The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Chapter 3
Summary
After punishing Huck for dirtying his new clothes
during his night out with Tom, Miss Watson tries to explain prayer
to him. Huck gives up on it after some of his prayers are not answered.
Miss Watson calls him a fool, and the Widow Douglas later explains
that prayer bestows spiritual gifts, such as acting selflessly to
help others. Huck, who cannot see any advantage in such gifts, resolves
to forget the matter. The two women often take Huck aside for religious
discussions, in which Widow Douglas describes a wonderful God, while
Miss Watson describes a terrible one. Huck concludes there are two
Gods and decides he would like to belong to Widow Douglas’s, if
He would take him. Huck considers this unlikely because of his bad
qualities.
Meanwhile, a rumor circulates that Huck’s Pap,
who has not been seen in a year, is dead. A corpse was found in
the river, thought to be Pap because of its “ragged” appearance.
The face, however, was unrecognizable. At first, Huck is relieved.
His father had been a drunk who beat him when he was sober, although
Huck stayed hidden from him most of the time. Upon hearing further
description of the body found, however, Huck realizes that it is
not his father but rather a woman dressed in men’s clothes. Huck
worries that his father will soon reappear.
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