The Trial of Mark Twain, Day 1

At issue in the trial is the appropriateness of one of the most well-known, beloved, and controversial books in American Literature. The prosecution is charged with proving:

1. that Huck Finn is and/or Mark Twain was racist.
2. that it would be appropriate for at least some schools to ban Huck Finn.
3. that reading the novel inflicts intolerable harm on African-American students.

In opening remarks, the prosecutors argued that Huck Finn was “flawed, racist text” that stereotyped African-Americans as only fit to hold subordinate positions in society. Because the novel “used the most offensive racist word in American history” over 200 times, the prosecution claimed, it should not be required of students.

The defense team of Christina and Kate argued it was precisely because of its controversial subject matter that the novel should be taught. Kate evoked the words of poet Theodore Parker, who said, “The books that help you most are those which make you think that most. The hardest way of learning is that of easy reading; but a great book that comes from a great thinker is a ship of thought, deep freighted with truth and beauty.”

The defense argued that banning Twain’s book would legitimize limitless censorship, and that historical events like slavery and the Holocaust must be explored through literature.

The prosecution’s first witness was former professor Julius Lester from the University of Massachusetts, who said that though he opposed censorship, Huck Finn was a special case, because it was a “hurtful” text that taught racist values. Lester was especially critical of Chapter 40 of the novel, in which Huck declares that Jim must be “White on the inside.”

In a contentious exchange, the defense attacked Lester, arguing that Twain was a realist. Lester said that Twain’s realism seemed only to extend to the white characters in the novel, none of the black.

The prosecution’s second witness, John Wallace, argued that the novel was disrespectful to black students, and that schools should “stop feeding trash” to their students. Under fierce cross-examination from the defense, Wallace conceded that the book was appropriate for high school and college students, but resisted the idea that it should be mandated.

The prosecution’s final witness for the first day was teacher John Foley, who wrote a controversial newspaper column about the novel this fall. Foley said that he felt it “would be irresponsible to teach the novel in a predominantly minority classroom,” and that it was time “to replace the book.” Under cross-examination, Foley suggested that the novel Lonesome Dove would be an excellent replacement for Huck Finn.

The trial will continue over the next few days, with the prosecution continuing its case on Friday.