Superstition in Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn :: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain

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. â€Å"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 â€Å"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 â€Å"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.