Huck Finn Reading Questions (Better Late Than Never)

1. Have you read the novel-Huck Finn-before?  If so where and why?

Yes, I read the novel three separate times during high school.  I first read the novel as a summer reading assignment before my freshman year, keeping a dialectical journal about the novel.  The second time I read the novel was as a junior in preparation for the AP Language and Composition exam, examining the themes and symbolism in the novel as well as the controversy surrounding the novel. I read the novel a third time as a senior in high school as I prepared to be a teacher assistant in a freshman English course.  I read the novel this third time as a review of the key facts so I could properly grade the students’ papers.

2. What was your response to reading Huck Finn, and what do you remember from your reading?  Also, did you actually read the whole novel, or just parts of it?  Did you read Cliff Notes or Monarch Notes instead?

I remember enjoying the book every time I read it.  In my high school, Spark Notes and Cliff Notes were essentially considered contraband, earning you detention or grade reduction if you were caught with the materials.  The teachers were strict in order to ensure that students were not simply reading these study materials in place of the actual text; however, if you wished to read these resources as supplemental information, you took a huge risk.  The first time I read the novel, I was taken aback by the use of the “n-word” and felt uncomfortable every time I read it.  The second time I read the novel, I was still appalled by the language and could not understand its purpose.  My classmates shared this viewpoint and raised the question in class to our teacher.  Our teacher, prepared to cover the themes and symbolism in the novel, abandoned her previous lesson plan in order to help us understand the controversy surrounding the book and the interpretations of the “n-word’s” significance/purpose in the novel.  After learning about this controversy and the opinions regarding Twain’s use of the “n-word”, I was able to read the text a third time the following year with a new and enlightened perspective, allowing me to read the novel on a deeper and more significant level.

3. If you were assigned to read Huck Finn in a previous class, either here or in high school, how did your class as a whole react to the novel?  Why do you think your instructor assigned the novel?  How did he or she try to "teach" the novel?

The first time I read the novel, our class did not even discuss the book.  The book was assigned as a summer reading project, due the first day of school.  After we turned in the project, the book was never mentioned again. 

When I read the novel for my AP course as a junior, our teacher conducted lessons on the material and related topics for approximately one month.  As a class, we explored the themes and symbolism found in the novel; but the most memorable discussion was about the controversy surrounding the banning of the novel in many public settings.  Our teacher showed us two documentaries interviewing a variety of intellectual authorizes concerning the controversy.  Our teacher was a strong proponent of valuing differing opinions and regarding multiple perspectives as existent and valid.  The way she taught the novel reinforced her efforts to aid us in valuing and acknowledging the existence of different perspectives.

4. If you were required to read Huck Finn in a previous class, what sort of assignments were you required to complete, and what exactly did you do during the classes when Huck Finn was being discussed?

Often, teachers required students to keep dialectical journals, responding to two or three quotations from the text for each chapter of the novel.  Also, teachers created quizzes to test basic knowledge of the text concerning characters, events, plot, and symbolism.  My AP teacher held discussion circles each class period in order to facilitate open discussion concerning the novel.  These discussions were great opportunities for students to respond to the novel in an open and welcoming environment as well learn from the perspectives of other students.

5. Huck Finn is still one of the most controversial and most banned books in America.  Why is it so controversial?

While controversy surrounds Twain’s frequent use of the “n-word”, I think the main controversy surrounding the text is Twain’s portrayal of blacks through the character of Jim.  In one of the documentaries, several prestigious black professors from leading universities criticized Twain’s portrayal of the black race through the often superstitious and ignorant Jim.  While Jim is considered one of the novel’s most human and naturally “good” characters, his adherence to superstitious beliefs and practices, combined with his servant-like following of Huck, propagates a negative image of the black race.  I remember one professor stated that they did not oppose the use of the “n-word” as much as Twain’s characterization of Jim as ridiculously superstitious.

Conversely, many regard the novel as an accurate portrayal of the time period and a condemnation of slavery and racism.  For this reason, many educators support this novel’s presence in libraries and classrooms, establishing a controversy surrounding the novel.

6. Is Huck Finn still relevant to you as a college student today?  Should it continue to be taught in college classrooms?

I think that Huck Finn should continue to be taught in both high school and college classrooms.   This book addresses more than racism or slavery; it also addresses the innately corrupt nature of man and the depraved condition of humanity.  From a strictly literary standpoint, this book is an excellent example of symbolism and dialect, making it an asset to the classroom solely based on its literary merit.

7. The general consensus among critics is that Huck Finn is a brilliant and powerful novel, but also a flawed and problematic novel.  What do you think might be flawed and/or problematic about the novel?

I think the biggest flaw in Twain’s novel is the last section of the text, when Tom Sawyer enters the novel.  Until this point, Twain had created a novel that boldly addressed the racism and corruption of the time period; however, once Tom Sawyer enters the story, Twain’s credibility is diminished as the novel begins to resemble a typical boyhood adventure story.  However, this section still serves to explore the nature of man and the inhumanity of society.