Changing Classics: Editing Huckleberry Finn

A new edition of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is being released, with one major edit...the "n" word is being removed.EW.com has a nice write up about it (http://shelf-life.ew.com/2011/01/03/huckleberry-finn-n-word-censor-edit/). In general, a Twain expert, Alan Gribben, is removing the "n" word and the word "injun" to update the book for the 21st century. Apparently the "n" word is offensive...to which I say "No shit, Sherlock!". Reading the 200+ appearances in Huck Finn should offend you, it is offensive. It is an offensive word. It is an offensive mindset. It was offensive back when Twain wrote it. It is still offensive now. It is offensive, but it is in the story for a reason.

I read Huck Finn in high school (I think it was Sophomore year, but it could have been junior year...I remember what teacher I had, but I had her two years in a row so it could be either year). My teacher warned us beforehand that the "n" word was in there a lot and that there was a reason for that. We read the book, we discussed it in class, we talked about why certain things were said and why. Did the word offend me? Absolutely! Which means that it served its purpose.

I'm not sure that the editing of Huck Finn is censorship. "Censorship" is such a complex concept and no one is trying to stop anyone from reading the original, they are just offering an alternative. Having said that, I still think it is wrong. I try not to use a slippery-slope approach to situations like this, but really, what is next? Are we going to write a new edition of The Diary of Anne Frank were the Jews are treated well because it is offensive for them to be killed? Are we going to edit Oliver Twist to be a heartwarming tale of a plucky young lad who has a happy life in the orphanage? I mean, seriously! Books like Huck Finn were written in and/or about a certain period of history and should be true to that time frame. It is unfortunate that people thought like that back in the day, but removing the language from a book does not change the viewpoints. It just makes us look like we are trying to ignore a big part of history. Everyone knows that saying that history repeats itself, but one way to stop that is to learn about that history. If we embrace the feeling that the "n" word is wrong and more importantly embrace the hatred of racism, we can use that to help eliminate racism now.

This blog has gotten pretty deep, so I am going to wrap it up. School is a place where we learn and it should also help shape who we are as people. It is a place where offensive material can be discussed and dealt with in a controlled setting. I am not comfortable saying the "n" word and I really don't know why anyone ever feels the need to say it regardless of their race, but reading it in Huck Finn makes a strong statement and the feelings I got from reading it in Huck Finn made a strong impression on me. Don't edit books to make them less offensive, discuss the offensive material and grow from it.