Think for Yourself: The Fallacy of Organized Religion in Huck Finn

English 11 Huck Finn

Only a DRAFT!

May change/be updated - still in progress - may still contain inaccuracies

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain denotes that one can be moral and righteous without relying on an organized religion. Furthermore, Twain shows the fallacy of organized religion, including hypocracy, and parishioners who can't even hear the sermon because they are reacting so strongly. Twain also shows through Huck that one should go with what one feels is best, which is not necessarily the rules of society and organized religion. Furthermore, one can be perfectly moral and make the right decisions even when one is not "civilized". (which religion does not let you do)

All throughout the story, Twain pokes fun at organized religion. The Widow Douglas tells Huck not to smoke tobacco, however she takes snuff and "of course that was all right, because she done it herself" (Twain 3). Snuff is merely dry tobacco and is not much different than smoking, thus showing the hypocraycy of someone who is very religious. Later in the book, Twain pokes fun at the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons who take their guns to church while the preacher talks about brother love. The Grangerfords enjoy the cermony and "said it was a good sermon, and they all talked it over going home, and had such a powerful lot to say about faith and good works and free grace and preforeordestination", but fail to realize that the preacher was talking about the silliness of their own feud (Twain 139). In another part of the book, the congregation at a religious revival can not even hear what the preacher is saying "on account of the shouting and crying" (Twain 167). They are so taken up in the histrionics that they can not hear what is going on.

Huck himself does not subscribe to organized religions. Several times throughout the book, Huck questions his beliefs versus the beliefs society imposes on him - the beliefs of organized religion.