Hypocrisy In Huckleberry Finn

Esteemed author, Mark Twain, in his critically acclaimed novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, deftly scrutinizes Christianity and the duplicit behaviors performed by its practitioners. Paired with a banterous tone and satirical elements such as irony and absurdity, Twain humorously denotes the impediments of a devoutly theological civilization. As a Christian himself, Twain’s ultimate goal is not to disparage religious beliefs, but rather expose his audience to society’s repeated abuses against them instead.

In order to divulge the flaws of a spiritualistic society, Twain utilizes verbally ironic statements to indicate that religion yields predominantly hypocritical conjectures. The Widow Douglas, Huck’s initial caretaker, is often depicted

He adds a humorous element to this example of hypocrisy by including a parody of Romeo and Juliet. The two feuding families in question, the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons, have been in discord for so long that no one remembers how the quarrel even began. Huck recalls that on one occasion, the two families attended the same Sunday mass with all the men keeping guns, “between their knees” or “handy against the wall.”; a strange action at church for individuals who claim their reverence towards God . The sermon delivered that day was one that encouraged “loving thy neighbour”. Ironically enough, following the service, one of the most brutal altercations between the families occurred, resulting in the gruesome deaths of many on both sides. The situation is absurd in the sense that the two families had just been to church, hearing of the importance of loving one another and, shortly thereafter, go on to murder each other over an irrelevantly ancient dispute. Twain’s juxtaposition of these events demonstrates how This lack of empathy for religious values proves that society often fails to adhere to the beliefs they claim to hold so much conviction to in order to accommodate their own selfish

On the subject of racism, Huck feels that it is wrong for him to aid Miss Watson’s slave, Jim, in his quest for freedom, despite Jim’s pleasant nature. Throughout his entire life, Huck is conditioned, through religious society, to believe that African Americans are inferior to whites. However, he is rather unaccepting of this notion, quite unlike many of this time. Huck, understanding that freeing Jim is the right thing to do, decides that he would rather “go to Hell” and go against God than do nothing and remain on the path to Heaven. By utilizing Huck’s innocent character of a child, Twain is able to Huck’s rejection of these unethical beliefs express the notion that going against widely accepted theological ideals and doing what is morally correct, is more important than hiding behind a religious