Finn can only be interpreted in a negative way. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should not be taught to high school students.