The article, New Huckleberry Finn Edition Censors the 'N-Word' talks about how the new edition by NewSouth books, wants to errase the word Nigger from this 1884 novel. This word shows great disrespect in the modern society, and it appears constantly in the novel. For instance, this word appears in Pap's speech in which he tells how "There was a free nigger there from Ohio – a mulatter, most as white as a white man" (Mark Twain, 6).
Even though this word has a negative meaning in modern societies, the word Nigger was considered a complement. Based on the definition of the web page dictionary.difference.com nigger comes from different misunderstandings. First of all, it came from the word in Spanish "negro" which said by an English speaking person sounds the same way as nigger. Not only but also, this word was a clear misunderstanding of the word Niggah, which before the civil war meant a positive term between African American people. This are only two examples of where this word came from.
I think that Dr. Sarah Churchwell is correct when she says that "that word is totemic because it encodes all of the violence of slavery." (Churchwell). Twain uses that word to criticize how slaves where different from the land owners, and how this ones used the word Nigger to mock and humiliate this ones. If the publisher takes out the word and changes it with a word like slave, the tone and meaning of the novel would change completely.
In the same way, the publisher has to take into the account the context in which the author lived. During this time, the word was used to call the slaves which where African American. Nigger on those times was the word Nigger was used to mock the way of talking of slaves and a way to call African American people. Taking this word out of the novel would cause the context to change, meaning that the reader would be mislead.
In the same way, the publisher has to take into the account the context in which the author lived. During this time, the word was used to call the slaves which where African American. Nigger on those times was the word Nigger was used to mock the way of talking of slaves and a way to call African American people. Taking this word out of the novel would cause the context to change, meaning that the reader would be mislead.
In conclusion we can see that the word nigger is a misunderstanding of the Spanish and pre-civil war language, that the land owners used to mock their slave's language. Second, we see that Twain uses this word as a way to criticize how the white people uses this metonymy to humiliate African American people. Finally we can say that taking this word would be a big mistake because it would change the whole context and meaning of the story.
Gabriela
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