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Mark Twain: Religion and Rivers

Mark Twain: Final Research Paper

Megan Drake

AP English Literature and Composition

Ms. Wilson - Bell 4

 12 February 2014

I have read and understand the sections in the Student Handbook regarding Mason High School's Honesty/Cheating Policy. By affixing this statement to the title page of my paper, I am certifying that I have not cheated or plagiarized in the process of completing this assignment. If it is found that cheating and/or plagiarism did take place in the writing of this paper, I understand the possible consequences of the act, which could include a "0" on the paper, as well as an "F" as a final grade in the course. Drake 2
                         Winston Churchill once said claimed that criticism "fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things." (Churchill). Similar to pain, criticism is also very common. Every genre of life is subject to the constant influx of opinions. One opinion, however, stands out when it comes to criticism; Mark Twain was one of society’s ultimate critics. His reproach was not about what people did, but why they did it. He explored the hypocrisy of American daily life and "civilized" society as he condemned ideologies such as imperialism, romanticism, racism, and blind obedience. Twain didn’t ordinarily write, word for word, what he believed about any of these topics however - there isn’t any book titled The Adventures of Ideologies I Despise. Instead, he employed satire to convey the ridiculousness of what culture deemed acceptable.  
                         One of the chief topics that Twain explored was the role of religion in society.
He didn’t necessarily criticize beliefs, but the way that organized religion functioned in everyday life. Throughout The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the boys were forced to attend church meetings, memorize scripture, and obey religious leaders. However,
through satire, religious allusions and metaphors, Twain is able to reveal that the boys learned the most about moral decisions and religious ideologies outside of society’s formal church setting.
                          On the 19th  century Mississippi River, attending church was part of what made one "sivilized." Nevertheless, the focus of the organized Christian religions wasn’t necessarily to understand Christ’s teachings and apply it to one’s life, but to be a part of the Christian culture uses an entire chapter to parody Romeo and Juliet, not only does his satirizing and mocking the play itself, but slipping in a few scenes to demonstrate how Christianity had become an "only on Sunday" kind of religion for many of the people in the 19th century. He writes, "The men took their guns along, so did Buck, and kept them between their knees or stood them handy against the wall. The Shepherdsons done the same. It was pretty ornery preaching—all about brotherly love, and such-like tiresomeness…but everybody said it was a good sermon, and they all talked it over going home, and had such a powerful lot to say about faith and good works and free grace and preforeordestination" (Twain 95-96). Although they attend church, the two families aren’t practicing what they preach. The entire sermon on brotherly kindness somehow did not apply to their daily lives or to their feud with their neighbors. By juxtaposing the violence of guns with the peaceful preaching on "faith and good works," Twain is able to utilize his satire to prove that their practices aren’t complying with "beliefs." Critiquing American Christianity, Twain explains, ‘If Christ were here now, there is one thing he would not be- a Christian.’" (Taylor 2). Christianity in the 19th century, along the Mississippi River context was no longer about practicing the doctrine they were being taught at church, but simply attending so that others could see you there. There was prestige held in being a "church-goer," but the religion itself didn’t extend far past the doors of the chapels. 
                       Many literary critics claim that "the gullible were prey to preachers and [Twain] used this point for comic effect in Huckleberry Finn" (Britton), but it wasn’t necessarily the corruption of religious leaders or what was preached that caused this "unhealthy" state of Christianity. The doctrine itself followed the bible closely; it was the church setting that prohibited true learning. The scriptures were the same as they had always been and the sermons didn’t differ too drastically from those of centuries past, but the members of the churches reacted differently to the preaching. Twain used his satire to depict how society was allowing religious traditions to replace faith and meaning. The traditions of Christianity – the rituals, the recitations, the readings – had become all that was left of the religion in both Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. Twain expressed "the need to rediscover religion in the debris of traditions passed off as Christianity" (Taylor 2). Society became so focused on the traditions of religion that they failed to practice the faith that went along with it. This is a problem seen time and time again in the bible itself, where the people would fall into focusing on the customs, and arguing about the nuances of the religious laws, that they would fail to follow the purpose behind them. Twain satirized the practices in order to depict the lack of faith in them, "’Now,’ said Joe, getting up, ‘you got to let me kill you. That's fair.’