The Mutilation of a Classic
So, today I'd like to talk about something that is extremely serious and which is a major sore spot with me. I'm going to be discussing the recent 'revisions' made to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I will be using the 'n-word' in a few places relation to the use in the book. If you're going to be offended by this, please stop reading now. You have been warned.
Firstly, I'd like to say that my vehement objections to this sort of action, along with the concept of 'banning' or 'challenging' books extends back long before I, myself, was a published writer. I was brought up to cherish books and to respect the work that went into producing them.
I first read Huck Finn when I was about ten (along with dozens and dozens of other classics that my grandmother, who worked at the local library, would send to me) although some of the satirical elements of the story were rather above my head. Never would it have occurred to my family to prevent me from reading it because of racism or poor language. Rather, my parents were wise enough to allow me to read it and be willing to discuss any questions I had about it with me in an open and adult manner. Reading the word 'nigger' did not make me a racist, nor did it permanently damage my psyche, or that of any of the other people I've met who've read it over the years.
My firm belief is that the problem is not with the text of the story, but with the society that is demonizing it. I find Dr. Gribben's actions here offensive on many levels, not just as an artist myself, but as a reader and as an intelligent, thinking person.
Mark Twain did not set out to write an offensive book. What he did do was attempt to present a 'slice of life' in the antebellum South. The fact of the matter is that in that area and during that time period, the black population was enslaved and looked on by many as less-than-human. Even Huck, himself, at the beginning of the novel thinks this way but throughout the narrative of the book, he gets to know "Nigger Jim", and to love him as a friend. The application of the word Nigger goes from being a thoughtless epithet to being almost a part of Jim's name.
In many ways, Huck's evolution in his thinking mirrors our own evolution as a society from ignorantly enslaving of the black community to acceptance and embracing of them. It was hardly easy; there were many bumps in the road, but ultimately, the days of slavery and 'separate but equal' are behind us… but they should never, ever be forgotten.
To me, this is similar to the factions in Germany who want to deny that the Nazi party ever rose to power or those who chose to believe that the Holocaust against the Jews never happened. We cannot forget the atrocities of the past. A co-worker of mine, Tabitha Elders, stated it beautifully when she told me "The message they are sending to the next generations is a little too loud and clear: "If you don't like what history says, sterilize it until it reflects your opinion."
Yes, the N-word is painful to hear and to say, but that's not necessarily a bad thing! To me, to remove that from the text takes away some of what we should feel looking back and looking at the subjugation that occurred. The shock value of it smacks us in the face again and again. The sting of that epithet should inspire us to take steps to ensure that we will never again make the mistakes that our forefathers did.
The above reasons are bad enough, but then there's the hypocrisy involved as well. Dr. Gribben has done away with both 'Negro' and 'Nigger', and yet left the other racially charged epithet intact: 'Injun'. If you're going to be 'racially sensitive', it's not exactly fair to remove some and leave others. I guess the Native American community just isn't vocal enough to be worth Dr. Gribben's effort.
As for myself, I'll leave Dr. Gribben's 'edition' on the shelf and pick up the real books for myself and my family.
