In Which Nick Does Mark's Work For Him

p. 144 Sherburn v. Boggs: "They laid him on the floor and put one large bible under his head, and opened up another one and spread it on his breast [...] He made about a dozen long gasps, his breast lifting the bible [...] and after that he laid still; he was dead."

In this scene, religion fails to save a man's life. Instead of using tangible methods (eg a doctor) to try and save Boggs, the townsfolk turn to religion. But Boggs dies anyway. This is a unique example in that Twain does not use religion to show hypocrisy.

Perhaps Boggs is a metaphor for the foolish elements of society, and Sherburn is someone who is tired of putting up with it. So he shoots him. Twain makes the point that religion fails to give meaning to or justify the foolishness.

p. 132 The Dauphin gets money to save pirates: "Then he burst into tears, and somebody cry out, 'Take up a collection for him! Take up a collection!' Well, half a dozen people jump to do it[...]"

In this scene, people trade money for a sense of moral superiority. It is similar to the scene in Things Fall Apart where the people give money to the village shaman to provide a spiritual service. Although the some hardcore religious people aspire to a life of piety and meager means, Twain shows that most people materialize religion, or substitute lack of true mental devotion with monetary dedication.

p. 109 The Grangerfords go to Church: "Next Sunday we all went to church, about three mile, everybody-a-horseback. The men took their guns along, so did Buck, and everybody kept them between their knees or handy against the wall [...] It was pretty ornery preaching, all about brotherly love [...] everybody said it was a good sermon. [...] It did seem to me to be one of the roughest Sundays I'd run across yet."

This is a powerful scene in which Twain shows the hypocrisy of the religious. It isn't necessarily attacking religion itself (the entire book follows this pattern), but it attacks the corrupted followers. The Shepardsons and the Grangerfords are so blinded by what their families have told them that they can't see the contradictions with their other beliefs. This is similar to modern hardcore right wingers who protest the abortion of fetuses but supported invading Iraq.

A Very Excellent Listing of the Religious References in Huckleberry Finn

· Blogger Post #1
○ 2
§ "I don't take no stock in dead people." [referring to Moses]
□ Develops Huck's character as disliking religion, education and society
§ "Grumble a little over the victuals"
□ Further develops Huck's character
○ 3
§ "Well I couldn't see no advantage is going where she was going"
□ Huck chooses the tangible reality of Tom and the Widow over the abstract concept of heaven and hell
§ "The fetched in the n----- and had prayers"
□ Religion is used to show the hypocrisy of society: The blacks have souls and therefore are required to pray, but they aren't considered to be human
○ 10
§ "All the boys said it would be wicked to do it [kill someone] on Sunday"
□ Huck is put further at odds with society, as even his friends believe in religion but he doesn't
○ 11
§ "There ain't much talk in prayer"
□ Further develops Huck's character as disliking religion and therefore society
○ 14
§ "I would see if there was anything in it"
□ Huck is rational: If he could rationalize prayer, he would do it
○ 18
§ "Dey's two gals flyn' 'bout you in yo'life."
□ Jim practices superstitions religiously
○ 37
§ "There's something in [prayer] when a body like the widow or the parson prays, but it don't work for me, and I reckon it don't work for only just the right kind"
□ Develops the idea that religion doesn't apply to all members of society
○ 69
§ "I'm unfavorable to killing a man as long as you can get aroun it [...] it ain't good morals."
□ Irony/Hypocrisy: Someone is citing religion a reason not to kill someone, but they are ok with killing him anyway
○ 78
§ "He was the most down on Solomon n----- I ever see."
□ Jim's interpretation of religion is very particle
□ Superstition has practical value, religion isn't
□ Similar to Huck's attitude of Moses