Banned Books: The Scarlet Letter and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Are American classics found on the banned books list? Most  high school students study and struggle through two of the banned books: The Scarlet Letter and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter was too racy for the 1850s with its sex, love, and adultery.  Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn caused dismay in 1885, from none other than Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women.

Ms Alcott lashed out  in public saying, "If Mr. Clemens cannot think of something better to tell our pure-minded lads and lasses he had best stop writing for them."  Good thing he didn't ,because we would have missed the other Twain writings including fellow banned book, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

In 1905, the Brooklyn Public Library banished the book from its collection with this explanation, " Huck not only itched but scratched, and that he said sweat when he should have said perspiration." Twain countered with: "Censorship is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it."

It is interesting that in more recent times many of the complaints about Huck Finn were about the references and treatment of Afro-Americans.  Although in the novel, Twain was reflecting the customs and practices of time.

When asked about The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Ernest Hemingway commented, "All American writing comes from that."  Thomas Friedman, author of From Beirut to Jerusalem and The World is Flat, certainly agrees.  To explain the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians he quotes the Huck Finn passage about the feud between the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons.

Despite the defense of The Adventures of Huckelberry Finn, from  Hemingway and other well-known authors, the book still remains one of the most challenged books in the U.S.

Sources:

Banned Books, http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1842832_1842838_1844945,00.html

Friedman, Thomas L.  From Beirut to Jerusalem, NY: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1989.

Why not read some Nathaniel Hawthorne or Mark Twain from your library soon!