Religion is defined as a belief in a divine or superhuman power or higher being to be worshiped as the creator of the universe. Many of the characters have strong religious beliefs, but will not practice any form of superstitious behavior. Both the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson share a common belief in God but view Him in different ways. "Sometimes the widow would take me one side and talk about Providence in a way to make the body's mouth water; but maybe next day Miss Watson would take hold and knock it all down again."(p.13) This proves that Miss Watson and the Widow Douglas have differing views of heaven or "Providence." While Huck is in the care of the Widow Douglas he also learns about God but is unsure of how to view Him. Huck's struggles attempting to understand religion are spread throughout the entire story.
The definition of superstition is any belief or attitude that is inconsistent with what we know of science such as charms, omens, and the supernatural.
Mexico superstition products
Huckleberry no Bouken
Huck ItWhen the characters are expressing or acting out on their superstitious beliefs, they rarely have religious connotations. There are also many examples of superstition in this novel. One such example is when Huck flicks a spider into a candle flame and it dies. "...I flipped it off and it lit in the candle; and before I could budge, it was all shriveled up. I didn't need anyone to tell me that was an awful bad sign." (p.5) After Huck realizes what's happened to the spider, he performs a ritual meant to keep away witches. This is but one of many examples in the book of Huck's superstitious nature. Jim is also very superstitious, with such obvious examples as his "magic hair-ball." This hair-ball was taken out of...