The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
By: Mark Twain
RELIGION/MOCKERY OF RELIGION
PRESENTED BY: SHELBY RENAE HOHLER
Introduction
Huckleberry Finn, a boy of a
lower social class who is
troubled by society, tries to
understand religion. In the
novel, not only are characters
telling him that praying will
answer his wishes but, he
sometimes believes that hell is
more appealing than heaven.
Religion is mocked in this
novel to show the point of
view Mark Twain has on
religion to show how
hypocritical society really
is. The author, Mark Twain
uses satire and anecdote to get
across his hatred for religious
practices. Religion is one of the
top major themes of this novel.
My first example of religious
mockery is when Huck tells
how he couldn’t start eating
a meal until the widow bows
her head. He states that she
would “grumble a little over
the victuals, though there
warn’t really anything the
matter with them” Most
people now a day, say an
evening prayer of some sort
depending on religion. Huck
didn’t understand the
meaning of “praying”. Then,
she got out her bible and
told him the story of Moses.
The widow had his attention
on the subject until she
released that Moses was
dead and he replied with “I
don’t take no stock in dead
people.” The Bible I have
displayed on the slide is a
photograph of the Holy
Bible in which the Widow
reads to Huck in the novel.
How is society hypocritical on the subject of religion in the book “The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”? By my example, you read that the slaves
in the book come indoors to participate in prayer. Having slaves is against
Christianity morals yet the widow and Miss Watson bring them inside for
prayer. Religion is a major part in Huck’s development of moral education
because the bible and other sources of religion influence his decisions.
In Chapter Three of the
novel Miss Watson, his
primary educator in the
story, tells Huck to pray
everyday and every chance
he can get. She states that
if he prays daily that
whatever he prays about
will come true. Huck prays
daily and becomes
frustrated when he doesn’t
get granted what he
wished for. I think Mark
Twain was using a little
humor/satire here to
address Christian ways.
When I think of praying
daily as Huck does in the
novel, I instantly think of
the Lord’s Prayer which is
a commonly prayed prayer
by most Christians and
can be said really at any
time and I know that some
families say it at meal
time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvjve
qUPE6g
By saying anything you pray to the Lord for, you will get is a little bit of
an understatement and Mark Twain definitely makes fun of Christians
in that moment. He definitely uses this to create how hypocritical society
is.
In Chapter 18 is another
example of satire. Both the
Grangerfords and
Shepherdsons go to the
same church on Sunday but
besides going to church
together they have this feud
in which had been going on
for almost thirty years.
Nobody really knows why
the fued was going on, but
they continued to hate each
other. The men of the
families would keep their
guns tight between their
knees and when Huck
mentions a particular
sermon about brotherly
love, many members of both
families were killed. Not
only does God say to love
one another, but neither of
the families followed in the
light of Christ. They simply
just went to Church and
continued the fight in which
nobody really knew what it
really was about.
This particular photo from the show “The Fairly Odd Parents” on Nickelodeon
reminds me of this moment of satire. In the show, the two men of the families hate
each other and try to one up each other daily. In the bible and as Christians, both of
the families in the story should know that you should love one another as Jesus has
loved you. Both families just go to church and remain hating each other and never
letting a single grudge go.
In Chapter 31, Huck says,
“There was the Sundayschool, you could a gone
to it; and if you'd a done it
they'd a learnt you there
that people that acts as I'd
been acting about that
nigger goes to everlasting
fire.“ In this he is saying
that he knows what he did
was wrong, but in a way he
felt what he did was right.
Huck helped a slave
escape. He knows what he
did was wrong so he
decides to pray…but he
doesn’t realize that the
“praying” part doesn’t just
come when you kneel
down; especially when
your praying about a lie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnt_
7mFrYYk
Mark Twain makes Christian prayer and prayer in general seem like all your doing
is kneeling and when you go into a prayer it will automatically come to you. He is
using some mockery here when Huck basically tries to pray about a lie or a
situation that he knows he did wrong in. I love this video called “What is prayer?”
off of YouTube. It is definitely a good video to watch when trying to understand
about praying.
In Chapter 20, the king
fools the crowds at the
camp meeting by saying
he is some sort of pirate
and that is a born-again
Christian just after
listening to one
preacher. The crowd
before him raises a
collection so that he can
go back to the Indian
Ocean to try “to turn the
pirates into the true
path.” Twain makes fun
of Christians here
because Christians are
too naïve and trusting.
He says that basically
they are too quick to
help others in need
without even knowing
the whole story.
I chose to put a photo of a child taking baptism because, in this short
part of mockery in the novel all through it I was thinking about baptism.
The “king” says that he is basically one with the church just by probably
hearing the preacher talk. This is not the case and in most churches, to
become “one with the church” you prepare for a ceremony called
Baptism.
Conclusion
R E L I G I O N I S M O C K E D I N T H I S N OV E L TO S H OW
THE POINT OF VIEW MARK TWAIN HAS ON
RELI GI ON TO SHOW HOW HYPOCRI TI CAL SOCI ETY
R E A L LY I S . M A R K T W A I N U S E S H U C K ’ S
P E R S O N A L I T Y A N D W AY S O F T H I N K I N G T O S H O W
H I S P E R S O N A L P O I N T O F V I E W. T H RO U G H
RELIGION WE ARE ABLE TO SEE ANOTHER SIDE
OF HUCK. WE ALSO SEE HOW TWAIN FINDS
H U M O R I N H I S OW N R E L I G I O N . T H E N OV E L H E L P S
O T H E R R E A D E R S T O L I G H T E N U P A N D TA K E I N
LAUGHTER. THROUGH DENYING RELIGIOUS
TEACHINGS, WE SEE HUCK DOING THE MOST
“CHRIST” LIKE THINGS.
Works Cited 11/12/14
PHOTOGRAPHS USED IN PRESENTATION
HTTPS://MALAKA383.FILES.WORDPRESS.COM/2013/05/SC.JPG
HTTP://WORSHIPHOUSEMEDIA.S3.AMAZONAWS.COM/IMAGES/MAIN/S
/MM/BBM/MM/THELORDSPRAYER.JPG
HTTPS://PBS.TWIMG.COM/MEDIA/APWPJHICAAELKV-.JPG:LARGE
HTTP://WWW.SRBCSMYRNA.ORG/HP_WORDPRESS/WPCONTENT/UPLOADS/2014/06/PRAYING.JPG
HTTP://STIRENAEUS.ORG/WP-CONTENT/UPLOADS/2012/12/BAPTISMFOR-WEB.JPG
TWAIN, MARK, AND DONALD MCKAY. THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY
FINN. NEW YORK: CHARLES L. WEBSTER &, 1984. PRINT.
USERNAME,MAALLSI. “THE LORD'S PRAYER (OUR FATHER) - TRADITIONAL
VERSION.” YOUTUBE. YOUTUBE, 25 DEC. 2009. WEB. 12 NOV. 2014.
USERNAME, FORTYONETEN. “WHAT IS PRAYER?” YOUTUBE. YOUTUBE, 22
MAY 2014. WEB. 12 NOV. 2014