‘Why, I can't do that, it ain't in the book’" (Twain 89). Tom Sawyer’s obsession with living "by the book ," no matter what book it was, reflects society’s replacement of religion with tradition. It didn’t matter that if what the book said might be immoral, unjust, or unfair, it just had to be followed strictly. Tom echoes what his church had failed to instill in him: that going off "the books" wasn’t what religion was about.
                      Although the institution of a church is meant to teach religion and religious practices,Huckleberry Finn learns ethics, morals, and religious ideologies when he is outside of established religion and in "uncivilized" society. When Huck is faced with the dilemma to turn in Jim, the black slave, he finally decides to go against society and "take up wickedness again. I would go to work and steal Jim out of slavery again; and if I could think up anything worse, I would do that, too; because as long as I was in, and in for good, I might as well go the whole hog" (Twain 184). By having Huck condemn himself for making the moral decision to treat Jim as a human being, Twain satirizes society’s treatment of African American’s and racism. Christianity generally teaches that decisions based on incorrect morals lead to a form of Hell, but here, disregarding race and treating people equally is what is considered wrong. By abandoning what the Mississippi River Christians, Widow Douglas, and Miss Watson have taught him in his trip down the Mississippi River, Huck is finally able to form his own ethics that actually comply with Christian teachings. Here "Huck has made his first moral decision: he is not going to try to go to heaven if heaven is populated by representatives of conventional morality, such as Miss Watson" (Trites1). By separating the morals of the Mississippi River Christians from what is actually considered right or wrong, Huck is finally able to make decisions that follow the Christ-like teachings. Twain’s satirizes this heaven to represent a place that those who follow a conventional morality will go, instead of the actual Christian heaven depicted in the bible.
                       It isn’t just the Horatian satire that accomplishes the author’s purpose – Twain employs ongoing religious allusions and metaphors in order to depict where the spiritual growth is actually occurring. He constantly references the bible, to the point where his critics say "it seems that he had no other metaphors at his disposal" (Holland 2). In the book, The Liberal Imagination, Lionel Trilling addresses one of the ongoing conceits of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, as he writes, "’rivers are roads that move,’ and the movement of the road in its own mysterious life transmutes the primitive simplicity of the form" (Trilling). Biblically, a river, especially the Jordan River (King James Version, Matthew 3.6), can represent anything from purity, cleansing, a journey, or freedom, all of which are acts of progression. This river metaphor alludes to the same progression. Huck was finally "free again" as he "went a-sliding down the river" (Twain 29), and able to make that decision to forego what Miss Watson had tried to teach him about Christianity. He finally spiritually progresses on this river – it becomes a road to the discovery of his true moral character. Water itself is a biblical motif, referring to Christ as the "living water" (KJV, John 4.10), or one that will fulfill a thirst for knowledge, wisdom, and growth of faith. By setting The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn on this twisting, turning waterway, Twain is also able to depict the river as a source of spiritual life and growth, while contrasting it with the "the dry argument" (Twain 56) preached in their church. The biblical metaphor and illusion works as a structural foundation for
Huckleberry Finn, guiding the formation of the story as well as Huck’s theological development.
                       By depicting the "conventional moralities" as comical through his satire whilst filling his works with biblical allusions and metaphors, Mark Twain is able to demonstrate the flaws in society’s logic and criticize the "unhealthy state" of religious practices. Being "sivilized" does not necessarily make one a good person, but perhaps just one who follows society’s trends instead of standing up for moral beliefs. Not only were the boys unable to learn what was necessary for religious ripening inside the walls of a church, but they were better able understand their own beliefs and develop moral character in the least civilized of places.

