The novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, has received much criticism through the years. Yet Ernest Hemingway, among other great American writers, considers this work a great American classic. This novel addresses many social issues in the South before the Civil War, causing some critics to find it racist or degrading to the African American culture. For this reason, these critics often attempt to ban Huckleberry Finn, or at least censor it, taking it out of the teaching curriculum for junior high and high school students. Analyzing Twains major themeshis satire of racism, the cruelty of the dehumanization of Jimand the ignorance and inhumanity of the South reveals that although some subjects and terms used are somewhat mature, this book has valuable lessons to teach.Huck says, Human beings can be awful cruel to one another (225). Throughout the novel, Twain uses satire to address issues about which he feels strongly. The two main areas he satires are racism, and the cruelty of human beings. He does this so that the reader has the ability to think on his own and draw their own conclusions and opinions about the happenings of that time. Huck, Tom, and Aunt Sally are speaking to one another about the boat ride, Aunt Sally asked Huck if it hurt anyone and he says, Nom. Killed a nigger (216). Aunt Sally responds with, Well, its lucky; because sometimes people do get hurt. When reading this passage, Twain forces the reader to ponder and question Aunt Sallys response on his own and then he will hopefully find it disturbing and horribly wrong. At times the reader can miss the message and take the vulgar and demeaning passage offensively, explaining the desire of some people to keep it away from their children. This action may have some benefit for some younger students, but that should not give the allowance to completely ban the book. In the eleventh grade, students receive the requirement to read Huckleber...
