Hypocrites and Slaves in the 1840’s
Throughout history Christians have been thought of, with reason, as hypocritical people. In the early 1500’s the church sold countless indulgences, which were supposed to get rid of sin and allow the individual into heaven. Since only the priests could read the language of the Bible in Europe, the common people believed whatever he told them. The majority of the priests took advantage of the situation and lied about the way to salvation in order to gain money for themselves. Eventually Martin Luther realized how wrong and immoral this was and took it upon himself to bring it to an end by informing the public of what the Bible truly says about forgiveness. Luther took action by nailing a sheet of paper with …show more content…
. . I says to the people, why ain’t this nigger put up at auction and sold?” (Twain 39-40) David L. Smith states in his critic that “Paps racial views were held not only by poor whites but by all ‘“right-thinking”’ southerners, regardless of their social class” (Smith 366). Pap is disgusted that a colored man is allowed to vote, which character shows a strong connection between his invidious morals and his strong belief in slavery, but Pap was not the only racist man. There were many people, of all social classes, in the southern society who held very similar beliefs. Huck was raised in that society which dehumanized colored people and Huck agreed with them until he experienced a personal friendship with one, named Jim. The readers can eventually see Huck’s moral system start to change after he tricks Jim into thinking his getting lost in the fog was just a dream, but the book soon after says “It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger” (Twain 95). Michael J. Hoffman comments that “To be ‘moral’ in this environment is to act according to the community’s legislated and unstated ethical codes, regardless of innate instincts or emotions”. Any white person apologizing to a slave was unacceptable because it infers equality between them. Huck shows great maturity and friendship through his humbling actions that society would look down
Throughout history Christians have been thought of, with reason, as hypocritical people. In the early 1500’s the church sold countless indulgences, which were supposed to get rid of sin and allow the individual into heaven. Since only the priests could read the language of the Bible in Europe, the common people believed whatever he told them. The majority of the priests took advantage of the situation and lied about the way to salvation in order to gain money for themselves. Eventually Martin Luther realized how wrong and immoral this was and took it upon himself to bring it to an end by informing the public of what the Bible truly says about forgiveness. Luther took action by nailing a sheet of paper with …show more content…
. . I says to the people, why ain’t this nigger put up at auction and sold?” (Twain 39-40) David L. Smith states in his critic that “Paps racial views were held not only by poor whites but by all ‘“right-thinking”’ southerners, regardless of their social class” (Smith 366). Pap is disgusted that a colored man is allowed to vote, which character shows a strong connection between his invidious morals and his strong belief in slavery, but Pap was not the only racist man. There were many people, of all social classes, in the southern society who held very similar beliefs. Huck was raised in that society which dehumanized colored people and Huck agreed with them until he experienced a personal friendship with one, named Jim. The readers can eventually see Huck’s moral system start to change after he tricks Jim into thinking his getting lost in the fog was just a dream, but the book soon after says “It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger” (Twain 95). Michael J. Hoffman comments that “To be ‘moral’ in this environment is to act according to the community’s legislated and unstated ethical codes, regardless of innate instincts or emotions”. Any white person apologizing to a slave was unacceptable because it infers equality between them. Huck shows great maturity and friendship through his humbling actions that society would look down