Mark Twain's Satire and Religious Hypocrisy - Research Paper Outline

I.         Introduction:

a.        Lead Story: Capture your reader’s attention in a one or two paragraph lead story (narrative format).  This may include an example or exploration of your topic or author.  Somehow you must engage your audience in your topic or issue. 

America loves to criticize. It’s no secret – criticism is blatantly posted on every billboard, magazine cover, and website. What people wear, what people say, what people do; all are subject to the constant influx of opinions. One opinion, however, stands out when it comes to criticism. Mark Twain was one of society’s ultimate critics. His reproach was not about what people did, but why they did it. He explored the hypocrisy of American daily life and “civilized” society as he condemned ideologies such as imperialism, romanticism, racism, and blind obedience. However, Twain didn’t write books on the horrors of slavery or armies invading native lands through brute force. Instead, he employed satire to convey the ridiculousness of what culture deemed acceptable.

b.       Beyond the Lead Transition Paragraph:  Transition from your lead story into your Thesis Statement.

One of the major topics that Twain explored was the role of religion in society. He didn’t necessarily criticize beliefs, but the way that organized religion functioned in everyday life. Throughout The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the boys were forced to attend church meetings, memorize scripture, and obey religious leaders.

c.        Transition into your Thesis Statement:

However, through Horatian satire, Twain is able to reveal that the boys learned the most about moral decisions and religious ideologies outside of society’s formal church setting.

II.       Body Paragraph 1 (You can have more commentary/concrete details than what is shown here).

a.        Topic Sentence (State your Main Point):

On the 19^th century Mississippi River, attending church was part of what made one “civilized.” But the focus of the organized Christian religions wasn’t necessarily to understand Christ’s teachings and apply it to one’s life, but to be a part of the Christian culture and gain the respect of simply attending church.

b.       Commentary (to set up your Concrete Detail):

In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain uses an entire chapter to parody Romeo and Juliet. Not only does his satire mock the play itself, but he slips in a few scenes to demonstrate how Christianity had become an “only on Sunday” kind of religion for many of the people in the 19^th century.

c.        Concrete Detail (to defend your Topic Sentence):

“The men took their guns along, so did Buck, and kept them between their knees or stood them handy against the wall.  The Shepherdsons done the same.  It was pretty ornery preaching—all about brotherly love, and such-like tiresomeness…but everybody said it was a good sermon, and they all talked it over going home, and had such a powerful lot to say about faith and good works and free grace and preforeordestination, and I don't know what all, that it did seem to me to be one of the roughest Sundays I had run across yet.” (Twain 95-96).

d.       Commentary (to analyze your previous Concrete Detail and introduce your next one):

Although they do attend church, the two families aren’t practicing what they preach. The entire sermon on brotherly kindness somehow did not apply to their daily lives, and in their feud with their neighbors. By juxtaposing the violence of guns with the peaceful preaching on “faith and good works,” Twain is able to utilize his satire to prove that their practices aren’t complying with “beliefs.”  

e.       Concrete Detail (to further defend your Topic Sentence and Commentary):

“Critiquing American Christianity, Twain explains, ‘If Christ were here now, there is one thing he would not be- a Christian.’” (Taylor 2).

f.         Commentary (to make sense of your entire paragraph and come back to your Main Point and Thesis):

Christianity in the 19^th century, along the Mississippi River context was no longer about practicing the doctrine they were being taught at church, but simply attending so that others could see you there. There was prestige held in being a “church-goer,” but the religion itself didn’t extend far past the doors of the chapels.

III.     Body Paragraph 2 (You can have more commentary/concrete details than what is shown here).

a.        Topic Sentence (State your Main Point):

Twain used his satire to depict how society was allowing religious traditions to replace faith and meaning.

b.       Commentary (to set up your Concrete Detail):

The traditions of Christianity – the rituals, the recitations, the readings – had become all that was left of the religion in both books.

c.        Concrete Detail (to defend your Topic Sentence):

“Twain expresses the need to rediscover religion in the debris of traditions passed off as Christianity” (Taylor 2).

d.       Commentary (to analyze your previous Concrete Detail and introduce your next one):

Society became so focused on the traditions of religion that they failed to practice the faith that came along with it. This is a problem seen time and time again in the bible itself, where the people would fall into focusing on the customs, and arguing about the nuances of the religious laws, that they would fail to follow the purpose behind them. Twain satirized the churches in order to depict the lack of religion in them.

e.       Concrete Detail (to further defend your Topic Sentence and Commentary):

“’Now,’ said Joe, getting up, ‘you got to let me kill you. That's fair.’

‘Why, I can't do that, it ain't in the book’” (Twain 89).

f.         Commentary (to make sense of your entire paragraph and come back to your Main Point and Thesis):

Tom Sawyer’s obsession with living “by the book,” no matter what book it was, reflects society’s replacement of religion with tradition. It didn’t matter that what the book said might be immoral, unjust, or unfair, it had to be followed strictly. Tom echoes what he had been taught in church – this is the way things are done in society, it doesn’t matter if they are ethical. 

