The Adventures of Huck Finn embodies one of the most common characteristics of banned novels: racial tension and controversy. Although Huck Finn wasn’t written as an obstructive attack on slavery, the obscene mention of the N-word used over 200 times throughout the novel has caused the biggest uproar among teachers, students, and parents for several years now. In fact, the N-word was suggested to be changed to the word “slave” in order for the novel to still be taught in schools. What if Twain used the N-word to intentionally create discomfort among races? Would altering or changing the word in Twain’s novel change the author’s intended meaning? I choose this particular text because I’d like to consider why the N-word even causes a discomfort to the degree that several schools are banning this novel. The issue that needs to be considered here is the larger conversation behind the banned novel. There is a good reason for Twain’s language. Young adults shouldn’t be robbed of the opportunity to learn and benefit from the themes of this novel because of a controversial word that causes a growing undefined discomfort among educators in today’s school systems. Because I’ve experienced the aura of discomfort in my classroom when assigned this novel, I want to explore how other schools approach or react to Twain’s work.