[Rembrandt_fan]

The crucial scene in the novel shows Huck at war with himself; the society of his day has been teaching him from birth that turning in Jim is the right thing to do, the legal thing to do, the only thing to do. It goes even deeper: Huck thinks he will be literally damned to Hell if he doesn't turn in Jim to the authorities. But he doesn't, willing to endure the fires of Hell forever rather than betray the trust of his friend.

There is no greater lesson.

Those banning 'Huckleberry Finn' aren't reading 'Huckleberry Finn'. This kind of thoughtless PC hypersensitivity breaks my heart.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Hat tip, Rembrandt_fan, best synopsis on this thread, thanks, all.

BTW, the scene in which Huck is describing a circus through the eyes of a rustic fourteen year old, and the more he describes its elegance and grace, the more it appears tawdry and awful, is a masterpiece of ironic writing.

[rlmorel]

These are the same people who think the Three Fifths Clause was an attempt to devalue the lives of slaves by saying they were only worth three fifths of a white person.

Just a bunch of raging idiots.

[jude24]

The crucial scene in the novel shows Huck at war with himself; the society of his day has been teaching him from birth that turning in Jim is the right thing to do, the legal thing to do, the only thing to do. It goes even deeper: Huck thinks he will be literally damned to Hell if he doesn't turn in Jim to the authorities. But he doesn't, willing to endure the fires of Hell forever rather than betray the trust of his friend.

Unfortunately, I don't think the parents got to that point. They probably saw "n-----r," and freaked. Too bad this isn't a teachable moment for the parent too.