Hypocrisy is a pretense of being what one is not or believing what another does not. According to moral psychology, it is the inability to uphold one's own moral rules and values. In many cases, it refers to advocating behaviors that one does not practice. The classic novel, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain displays many examples of hypocrisy. It is about a boy named Huck Finn who escapes from home due to an abusive father. As a result, he travels down the Mississippi River with an escaped slave named Jim. He encounters many new situations, but he handles them all cleverly with the help of Jim. Throughout the book, Huck also meets people who are portrayed as "good" or "civil," yet in the end, many of them are revealed to have negative traits. The morality and ethics that Huck continuously encounters emphasize the theme of hypocrisy.
A form of hypocrisy seen in the novel with the Grangerford and Shepherdson family feud. In the beginning, the Grangerford family appeared to be kind, well-mannered, generous, and had good morals when they were with Huck. When Huck arrived, they provided him with clothing, shelter, and water. Having a respected colonel and being a wealthy family, their house was also very well decorated. However, the Grangerford family had a complete different behavior when facing the Sheperdsons due to a feud. Although they were perhaps an ideal family during the time period, the family still was violent and selfish. Moreover, in church, the concept of "loving thy neighbor" and forgiving was taught by the preachers. Yet, as stated in the text, “everyone [Grangerfords and Shepherdsons] took their guns along, and kept them between their knees or stood them handy against the wall.” Violence was also seen after Miss Sophia Grangerford and Harney Sheperdson eloped, leading to many men were killed on both sides. The families would rather continue to use violence and express hatred towards each other. Despite the Grangerfords’ self-proclaimed virtues, they still were vicious and cruel towards the Sheperdsons.
Another instance of hypocrisy reflected in the story was the crowd, who wanted to lynch Colonel Sherburn. At the beginning, when Boggs, a drunken man, started criticizing Colonel Sherburn, the colonel proceeded to murder Boggs as a punishment. The hypocrisy settles as the crowd, seeking justice, tries to lynch Colonel Sherburn. In spite of this, the colonel was able to prevent them easily by merely drawing his gun. He then went on to accuse them of coming only because a man was leading and that they did not lynch in broad daylight. Regardless, the town's mobs should have gone after Colonel Sherburn and punish him, as it is ethical and correct. In reality, the mobs were too scared and not brave enough to face the situation. Although they are aware of what justice is, when it concerns their lives and who will catch the killer, nobody dares to take action. In the end, they just leave him unjustified and as a murderer. Therefore, it shows that unfortunately throughout society, there is still hypocrisy.
A part of this novel concerned with the con artists, the Duke and the King, and the schemes they use to deceive others. In one of their schemes, they performed money-deceiving shows for 3 nights in the town. During the first night of the event, many people expressed dissatisfaction with the event and wanted to go after them. However, a man in the crowd stood up and said "But we don't want to be the laughing stock of this whole town, I reckon, and never hear the last of this thing as long as we live. NO. What we want is to go out of here quiet, and talk this show up, and sell the REST of the town." As a result, the hypocrisy of the people was illustrated, since they were afraid of ridicule and didn't want to damage their reputation in the town. In response, they tricked everyone in town into watching so everyone would be on the same level and a "fool". The crowd only wanted to avoid being looked down upon for getting tricked by such an act.
This novel displays many aspects of hypocrisy that impact the plot a lot. One example seen is with the Grangerford and Shepherdson family feud. Before with Huck, the Grangerford family appeared to be righteous and have good morals. Despite their perceived image, the family had a entirely different behavior of violence when facing the Shepherdsons. Another instance included was Colonel Sherburn and the mob's desire to lynch him. The crowd, seeking justice after Colonel Sherburn killed a man, decided to lynch the colonel. The mobs, however, were too scared and not brave enough to face the situation. Lastly, the con artists’ scheme with the crowd displayed hypocrisy as the crowd as afraid of being looked down upon for getting tricked by the Duke and King. Overall, this novel is an ironic tale that includes many occurrences of hypocrisy.
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