V.       Body Paragraph 3 (You can have more commentary/concrete details than what is shown here).

a.        Topic Sentence (State your Main Point):

Although the institution of a church is meant to teach religion and religious practices, Huckleberry Finn learns ethics, morals, and religious ideologies when he is outside of established religion and in “uncivilized” society.

b.       Commentary (to set up your Concrete Detail):

When Huck is faced with the dilemma to turn in Jim, the black slave, he finally decides to go against society as he says, “

c.        Concrete Detail (to defend your Topic Sentence):     à will shorten quote

“It was awful thoughts and awful words, but they was said.  And I let them stay said; and never thought no more about reforming.  I shoved the whole thing out of my head, and said I would take up wickedness again, which was in my line, being brung up to it, and the other warn't.  And for a starter I would go to work and steal Jim out of slavery again; and if I could think up anything worse, I would do that, too; because as long as I was in, and in for good, I might as well go the whole hog.”

d.       Commentary (to analyze your previous Concrete Detail and introduce your next one):

By having Huck condemn himself for making the moral decision to treat Jim as a human being, Twain satirizes society’s treatment of African American’s and racism. Religion teaches that decisions based on incorrect morals lead to Hell, but here, disregarding race and treating people equally is what is considered wrong. By abandoning what his religious instructors, Widow Douglas, and Miss Watson have taught him in his trip down the Mississippi River, Huck is finally able to form his own ethics that actually comply with Christian teachings.

e.       Concrete Detail (to further defend your Topic Sentence and Commentary):

“Huck has made his first moral decision: he is not going to try to go to heaven if heaven is populated by representatives of conventional morality, such as Miss Watson” (1).

f.         Commentary (to make sense of your entire paragraph and come back to your Main Point and Thesis):

By separating the Mississippi River Christians from what is actually considered right or wrong, Huck is finally able to make decisions that follow the Christ-like teachings. Twain’s satirizes this heaven to represent a place that those who follow a conventional morality will go, instead of the actual Christian heaven.

VI.     Conclusion—you may briefly summarize for your reader, but be sure to extend your analysis and leave your reader with an intriguing concept that will leave him or her thinking about your topic. 

By depicting the “conventional moralities” as comical through his satire, Twain is able to show the flaws in society’s logic. Being “sivilized” does not necessarily make one a good person, but perhaps just one who follows society’s trends instead of standing up for moral beliefs. Not only were the boys able to learn more about religion outside of a church, but they were also able to better understand their place in society when they had abandoned it.

 *Probably going to completely change one of the paragraphs to a different topic sentence. And I know this needs a lot more depth, especially with identifying the religious allusions throughout the books and relating the theme of religion to the Mississippi River.

AP Open Prompt #1

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

by Mark Twain

2008, Form B. In some works of literature, childhood and adolescence are portrayed as times graced by innocence and a sense of wonder; in other works, they are depicted as times of tribulation and terror. Focusing on a single novel or play, explain how its representation of childhood or adolescence shapes the meaning of the work as a whole.

In his book, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain uses the immature context of Tom Sawyer’s childhood – the games, imagination and blamelessness – as a platform to address more mature topics of the boy’s world on the 19^th century Mississippi River.

Twain describes those who attempt to make the boys grow up and mature as oppressive through imagery; his view of childhood reflects one of freedom, away from the pressures of society. As Mary helps Tom get ready for church, she forced him into a bath and his Sunday attire, until he “looked exceedingly improved and uncomfortable” but “there was a restrain about whole clothes and cleanliness that galled him” (Twain 40). This sense of feeling – the uncomfortableness and restraint of his Sunday “best” - reflects the restraints being placed on Tom’s childhood. The physical imagery echoes the unspoken disturbance of freedom. Mary is forcing Tom into the mold society has created for him as an adult, clean and kept and stiff – yet he is still a child. His family forces him to Sunday school – “a place that Tom hated with his whole heart” (Twain 40), taking him away from the excitement, adventures and escapades that create the almost ideal American youth. By characterizing childhood as free and adulthood as constrictive, Twain is able to portray adulthood with a negative connotation, implying its negative ideologies and conventional beliefs.

            This negative portrayal of adults is partially why Mark Twain only followed the story of children. Their adventures contrasted with the racism, religious hypocrisy, and societal pressures more often found in adulthood. On the very last page of the book, Twain writes, “It being strictly a history of a boy, it must stop here; the story could not go much further without becoming the history of a man” (Twain 319). His use of juvenile context serves to satirize adulthood in a way that a more mature setting could not. 

“But the elastic heart of youth cannot be compressed into one constrained shape long at a time.” (Twain 84).