Emily

Response to Matthews' "Dumbing and Numbing Down Jim" 

Matthews, David. "Dumbing and Numbing Down Jim." The New York Times. 6 Jan. 2011. Web. 7 Jan. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com >.

            David Matthews is a biracial author who has written a memoir and biography. He also has had many published articles dealing with politics and racial identity influenced by personal experiences.  

            In his article "Dumbing and Numbing Down Jim", Matthews states that the language in Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn should not be changed because the wording shapes the novel and creates a more realistic portrayal of life in the South during slavery. The highly negative connotation of the word “nigger” adds to how the reader interprets the plot and characters. Matthews claims that “slave” and “nigger” have nowhere near the same meaning and influence. Taking out the word would decrease the difficulty of the novel. Although removal would make readers more comfortable, one truly should not feel at ease while reading about the cruelty of slavery and racism.

         I personally agree with Matthews’ argument about the use of the word “nigger” in the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Slavery, racism, and the word are a part of American history and daily life during the time period of the novel. This is also part of the past of all Americans and has shaped who we are as a whole today. The word in the novel helps readers to understand the time period and launches them into a full reality of the characters and events in the novel. The word increases the depth of the story and makes it more realistic. Replacing it brings the novel to a level that is nowhere near the original. While the magnitude of this word and racism cannot be fully experienced today, readers can only imagine the feelings and emotions that the word caused because of the power it still holds today. Twain meant for that power to be there and it shapes who we perceive Huck and the extremity of the white society to be. Huck’s continued use of the word shows the influence society holds over him. With his background, he has grown up with the extreme racism of society and has never seen any other perspective on humanity. Huck’s submission to society shows the inclination humans have to conform. The strong influence of society serves to demonstrate the battle Huck has with his community. After the king and duke sell Jim without Huck’s knowledge, Huck remembers how Jim "would always call me honey, and pet me and do everything he could think of for me, and how good he always was; and at last I struck the time I saved him by telling the men we had small-pox aboard, and he was so grateful, and said I was the best friend old Jim ever had in the world” (Twain Ch. 31). Huck’s description of Jim does not use the word “nigger”, but instead uses "good", "grateful", and "friend". This shows the change and moral improvement Huck undergoes throughout his experience. However, he still senses the pull of society. Just after Huck has the revelation about Jim, Tom Sawyer comes along and Huck gets sucked right back into society. He reverts to calling Jim a “nigger” and complies with Tom’s ridiculous plan. While Huck wavers back and forth, he does in fact come a long way from where he started. Huck sees that Jim is a human in that he “do believe[d] he cared just as much for his people as white folks does for their’n” (Twain Ch. 23) and “knowed he was white inside” (Twain Ch. 40). Even though Huck sees humanity in Jim by comparing him to "whites", he does recognize the equality on the "inside". Despite his youth, he realizes the humanity of Jim, which many adults in his society fail to do. The fact that Huck does not completely change his actions and mindset makes him more easily relatable to readers and Americans. In Jocelyn Chadwick-Joshua’s “The Jim Dilemma”, she states, “Huck can never look at another individual of African American descent without being affected by his experience of Jim as well as the other African Americans he encounters in this novel” (129). The events and "experience" in the novel have impacted Huck and his thoughts on humanity and race. However, his growth is not over and change is a long process. He will continue, along with society, to move farther towards racial equality.