Huckleberry Finn, Adoption

Donde Huck cuenta lo que cuesta vivir con la viuda Douglas y el sentido de tratar de “civilizarlo”. Una araña, el fuego, mala suerte, la forma de evitarla. Del original ingles “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, de Mark Twain

The Widow Douglas she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me; but it was rough living in the house all the time, considering how dismal regular and decent the widow was in all her ways; and so when I couldn't stand it no longer I lit out.  I got into my old rags and my sugar-hogshead again, and was free and satisfied.  But Tom Sawyer he hunted me up and said he was going to start a band of robbers, and I might join if I would go back to the widow and be respectable.  So I went back.

The widow she cried over me, and called me a poor lost lamb, and she called me a lot of other names, too, but she never meant no harm by it. She put me in them new clothes again, and I couldn't do nothing but sweat and sweat, and feel all restricted.  Well, then, the old thing commenced again.  The widow rung a bell for supper, and you had to come to time. When you got to the table you couldn't go right to eating, but you had to wait for the widow to put down her head and complain a little over the victuals, though there warn't really anything the matter with them,—that is, nothing only everything was cooked by itself…

After supper she got out her book and learned me about Moses and the Bulrushers, and I was in a sweat to find out all about him; but by and by she let it out that Moses had been dead a considerable long time; so then I didn't care no more about him, because I don't take no stock in dead people.

Tapa del primer libro

Pretty soon I wanted to smoke, and asked the widow to let me.  But she wouldn't.  She said it was a mean practice and wasn't clean, and I must try to not do it any more.  That is just the way with some people.  They get down on a thing when they don't know nothing about it…  And she took snuff, too; of course that was all right, because she done it herself.

Her sister, Miss Watson, a tolerable slim old maid, with goggles on, had just come to live with her, and took a set at me now with a spelling-book. She worked me tolerable hard for about an hour, and then the widow made her ease up.  I couldn't stood it much longer.  Then for an hour it was deadly boring, and I was restless.  Miss Watson would say, "Don't put your feet up there, Huckleberry;" and "Don't scrunch up like that, Huckleberry—set up straight;" and pretty soon she would say, "Don't gap and stretch like that, Huckleberry—why don't you try to behave?"  Then she told me all about the bad place, and I said I wished I was there. She got mad then, but I didn't mean no harm.  All I wanted was to go somewheres; all I wanted was a change, I warn't particular.  She said it was wicked to say what I said; said she wouldn't say it for the whole world; she was going to live so as to go to the good place…

Miss Watson she kept pecking at me, and it got tiresome and lonesome.  By and by they fetched the niggers in and had prayers, and then everybody was off to bed.  I went up to my room with a piece of candle, and put it on the table.  Then I set down in a chair by the window and tried to think of something cheerful, but it warn't no use.  I felt so lonesome I most wished I was dead…

Pretty soon a spider went crawling up my shoulder, and I flipped it off and it lit in the candle; and before I could move it was all shrunken up.  I didn't need anybody to tell me that that was an awful bad sign and would fetch me some bad luck, so I was scared and most shook the clothes off of me. I got up and turned around in my tracks three times and crossed my breast every time; and then I tied up a little lock of my hair with a thread to keep witches away.  But I hadn't no confidence.  You do that when you've lost a horseshoe that you've found, instead of nailing it up over the door, but I hadn't ever heard anybody say it was any way to keep off bad luck when you'd killed a spider. (From The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain, chapter 1)

La novela

“Las Aventuras of Huckleberry Finn” es una novela de Mark Twain, primero publicada en Inglaterra en 1884 y en los Estados Unidos en 1885 después.

Temas para debatir

¿Existe la mala suerte? ¿Crees que hay cosas que se pueden hacer para evitarla?

Supersticiones contra el mal o contra la mala suerte:

Echar sal detrás del hombro, para aplacar a los malos espíritus que están tras la persona.

Tocar un objeto de madera al oír algo que se considera inauspicioso.

Tener en el hogar un altar con estampitas de santos y vírgenes.

Encender una vela a un santo, en una iglesia católica o en el hogar.

Santiguarse al oír algo que proporciona mala suerte.

Encontrar un trebol de 4 hojas.

Ponerle una cinta roja a los bebes, o en la panza de la mama embarazada.

Si se cae azucar, ponerse un poco de la azucar derramada, en la frente que es fortuna.

Usar la ropa interior al revés, es decir, la parte de afuera hacia adentro, alejando los malos conjuros de brujas.

Artículos relacionados:

Huck´s Father