The Cherry

Unintentional Inspiration

When it comes down to deciding how much words and speech matter you have to rely on the situation. In A Scholar Finds Huck Finn's Voice in Twain's Writing About a Black Youth, the author narrates how Twain could have met a boy that inspired him to write Huckleberry Finn: “in an almost forgotten article in The New York Times in 1874 as "the most artless, sociable and exhaustless talker I ever came across"” (Anthony DePalma). Although this boy might have given him part of the idea I find it unlikely that this encounter is the reason he wrote the book. The situation might have had its part and Twain, who already had a vague idea, concluded that he should write the novel. This leads me to the conclusion that all artists are inevitably inspired by their surroundings and the mood in which they are in transforms an idea into a work of art.

Idiots: So Easy

After reading Blackface Minstrelsy I reinforced my position that MT did not make a mistake when using the word nigger in his books. It was used during the time when the books took place and should not be removed. The author shares a Twain’s opinion on Minstrel shows and we can clearly see that his era was one of discrimination: 1906 Twain “said, using a word that would have bothered almost no white Americans at the time but which now makes us wince, that "the genuine nigger show, the extravagant nigger show" was "the show which to me had no peer" and "a thoroughly delightful thing"” (Blackface Minstrelsy). We should not try to hide the past but use as an example for the present. I know it is a cliché but, in this case, it applies.

Because we do not know why twain wrote in such a funny or offensive way, depending on how you look at it, I prefer to think that is was part of his plan to make the book humorous. The conversation between Huck and Jim are, on several occasions, funny. It is much nicer to look at the book with a lighter air and enjoy it for what it is.

History’s Throne

Every book is remembered for the small details that impacted the reader, at least this is my case. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is able to capture a time period and show the reader how people used to speak and act. Huck is very different from Jim, and even though he is a little boy he thought of Jim’s race as inferior. At a specific point he said that he was surprisingly smart for a nigger. Part of what makes this book unique is its language, and changing it will only hurt literature.

Benedicte Page, the author of New Huckleberry Finn edition censors 'n-word' exposes several points of view on the issue of a new version that omits the words “nigger” and “injun”. I agree with Dr. Churchwell’s point of view on the subject, which states: “These changes mean the book ceases to show the moral development of his character. They have no merit and are misleading to readers. The whole point of literature is to expose us to different ideas and different eras, and they won't always be nice and benign” (Dr. Sarah Churchwell) Literature will have to change over time but I do not believe that change should apply to our history. What is already written should stay the same and new versions will have to compete with the original version. I sincerely hope history is able to defend its throne.