Discussion question – The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: The overall American critical reaction to the publishing

The overall American critical reaction to the publishing of The Adventures of Huck Finn in 1885 was summed up in one word: “trash”. Louisa May Alcott (author of Little Women and Little Men) said, “If Mr. Clemens cannot think of anything better to tell our pure-minded lads and lassies, he had better stop writing for them.” The Public Library Committee of Concord, Massachusetts excluded the book as “a dangerous moral influence on the young.” Defend or refute the position that the novel is indeed “trash” with evidence from the text to support your claim.