Theme Of Hypocriticism In Huckleberry Finn

In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain expresses the motif of a hypocritical society through several characters and situations in order to satirize the brutal aspect of the society of the time period. The Widow Douglas and Miss Watson request custody of Huck, but a new judge, who is unaware of Huck’s past, decides that Pap will remain the legal guardian. His actions derive from his belief that it would be wrong to separate a child from their father and stay with the traditional idea of a parent raising their own child, but he is blinded by his selfish motive to do that which is ethical in his own eyes, blurring the reality of the situation. This is hypocritical because he makes this decision in order for him to experience
The entire conflict is ironic because the family acts civil but engages in uncivilized war with unnecessary bloodshed and senseless slaughter. Also, both of the households regularly go to church and on one occasion they are joined by Huck, to where he notices that both families bring their guns to church. Here, the matter is so prevalent that a child is capable of distinguishing it in what is traditionally a composed environment. During the sermon at church he takes note of the subtle indications of the hypocritical conflict between the families: “Next Sunday we all went to church, about three mile, everybody a-horseback. The men took their guns along, so did Buck, and kept them between their knees or stood them handy against the wall. The Shepherdsons done the same. It was pretty ornery preaching—all about brotherly love,” (110). The entire concept of the Grangerfords and Shepherdsons regularly taking part in organized religion is utterly hypocritical. Their churchgoing implies that they have the ideals of the typical Christian, but their actions imply
Their dispute implies they greatly do not appreciate one another and rather express great hatred for each other as they plot each other’s deaths. Furthermore, the sermon in the church is concerning loving each other, but evidently the opposing families do not adhere to these religious guidelines. They both would be considered Christian based on their religious affiliation, but as a result of the pointless feud, they act completely contradictory to what is expected from the average follower of Jesus. Twain utilizes the families to show conflict, small scale and large scale, is most often unnecessary and hypocritical. After the massacre of Grangerford family, Huck leaves them behind and eventually arrives at the Phelps’ farm where Jim is imprisoned. Huck communicates to the owner, Sally Phelps, that a steamboat had broken down, but only a black person was