This quote begins and ends the sixth paragraph of Chapter
1 in which the Widow Douglas preaches to Huck Finn after supper, telling him about
Moses. But, when Huck finds out that Moses is from ancient history, he loses interest
in him. As he fidgets, the "tolerable slim" sister of the widow, Miss Watson, corrects
Hucks bad manners. In her effort to make Huck behave, she tells him about the "bad
place," and Huck, in his bored frustration, declares that he would like to go there.
This remark, of course, upsets Miss Watson, who tells Huck it is wicked to say such
things.
Now
she had got a start, and she went on and told me all about the good
place.
Miss Watson describes
heaven as she perceives it; there she will walk around all day playing a harp. Again,
Huck is not impressed; he asks her if Tom Sawyer might go there, and she replies "not by
a considerable sight." Then, Huck becomes glad to think this because then he and his
friend Tom will get to be together.
This passage is just
one of many illustrations of the religious hypocrisy of Miss Watson who believes herself
so righteous when she owns the slave Jim and is hypocritical in other ways. Here, too,
Twain's satiric humor comes into play as the unmannerly and tobacco-smoking Huck is
actually a much more guileless person than the widow and her
sister.
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