In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn the character of Miss Watson embodies the prominent theme of the misguided moral, those concerning what is right and wrong, values of the pre-civil war south through her attitude toward Huck and Jim. She holds a constant focus on teaching Huck to be civilized through portraying her moral code onto him, which includes strong religious beliefs and proper manners, ideas that are resented by Huck. Miss Watson is an embodiment of the white pre civil war southerner, she presents herself to hold to high moral values such as religion, but her values are extremely flawed as she views herself as morally right while still owning a slave and mistreating Huck. Miss Watson’s moral views in the novel are reflective of …show more content…
Early in the novel Miss Watson is introduced as forcing Huck to follow strict rules when it comes to manners, education, and religion, none of these values truly reach Huck and this quickly causes him to develop a hatred towards Miss Watson. When Huck is told that he will receive anything he wants through prayer he attempts to reach God, only to find that prayer does nothing for him. At proceeding points throughout the novel, such as when he attempts to write a letter to Miss Watson about the whereabouts of Jim, Huck again attempts to solve his doubt through prayer but no words come out. Albeit indirectly, Miss Watson teaches Huck to create his own view on faith, her emphasis on prayer is harsh enough, such as when she locks him in a closet to pray, that it causes Huck to begin to think for