Racism and Religious Hypocrisy - Essay Example

Hypocrisy is well portrayed in the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and the term hypocrisy refer to individual possession of a double standards. A person claims to be morally just and leave by the virtues of the law but often, the character fails to match what they claim to possess. Many incidences of hypocrisy are identifiable in the novel amongst which are the Duke and the king who portrayed themselves as royals, but in reality, they were con artists. The window and Miss Watson were both quite religious and had strong beliefs about whats right and wrong, but it was common to see them do the opposite of what their religion taught. For example, as Christian miss, Watson knew it was not right to treat other people as lesser beings, but still, she kept slaves. The widow criticizes smoking, but she smokes herself. Huckleberry father to Huck after leaving prison, he vows never to go back to his old life. But as soon as he was settled, he embarked on his old drunkard ways. The novel has turns of hypocritical incidences but in this paper religious and racial hypocrisys will analyzed.

Racial hypocrisy

Racism has been a subject of existence since introduction slavery. The Negros, who were slaves, were subjects to the white man, as they offered cheap labor during the era of colonialize. The civilization of American state resulted to the abolition of slavery and slave labor (Kinder and David 231) Although slavery was abolished the black people were viewed as inferior to whites and were judged by their skin color. Segregation based on skin color was introduced, and the white people were given many privileges, while the black man was subjected to harsh living conditions (Shanklin 79). The novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was scripted by Twain, slightly after emancipation, but the wrath poured against the black people was visible and identifiable. Twain used the book to express the racist nature of the southern part of America and an area profoundly affected by racial segregation. The themes of slavery and racism are intertwined and well used, revealing the hypocrisy that lay low, despite the scraping of slavery. According to Mitchell (142), Abolition of slavery was geared towards ending racial prejudice, slightly did people realize it was the sprout of another. Although the black people were no longer working forcefully under the white master, they continued to be disregarded as good enough to secure right positions in government and at work.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn chronologically recounts of an era when black people were described as inhuman and inferior. According to Cox (42) stereotypically, black people were projected as immature people who would not reason, however, physically fit. The black magic and witchcraft made them look down to as ignorant. Also based on a study report collected in the South American states during the civil war era, the black men were perceived as three fifth men and not whole men (Van den Berghe 79). The irony of black men as three-fifths has been featured in the novel by Twain to show the hypocrisy of existence for the so-called whole men. The "whole men" perceived themselves moral and religious, more than anyone else in the novel but nothing moral and righteous could be derived from them in reality. Huck father is an abusive racist and drunk man who had no morals nor character but the society finds goodness in him as a man, and they fight to get him his son back. Unfortunately, he backfires on them by going back to his old abusive characters. Although Huck father was white, and categorized as a "whole man" there was never anything prominent about him. The judge finds him unmannerly and evil as he states the only way he will ever reform is by a short gun( Twain 39). Huck father also goes on a racist rant, as he aggressively insults and disregards a black professor. No matter what a black man did, he was never good enough to gain same whole man status as the white men. It is hypocritical in nature for a man such as hacks father to be regarded better when compared to Jim a black, kindhearted man and a slave. Hack father superiority is by color but never by character. Jim is more a whole man than many of the man in the novel because his character speaks volume. When Jim and Hack come along dead bodies, Jim took the role of a father figure and prevent Hack from seeing the dead bodies they look too gashy (Twain 89). Jim offered more love, care, and kindness that Hack birth father did, such a character replaces senior hack characters symbolically.

The in the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are defined as immoral based on color. Hack father often referred to black people as a thieving race. While Huck spy in chapter 26 on Duke and King to know where they kept the stolen money, Duke and King Plots to hide the money another place because they fear the black slaves working in their rooms would steal the money. White people were racially judged pure, while the black people were immoral and evil. Remarks from Duke AND King are a good reflection of moral, racial prejudice used by white people, for example, it is quoted in the novel the black people cannot come across money and not borrow it. (Twain 299). The back people are portrayed as and equal to children. Jim and Hack are a whim in the novel to the white adult. To prove that blacks were treated as children, Duke and king the cons put up prints with different reading admission 25 cents, while children and servant were 10 cents( Twain 233). Treating black people as children does not exist only in the book, but this was a problem that also lived during the American reconstruction and civil war era.

