Superstition In Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn

There are multiple apparent themes in the book Huck Finn by Mark Twain. The book takes place in the 1830’s to 40’s, when slavery is legal. It is brimming with satire on issues of racism, and it is for these reasons that the book is highly controversial in society today. As well as this theme of slavery and freedom, religion, education, superstition, and nature are all examples of additional messages. To me, the most significant of these is superstition, as Twain seems to make it a crucial piece of the book. Each character he created has different attitudes towards the superstition, and they mean different things to them as well. It is important to Jim because it gives him hope. Huck’s superstitious beliefs act as a replacement for his lack of religious faith, and Twain’s attitude towards superstition depicts that he is a believer in karma. …show more content…
This thinking is almost a way that Jim takes comfort in the fact that he is in fact a slave. In the book Huckleberry Finn, Jim is a African American slave, who has run away from his owner in order to steal his wife and children from their slaveholders in the south. Jim’s story is only one of thousands of slaves in this time period. Jim says to Huck, “Ef you’s got hairy arms en a hairy breas’, it’s a sign dat you’s agwyne to be rich. Well, dey’s some use in a sign like dat, ’kase it’s so fur ahead. You see, maybe you’s got to be po’ a long time fust, en so you might git discourage’ en kill yo’sef ’f you didn’ know by de sign dat you gwyne to be rich bymeby.” Jim confirms that he has hairy arms and a hairy chest, and believes that one day he might become rich. His confidence in these theories is a way for him to have hope that one day his luck might change and he might be wealthy and with his