Pet Bug, Hogs, and Hell

This chapter examines the censorship imposed on the Spanish translations of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, due to the censors’ disapproval of Twain’s portrayal of religion in the stories. The current chapter addresses the following two questions: What were the particular episodes concerning Twain’s portrayal of religion that tended to provoke the censors’ objections to the translations of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn? How should one understand the censors’ treatment of such episodes? The critical stance adopted by the censors towards the translations of Twain’s works for reasons related to religion, as will be seen in this chapter, was largely associated with the influential role held by the Spanish Catholic Church in the target culture.