Religious hypocrisy

Religion is a prominent theme in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and the novel was written to reflect on the era when America was undergoing civilization and under colonizers. The colonizers introduced plantation farming, slavery, and civilization, and they also come to spread Christianity (Mitchell 68). British were Christian, and during colonization, they found a new way to recruit more people into Christianity by converting the Americans to Christian of which a majority of Americans practiced their indigenous religious traditions (Nudelman 35). Twain saw the society in the 1830s, to be living in a veil of deception and false spiritual value. Religious is bound to instill morality, but the Christian religion practitioners preached the hypocritical theological ethics. In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, different characters such as Widow Douglas, Miss Watson and Silas are an excellent reflection of the false religion. The characters Miss Watson, Silsa and Widow Douglas, are religious and strong spiritual believers and their Christian virtues are well-intentioned. However, they have been deceived into believing slavery is morally acceptable, and slaves are inferior creatures.

The Watsons sisters a good reflection also of religious hypocrisy as identified by Hack. The two sister presentation of eternity is different. Each has a different thought of what heaven looks like. Based on hacks interpretation of what he observes he states I could see that there were two providences (Twain, 21.) hacks as he grows and seeks to understand what it meant to be Christian he realized the religious hypocrisy around him was real and huge. Window Douglas version of heave is enticing as it can make a bodys mouth water (Twain, 21). Hack when asks he says he would prefer widow Douglas heaven if God wanted (21). Although Hack prefers window, Douglas religious believes a moral emptiness and hypocrisy in her religion is apparent. She disciplines Hack for her immoral action of smoking. However, she fails to comply with what she warns Hack against (Twain, 6). The widow made it acceptable, for her to and snuff just because she is addicted herself and unable to quit. Therefore, what is hard for her to stop become prevalent, but if other people make the same mistake, they can be judged. In Christian teaching, it is virtuous to help. Window Douglas teaches Hack the same virtue to be helpful to those in need (Twain, 21). However, it was hypocritical of her to agree and be okay with owning people. People are not cow and cats and can never be owned or held and treated less because of their color or class.

Miss Watson had a different version of heaven, where only those wealthy and of a particular class would enter. Miss Watson heaven is full of singing and dancing in her description but quite selective. It is not a place for poor chaps (Twain, 21). Poor people are punishable by Miss Watson heaven, and Hack status is an ideal version of hell. It is hypocritical how Miss Watson judges people based on social status those who are poor are not worth Gods kingdom. Miss Watson though very spiritual, in her religion, there is a lot of emptiness, she fails to practice what she preaches. It is hypocritical to see her fetch slaves for prayers but finds it right to own them as her property. Miss Watson joining slaves in players was a means to have her control the sermon and manipulate the slaves to believe they are servants in Gods wills and they should be obedient subjects to their masters. According to Zuckerman (123), in the south, the relationship between the masters and the slaves was normal and human, and more so they saw the act as divine. It was a helping act to the slaves and was for their well-being.

Works cited

Cox, David G. "The Mount of Vision: African American Prophetic Tradition, 18001950." (2013): 254-256.

Kinder, Donald R., and David O. Sears. "Prejudice and politics: Symbolic racism versus racial threats to the good life." Journal of personality and social psychology 40.3 (1981): 414.

Mitchell, Beverly Eileen. Black abolitionism: A quest for human dignity. Vol. 17. Bishop Henry McNeal Turner/Soj, 2005.

Nudelman, Franny. John Brown's Body: Slavery, Violence, and the Culture of War. UNC Press Books, 2015.

Shanklin, Eugenia. "Representations of race and racism in American anthropology." Current anthropology 41.1 (2000): 99-103.

Twain, Mark, Gerald Graff, and James Phelan. "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Macmillan Education UK, 1995. 27-265.

Van den Berghe, Pierre L. Race (Racism). John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, 1967.

Zuckerman, Phil, ed. Du Bois on religion. AltaMira Press, 2000.