Huck Finn Superstition Essay, Research Paper
Mark Twain saturates the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with many examples
of superstition and myths. These aspects of the novel help the story progress, they
provide entertainment and help the story identify with the time. The most important
reason for the superstition and the rituals that come along with them are they are one of
the main reasons for the adventure in the first place. There are many examples throught
the story of the superstition from the spider in the candle to the rattle-snake skin and the
hair-ball.
One of the first examples of superstition is a simple thing that carried some of the
biggest consequences.?One morning I happened to turn over the saltcellar at breakfast. I
reached for some of it as quick as I could to throw over my left shoulder and keep off the
bad luck, but Miss Watson was in ahead of me, and crossed me off. ?This is an example
of how everything superstition has a ritual to remove the bad luck. Huck was not satisfied
thought with what the widow had done for him he says ?The widow put in a good word
for me, but that warn?t going to keep off the bad luck, I knowed that well enough.? This
fear of bad luck was acompanied by seeing his fathers shoe prints in the snow so Huck
knew he had to do something. What Huck ended up doing was going to Miss Watson?s
slave Jim who had a magical hair-ball. When Huck goes to find out what the hairball can
tell him Jim tells Huck that the hairball needs money to tell his fortune. All Huck had
however is a conterfiet quarter. Jim managed to make it work though by sticking it inside
a potato to fool the hair-ball. What the hair ball ended up telling them is this ?Yo?ole fathe
doan? know yit what he?s a gwyne to do. Somtimes he spec he?ll go ?way, en den ag?in he
spec he?ll stay. De bes? way is tores easy enlet so ole man take his own way. Dey?s two
angels hoverin? roun? ?bout him. One uv?em?s light en t?other one is dark. One is rich en
t? other is po?. You?s gwyne to marry de po? one fust en de rich one by en by. You wants
to keep ?way fum de water as much as you kin, en don?t run no resk, ?kase it?s down in de
bills dat you?s gwyne to git hung.?. Without these cases of bad luck Huck?s father might
have never shown up and there would be no reason to leave. So with out the
superstition there would be no adventure.