Mark Twain's novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn tells of a young boy who traveled south with a runaway slave, Jim, after running away from his father to means of a fake murder. In his myriad misadventures, Huck observed many things, learned about himself and Southern society, and changed dynamically as a person. Twain satirized the gullibility and underdeveloped moral compass of the average Southerner. Through this satire and the characters in the novel, it covers numerous topics including racism, the treatment of the black population, the female population, and many others. The two major themes running through the book included religion versus superstition and morality. Twain depicted superstition as morally superior to Christianity through examples of Christian hypocrisy and stated that the actions of superstitious characters, including Huck and Jim, tend to be the "correct" ones. In doing so, he demonstrates the religious hypocrisy, as well as general behaviors, of Southern society. According to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Christians are prone to religious hypocrisy. There are instances throughout the novel where religious hypocrisy can easily be found. For example, in chapter four, superstition and religion clashed when Miss Watson scolded Huck for using superstition: One morning I happened to turn the salt shaker at breakfast. I grabbed some as quickly as I could to throw it over my left shoulder and keep the bad luck away, but Miss Watson was in front of me and obliterated me. He says, “Take your hands off Huckleberry; what a mess you always make!” The widow put in a good word for me… (Twain, 15). This particular event, right at the beginning of the novel, demonstrates how two people of t...... middle of paper......, and morals, and how it influenced the behavior of “civilized” society. In Huck's Misadventures, Huck faced difficult situations, and with that, Twain explored the complexity of morality with respect to superstition, Christianity, and satirical Southern behavior. Works Cited Horwitz, Howard. "Can we learn to argue? "Huckleberry Finn" and literary discipline." ELH 70.1 (267-300): 2003. Print.Kastely, James L. “The Ethics of Self-Interest: Narrative Logic in Huckleberry Finn.” Nineteenth-Century Fiction 40.4 (1986): 412-437. Print.Light, James F. "Paradox, Form, and Despair in "Huckleberry Finn."" Mark Twain Journal 21.4 (1983): 24-25. Print.Lackey, Michael. “Beyond Good and Evil: Huckleberry Finn on Human Intimacy.” American Studies / American Studies 47.4 (2002): 491-501. Print.Twain, Mark. The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn. 1885. Print.