How Does Christianity Influence Huck Finn

The people and places exemplified throughout the work of Mark Twain in Huckleberry Finn are widely influenced by both their encouraging and degrading views of religion, specifically Christianity. The perceptions and lifestyles of all of the characters in Huck Finn have some sort of relation back to their personal beliefs. Throughout American History, Christianity has made the largest impact on how people live their lives. It, therefore, fits that a story rooted in American mannerisms and beliefs should rely heavily on the ideas put forth through religion. This idea is primarily presented when looking at Huck himself, Jim, and Huck’s religious influences in life: Miss Watson and the Widow Douglas. Each of these three, fall onto a vast spectrum

The major views in the book relate back to a religious spectrum. This spectrum places Huck on the end, focused almost entirely on a care free life and very little on Christianity. As a young boy, he relates back to his experiences, and many of those thoughts force him to relate Christianity back to the Miss Watson and the Widow Douglas’ efforts to “sivilize” him. We see his opposition to Christianity both at the beginning of the book, during his time with her, and at the very end when referencing the efforts that will be made to civilize him. In the beginning, Huck states “Now she had got a start, and she went on and told me all about the good place. She said all a body would have to do there was to go around all day long with a harp and sing, forever and ever. So I didn't think much of it. But I never said so. I asked her if she

They both rely beliefs to survive life. It is those concepts, misguided as they may be, that mold both into strict and rigid people, but morally right. They require those around them to abide by personal interpretations and preferences that they have self-constructed. They place unnecessary boundaries on others and even push them away, allowing individual mentalities on key issues. These requirements that they place on others makes it so that Huck specifically feels tied to them and is forced to contemplate their reality before his own. It is an unintended consequence of definite and callous ideas that under no circumstances can be broken. Miss Watson and the Widow Douglas both reference putting the Lord first saying “I went and told the Widow about it, and she said the thing a body could get by praying for it was “spiritual gifts.” This was too much for me, but she told me what she means—I must help others, and do everything I could for other people, and look out for them all the time, and never think about myself” This shows that both sisters want to put the Lord into everything, even if it is not beneficial for who they are trying to help. Unfortunately, this is how many people of the time attempted to help all others through God. This is further continued in Miss Watson and Widow Douglas’ attempts to civilize Huck as she thinks the only thing good for him is learning about Jesus. He reports “The