Huck and Jim's Island Time in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and the Importance of Brave Spaces

Abstract

Abstract:Just as Jackson's Island in Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn provides a brave space for Huck and Jim that encourages both characters to think beyond their binary divisions and established rules of conduct, teaching the novel within the constructs of a brave space classroom provides students with a forum in which uncomfortable and difficult conversations about race, power, and privilege can happen. Like Huck and Jim prior to encountering each other on Jackson's Island, students enter the classroom with physical, emotional, and psychological identities and preconceived notions about the "other." By pedagogically transforming the classroom from a safe space to a brave space, teachers can teach students that risky and difficult dialogue advances learning and can lay the groundwork for growth and change.