Huckleberry Finn Quotes
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I was trying to make my mouth SAY I would do the right thing and the clean thing, and go and write to that n*****'s owner and tell where he was; but deep down in me I knowed it was a lie, and He knowed it. You can't pray a lie – I found that out.
Context
Lots of teachers think of Huckleberry Finn as a morality tale.
And based on this quote, it totally is.
Huck has just found out that Jim, the runaway slave with whom he, um, runs away, was discovered and sold back into slavery while Huck was busy being elsewhere. Huck is worried for his friend and is debating whether or not he should write a letter to his old master, Miss Watson, describing the situation.
He thinks it's is the right thing to do, but he doesn't want to do it; so he decides to pray to talk some goodness into himself—since you can't pray a lie.
Where you've heard it
We're looking at some Christian fundamentals here, Shmoopers.
Huck is aware that, despite what he wants to think and to say, his heart is not in the right place. He knows that God is also aware of that fact, which means he's unable to say things to God that are untrue. In a sense, Huck is acknowledging that God is omniscient—he's almost like a conscience that has caught Huck's tongue before it can speak.
Or maybe that was a cat…
Pretentious Factor
If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.
Huck Finn is basically the opposite of pretentious.