el in these chapters is Cervantes's Don Quixote. Cervantes actually satirized romantic adventure stories in his masterpiece, as Twain does here and elsewhere in Huckleberry Finn. Tom apparently didn't get the satire. But with this allusion, Twain may be giving a literary tip of the hat to an earlier satirist and observer of human nature. But beyond simply using Tom's connection to the romance novels to satirize the genre, Twain also seems to be associating Tom with the "civilization" that the genre represents. Tom further interests himself in contracts, codes of conduct, fancy language, and other made-up ideas. He also seems to embody some of the negative qualities associated with civilization in the novel. Most importantly, Tom is insensitive to others, particularly the slaves. In Chapter Two, Tom actually wants to tie Jim up for the fun of it. He settles for playing a trick on him. Tom's insensitivity, especially toward slaves, will reach a peak in the book's final chapters. Tom also seems to possess a tendency in favor of the hypocrisy of "civilized society" that Twain pokes at. For instance, Tom makes his "gang" sign an oath in blood not to divulge the group's secrets, but when a boy threatens to do this, Tom simply bribes him. Tom's above-mentioned character traits contrast sharply with Huckleberry's corresponding traits. While Tom puts great stock in the literature of civilization, Huck is as skeptical of it as he is of religion. For both literature and religion, Huck refuses to accept much on faith. In Chapter Three, he rejects both genies and prayers once they do not produce the promised results. (Twain is making an irreverent statement on popular religious beliefs by showing Huck's similar rejection of both prayer and genies.) Again, since both religion and romantic literature are products of civilization, Huck's doubt towards them hints at his separation from civilization. Also, where Tom is insensitive to others, Huckleberry ...
