Jim's Portrayal in Huckleberry Finn: Race and the Debate

Introduction

Both John H. Wallace and Allan B. Ballard present a literary argument about how Jim and other Black characters are portrayed in Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. They particularly focus on the use of the racial slur "nigger" in the novel and argue that a work containing such language should not be taught in schools where Black students may be made to feel uncomfortable. Ballard recounts his own suffering as a student forced to hear his classmates utter that word during class readings of the book. He notes that in his class, "some of the whites snickered, others giggled," while he himself saw none of the merits of the work and could only later "recall the sense of relief I felt when I would flip ahead a few pages and see that the word 'nigger' would not be read that hour" (8). Wallace likewise views the novel's language as problematic and its presentation of Black culture as shameful. This paper discusses the literary argument between John H. Wallace and Allan B. Ballard on how Jim and other Black individuals were portrayed in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

Wallace's Critique of Huckleberry Finn

John H. Wallace has been one of the most vocal critics of the novel. He described it as "the most grotesque example of racist trash ever written," arguing that when it is taught in class, the proliferation of the racial slur in the text is humiliating for Black students (16). When the book is read aloud in class, he contends, it amounts to no better than mental and emotional bullying of Black students: "It constitutes mental cruelty, harassment…tension, discontent, and even fighting" against Black students when it is read with their white peers present (Wallace 17). His objection extends beyond the immediate effect on Black students, however. For white students, the novel can provide a powerful ego boost, while for Black students it can serve as a form of negative reinforcement of their sense of inferiority. Wallace therefore asks: "How much pain must a black child endure to secure an education?" (22).

Wallace offers two solutions to this problem. First, the book should be taught at the graduate level, where the inflammatory language is less likely to provoke the same negative response because the students' minds and emotions are more mature and disciplined. Second, if high school educators feel the novel must be taught, they should use the adapted version that Wallace himself provides—one in which the story is preserved but offensive terms are removed. This is the core of Wallace's position on the novel.

Ballard's Critique and the Systemic Racism Argument

Ballard's view is similar to Wallace's in its opposition to classroom use of the novel, but his critique is in some respects more sweeping: he argues that the novel reinforces systemic racism. Ballard states, for instance, that

the presentation of the novel as an "American classic" serves as an official endorsement of a term uttered by the most prejudiced racial bigots to an age group eager to experiment with any language of shock value. One reporter has likened the teaching of the novel to eighth grade kids to "pulling the pin of a hand grenade and tossing it into the all too common American classroom." (8)

No matter how the novel is framed for young readers, Ballard argues, it leaves an impression—because what those young minds see and hear are words that denigrate and undermine. Offensive terms may be couched in defensive rhetoric and excuses may be offered, but the work's most prominent features still assault the senses of the young reader exposed to them. Ballard adds that those who fail to see this point are often the same people who protest against media filled with violence or sexuality being presented to young people; if such exposure is considered harmful for their own children, then exposure to racist language is equally harmful.

Wallace and Ballard both adopt a negative position toward Twain's novel. Where Wallace differs from Ballard is in his allowance that the novel might be taught at a higher grade level or in an alternate, edited form—which is precisely why he created his adaptation for high school teachers who believe the work has some merit. Ballard, however, dismisses the novel outright as a product of a racially discriminating society in which Black people are subjugated and denigrated. He sees no merit in the work at all.

Conclusion

Wallace and Ballard argue that Twain's Huckleberry Finn is a novel that projects systemic racism through its pervasive use of offensive language and its denigrating characterization of Jim and other Black characters. They view this presentation as shocking and harmful—particularly for young Black students. Counter-arguments hold that Jim possesses the most redeeming moral qualities of any adult in the novel, though this reading is complicated by the farcical resolution involving Tom Sawyer, which can be said to undermine the novel's more serious moral achievements. Wallace contends that the novel should be taught only to older students at the graduate level, or else in the edited adaptation he provides, which removes offensive language while preserving the narrative. Ballard argues that the work should be removed from the literary canon altogether, as it is fundamentally unacceptable source material for educating young people. Both positions reflect legitimate concerns about the responsibilities of educators in a diverse classroom and merit serious consideration in any discussion of the novel's place in the curriculum.

Works Cited

Ballard, Allan B. Op-ed letter. New York Times, 9 May 1993: 8.

Henry, Peaches. "The Struggle for Tolerance: Race and Censorship in Huckleberry Finn." Satire or Evasion? Duke University Press, 1991. 25–48.

Hentoff, Nat. "Huck Finn and the Shortchanging of Black Kids." Village Voice, 18 May 1993: 8.

Lew, Ann. "Teaching Huck Finn in a Multiethnic Classroom." English Journal 82.7 (1993): 16.

Wallace, John H. The Case Against Huck Finn. Duke University Press, 1991.