The Day They Came to Arrest the Book

Hentoff’s narrative naturally divides itself between two groups as the story progresses: those who wish to censor or ban Huckleberry Finn and those who want to keep the book universally available. Within these two groups, Hentoff portrays three other distinct categories of people. These groups represent the three groups that emerge in the face of any significant controversy. In illuminating these groups, Hentoff demonstrates what one can expect from others when caught up in the midst of divisive issues.

The first of these groups consists of rational or logical individuals. In Hentoff’s narrative, all the rational characters favor the availability of Huckleberry Finn and, by extension, the preservation of free speech. Deirdre, who cautions Nora against vilifying those who intend to ban Huckleberry Finn, fits in this category. Dickinson, Maggie, Steve, and Barney, all of whom express themselves truthfully and steadfastly while holding to their principles, are also in this group.

The second category can be called the persuasive or manipulative group. Among these are individuals who distort rational reasoning to set forward their ideals. They often resort to logical traps, misinformation, and threats to achieve their goals. This does not mean that members of this group are “wrong,” nor does it mean they must think irrationally—this category simply describes the behaviors of those in this group. Hentoff portrays those in this group as opposed to the use of Huckleberry Finn and thus in favor of censorship. Principal Mike is a clear example—he blatantly lies and manipulates others. Griswold makes use of logical fallacies to manipulate the audience during his debate with Dickinson instead of arguing his point based on facts and reason. Gordon McLean and his father also fall into this group; while their stance is understandable, they, like Griswold, use logical fallacies and threats to persuade others to join their cause.

The third category, the emotionally driven group, consists of individuals who have chosen a side in the debate based on emotion as opposed to reason. As the controversy heightens, their emotions intensify; in debates, they favor appeals to emotion over logic and fact. This group includes people on both sides of the censorship issue. Kate, her math teacher Cynthia Morgan, Mr. and Mrs. Dennis, and Nora fall within this category. While these individuals can express the ideals behind their decisions, their arguments tend to devolve into emotional outbursts that cloud the issues being discussed. They also tend to be less able to engage logically with those who hold oppositional views. Nora and Kate succumb to emotional outbursts when confronted about their positions; Nora accuses Griswold of being “an agent of the Soviet Union” (117), while Kate fiercely insists that schools have a duty to uphold morality, even at the expense of freedom and with no clear idea of which authority ought to hold such power.

This does not mean that rational, logical people will always be on the correct side of an issue, nor does it mean that members of the manipulative and emotionally driven groups are always wrong. Instead, these characters show that everyone involved in controversial issues falls within one of these three categories, regardless of their actual position on an issue.