Religion in Mark Twains Adventures of Huckleberry Finn...

Religion in Huckleberry Finn Religion is one of the most constant targets of Twains satirical pen. In Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain portrays contemporary religion as shallow and hypocritical. He criticizes the hypocrisy of conventional religion by comparing it with the true religion of Huck. Most of the characters in Huckleberry Finn, while ostensibly devout Christians, in reality behave in anything but a Christian way. Some use religion as a tool to obtain wealth. The king, who twice poses as a preacher, is the epitome of the greedy evangelist. His actions are, in Hucks words, enough to make a body ashamed of the human race (131). Many do not exploit religion, but most are hypocritical. For example, the†¦show more content†¦Huck has grown up in this society and has not escaped its influence. At first he too holds abolition to be a mortal sin punishable by an eternity in hell. However, Hucks religious outlook changes as his heart comes to dominate his mind. As he spends time with Jim, he comes to see Jim as a human being. At first the recognition of Jims humanity is subconscious. When explaining to Mary Jane why she cannot immediately expose the king and the duke, he says, Id be all right, but thered be another person [Jim] that you dont know about whod be in bi g trouble (149). Later Jims humanity becomes obvious to him. He correctly concludes that he cannot pray because [his] heart warnt right; it was because ... [he] was letting on to give up sin, but away inside of [him he] was holding on to the biggest one of all (168-169). After hesitation, his heart completely conquers his mind. He rejects the morals of his society, declaring, All right then, Ill go to hell (169). Hucks religion also changes as he encounters various influences, such as Miss Watson, the Widow Douglas, and Jim. For instance, his view of Providence is at first both unusual and humorous, as he concludes that there must be two Providences. Later, he comes to trust Providence in a truly devout way. He puts it this way: I went right along, not fixing up any particular plan, but just trusting toShow MoreRelatedTwain And Huck s Intersecting Childhood1318 Words   |  6 PagesIntersecting Childhood Mark Twain is the author of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. It is a humorous and heroic book about a boy, Huckleberry Finn, and a slave, Jim, that run away in order to help Jim gain freedom. Along the way, they run into many troubles and obstacles, but they keep going no, matter what. Their story is heartwarming, controversial, and very famous. Twain uses his own childhood experiences in his books; such as how Huck Finn grows up, the main characters, religion, politics, and hisRead MoreAnalysis Of Mark Twain s Works Made A Huge Impact On Readers And Literary Critics1288 Words   |  6 Pages2/26/17 P:2 Outline Mark Twain’s works made a huge impact on readers and literary critics. 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