Examples Of Juxtaposition In Huck Finn

In this passage, Huck encounters a religious service. Twain intentionally over exaggerates the Christians in the audience by using imagery and literary devices to comment on how Christians blindly follow people with authority.

The more the preacher speaks, the more disorderly the audience becomes. Huck describes the people in the audience as chaotic and rowdy, they were “shouting and crying” when they went upfront they “they sung and shouted and flung themselves down on the straw. These actions do not represent well mannered and civilized Christians. Huck believes that this service is “crazy and wild” thus proving that Christians act like buffoons. The juxtaposition of Huck’s thoughts and the Christian’s action reveal the irony of this situation. Huck, the child, is the only rational one which shows that Christians can not behave reasonable despite them being the adults. This emphasizes the fact that

They can be perceived as ironic because a preacher is saying these things to the Christians, who are disorderly. The preacher says “come, black with sin” which could mean despite your sins or Twain could be commenting on the preconceived idea that all black people are sinful; which justifies slavery, they needed white people to cleanse them. Furthermore, the preacher says “come, lame and halt and blind” which could mean blind as in the lack of vision or it could mean the ignorance of Christians for owning a slave. The use for these double entendres that it is ironic that Christians do not fully comprehend the words that they are being told, they are simply doing what others are doing. The repetition of “amen” after everything the preacher says emphasizes the fact that they will encourage anything that a prominent religious leader says. The members of this church do not realize how necessary their actions are, it encourages Twain’s perception that Christians follow by