There are many superstitions throughout this book that play a very important role. Most of them dignify a person’s character and their beliefs. Superstitions are things that people make seem true but they are not. Most superstitions are created to scare people or change their evil ways.
In 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. This superstition symbolizes the relationship between Huck and Jim. In the beginning Huck didn’t believe in helping slaves, but as the story progresses he learns don’t have many differences.
This superstition is about Huck flinging a spider into a candlestick, he believes that killings spiders brings bad luck. He tries a lot of different methods to keep from form wishing bad luck upon him. This superstition tells us about Hucks childhood and the things he was taught. We can also tell he is uneducated.
There are a series of superstitions in chapter IV, Jim tells Huck about these situations that will bring him bad luck. He mentions how birds predict the weather, and if you catch a bird it brings death upon you or your family. Hucks mindset is based off of superstitions, but when it comes to everyday knowledge Jim is inexperienced. This is the reason why he doesn’t quite know how to get himself out of certain situations.
In conclusion, these superstitions are used to portray a characters personality. They help you get a better understanding of the story as a whole. Superstitions are used to identify why a person thinks the way they