Lesson Title: The Role of Superstition in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
By: Linda Dursteler
Burning Question:
How does superstition have a bearing on the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn? Can students use the novel to investigate their own superstitions?
Objectives:
After completing this lesson, students will be able to:
- Note the effect of the various superstitions upon the characters and the events in the novel.
- Students will discover the role of superstition and make the connection to their own lives.
Context:
A high school class reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Materials:
· Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Puffin Classics). London: Puffin, 2008.
Time Span:
Students will be identifying superstitions as they read the novel.
Procedures:
Students will create a chart listing the superstitions in Huckleberry Finn and tell what the superstitions mean to the characters.
Students will interview 6-10 people asking them about superstitions they believe in or superstitions they have seen or heard about.
Students will write an article revealing these superstitions and discussing the benefits of superstitions today.
Or
Students will create a superstition and try to convince 6-10 people that it works.
The students will write of the reactions of the people they worked with. They will write a summary of the results of their efforts in superstition.
Extensions:
Using inquiry, students will research into current superstitions. They will write an essay explaining the roots of a particular superstition. Students will need access to Pioneer and other secure/reliable internet research sources. Students will need access to a library.
Rationale:
Superstitions are important in people’s lives and in literature.
Resources:
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Puffin Classics). London: Puffin, 2008.
The following definition of superstition is from the Webster online dictionary:
http://www.webster-dictionary.org/definition/originn. 1. An excessive reverence for, or fear of, that which is unknown or mysterious.
Superstition is a set of behaviors that may be faith based, or related to magical thinking, whereby the practitioner believes that the future, or the outcome of certain events, can be influenced by certain of his or her behaviors. An example is the belief that it is bad luck to wear gold and silver together.
From Parlo, is a superstition quiz: http://www.parlo.com/en/teachers/lessonplans/superseng_1.asp.
List of common superstitions: http://www.brownielocks.com/superstitions.html.
Webster, Richard. The Encyclopedia of Superstitions, Woodbury, Minn.: Llewellyn Publications, 2008.
From the Mark Twain Museum is a lesson plan on superstition: http://www.marktwainmuseum.org/media/Superstitions%20Huck.pdf
2 examples of superstitions are noted by Jennifer Haun on her 2004 blog: “Superstitions in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” http://blogs.setonhill.edu/Jennifer Haun/005420.html
Example #1
Superstition of Snakes
Poisonous snakes in Navajo land was a real threat to Navajos and their livestock. The snake is also a symbol of the lightning people and brings rain to the dry land. Snakes are seen in Navajo sand paintings and other artworks. Do not touch a snake because it has nothing and you will have nothing.
http://navajocentral.org/navajotaboos/taboos_nature.htmlIn chapter X, Jim and Huck are discussing how Jim says that it is bad luck to touch a snakeskin with your hands. Huck doesn’t believe him because they found money in an overcoat they took from a house that was tilted on its side from the flood. Jim tells Huck that it’s coming to him. Then, Huck plays a prank on Jim and curls a dead snake up and puts it by Jim’s feet while he is sleeping. The snake’s mate comes and bites Jim. This gives Huck and Jim evidence to believe the superstition. They believe that Jim getting bitten by the snake was a result of Huck touching the snakeskin. Why wouldn’t you believe this? Because of the events, it seems that this is cause and effect.
Example #2
Spilling the Salt
The Ancient Greeks believed that salt was sacred and a repository of life itself because of its preservative qualities, and consequently they used it in their sacrificial cakes and preparations. They also believed it to be a symbol of friendship, and if any was spilled it was an omen of the end of a friendship. Among some peoples it was the custom to pay workers in amounts of salt, hence our modern word salary, from salarium. Later beliefs had it that evil spirits dwelt on the left-hand side of the body and so began the custom of throwing spilt salt over your left shoulder (and into their eyes). http://www.whimsy.org.uk/superstitions.htmlIn chapter IV Huck talks about spilling the salt at breakfast. He tries to throw it over his shoulder to: “keep off the bad luck,’ but Miss Watson is there and won’t let him. He states that Miss Watson put in a good word for him (to Heaven).