Changes in Language
The Problem of Dialect
One difficult element of reading Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is its language. Twain purposefully puts thickly dialectical language in the mouths of his characters, in order to add to their characterization as rural people living in the 1840's. In an explanatory note at the beginning of the novel, Twain briefly explains that he writes in the "Missouri negro dialect" (spoken by slave characters), "the extremest form of the backwoods Southwestern dialect" (spoken by Huck and Pap), and "the ordinary 'Pike County' dialect" (spoken by middle-class white characters). While these different dialects serve well to represent the American past in terms of linguistic culture, they also make reading the novel a more difficult and slow process. Take, for example, Jim's last words to Huck in the novel:
"Doan' you 'member de house dat was float'n down de river, en dey wuz a man in dah, kivered up, en I went in en unkivered him and didn' let you come in? Well, den, you kin git yo' money when you wants it, kase dat wuz him."
This dialectical language is complex, and requires readers to interpret as they read. In the medium of the novel, this dialect is appropriate by helping readers understand the nature of the characters and setting more thoroughly; however, for an onstage adaptation such thick dialect could potentially cause a problem of communication.
Hauptman and Miller take into account this problem posed by thick dialects, and adapt the dialogue in their play so that audiences can more easily understand what the characters are saying onstage. The last words Jim speaks to Huck in the musical convey the same thing as in the novel, but with much simplified language:
"That dead man we saw floating in the river that night, early on? The one I wouldn't let you look at? That was him. Whatever road I go walkin' down, you'll be walkin' alongside of me. The old true Huck" (Hauptman 110).
This simplified version of Jim's words still retains remnants of dialect (e.g., walkin'), however it is extremely different than the original. Jim, as well as Huck, Tom, and other characters in Big River speak with the same simple language throughout the musical, with small grammar mistakes and shortened words that imply dialect, without using the same thick dialectical language as Twain. This change in language from novel to stage is necessary so that audiences in a theater can experience Huck's story without puzzling through the same language barriers that add to the historical accuracy of the novel.
One difficult element of reading Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is its language. Twain purposefully puts thickly dialectical language in the mouths of his characters, in order to add to their characterization as rural people living in the 1840's. In an explanatory note at the beginning of the novel, Twain briefly explains that he writes in the "Missouri negro dialect" (spoken by slave characters), "the extremest form of the backwoods Southwestern dialect" (spoken by Huck and Pap), and "the ordinary 'Pike County' dialect" (spoken by middle-class white characters). While these different dialects serve well to represent the American past in terms of linguistic culture, they also make reading the novel a more difficult and slow process. Take, for example, Jim's last words to Huck in the novel:
"Doan' you 'member de house dat was float'n down de river, en dey wuz a man in dah, kivered up, en I went in en unkivered him and didn' let you come in? Well, den, you kin git yo' money when you wants it, kase dat wuz him."
This dialectical language is complex, and requires readers to interpret as they read. In the medium of the novel, this dialect is appropriate by helping readers understand the nature of the characters and setting more thoroughly; however, for an onstage adaptation such thick dialect could potentially cause a problem of communication.
Hauptman and Miller take into account this problem posed by thick dialects, and adapt the dialogue in their play so that audiences can more easily understand what the characters are saying onstage. The last words Jim speaks to Huck in the musical convey the same thing as in the novel, but with much simplified language:
"That dead man we saw floating in the river that night, early on? The one I wouldn't let you look at? That was him. Whatever road I go walkin' down, you'll be walkin' alongside of me. The old true Huck" (Hauptman 110).
This simplified version of Jim's words still retains remnants of dialect (e.g., walkin'), however it is extremely different than the original. Jim, as well as Huck, Tom, and other characters in Big River speak with the same simple language throughout the musical, with small grammar mistakes and shortened words that imply dialect, without using the same thick dialectical language as Twain. This change in language from novel to stage is necessary so that audiences in a theater can experience Huck's story without puzzling through the same language barriers that add to the historical accuracy of the novel.
Censoring Huck Finn
Another problem of language that modern readers face in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the frequent use of the word "nigger," which appears in the novel over 200 times. The derogatory and racist implications of this word in 21st century America make the novel controversial, and for this reason has been banned in many schools and student reading lists across America. While the cultural appropriateness of Twain's use of the word in 1885 is debated, many Americans are insistent that it is not culturally appropriate today, in particular for children.
Hauptman and Miller consider this problem of explicit language as well, and eliminate the trivial and frequent use of the word "nigger" in Big River. It appears approximately five times throughout the play-- enough to acknowledge its place in the 1840's slave-holding society, but not near the scandalous amount that Twain uses it in the novel. The ways that the characters use the word in the musical are also different and more productive than the ways it is used in the novel. While "nigger" is used repeatedly as a common term for black slaves in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the characters in the play use it sparsely and intentionally to emphasize the severe problem of a racial divide in the South. In Big River, when Huck comments that "It was almost fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself before a nigger-- but I done it," the word emphasizes the racial divide between Huck and Jim, so that the audience can appreciate the lesson that Huck learns in humility (Hauptman 67). This point might be lost on audiences if Huck used the term to describe Jim frequently throughout the play, but used to startle the audience in that moment, it reveals revealing the racial gap between Huck and Jim and shows how Huck begins to treat Jim with respect despite his society's beliefs.
Overall, this change in language is a significant element of adaptation from novel to stage. Modern audiences can feel less overwhelmed by racially charged language, but still understand the historical problems that Huck and Jim must overcome in the story. In addition, without a large amount of explicit language, Big River is generally accepted as appropriate for children, even while Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not.
Another problem of language that modern readers face in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the frequent use of the word "nigger," which appears in the novel over 200 times. The derogatory and racist implications of this word in 21st century America make the novel controversial, and for this reason has been banned in many schools and student reading lists across America. While the cultural appropriateness of Twain's use of the word in 1885 is debated, many Americans are insistent that it is not culturally appropriate today, in particular for children.
Hauptman and Miller consider this problem of explicit language as well, and eliminate the trivial and frequent use of the word "nigger" in Big River. It appears approximately five times throughout the play-- enough to acknowledge its place in the 1840's slave-holding society, but not near the scandalous amount that Twain uses it in the novel. The ways that the characters use the word in the musical are also different and more productive than the ways it is used in the novel. While "nigger" is used repeatedly as a common term for black slaves in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the characters in the play use it sparsely and intentionally to emphasize the severe problem of a racial divide in the South. In Big River, when Huck comments that "It was almost fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself before a nigger-- but I done it," the word emphasizes the racial divide between Huck and Jim, so that the audience can appreciate the lesson that Huck learns in humility (Hauptman 67). This point might be lost on audiences if Huck used the term to describe Jim frequently throughout the play, but used to startle the audience in that moment, it reveals revealing the racial gap between Huck and Jim and shows how Huck begins to treat Jim with respect despite his society's beliefs.
Overall, this change in language is a significant element of adaptation from novel to stage. Modern audiences can feel less overwhelmed by racially charged language, but still understand the historical problems that Huck and Jim must overcome in the story. In addition, without a large amount of explicit language, Big River is generally accepted as appropriate for children, even while Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not.