Question

What does Huck mean when he says the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson are trying to "sivilize" him?

Answer 1

Answer: I think (And please tell me if it's wrong) it's meant to be civilize, but in the way they used to talk.

Explanation: I hope this helps.

Answer 2

Huck refers to the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson's efforts to teach him manners and societal norms as an attempt to 'sivilize' him, which he finds restrictive.

Step-by-step explanation:

When Huck says that the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson are trying to "sivilize" him, he means that they are attempting to teach him manners, educate him, and instill in him the societal norms and expectations of civilized behavior. This process of civilization is experienced as restrictive and uncomfortable by Huck, who is accustomed to a freer, less structured way of life. The term "sivilize" in Huck's vernacular suggests a critical view of society's impositions, and this sentiment resonates throughout Mark Twain’s works, where he often juxtaposes the natural world with the hypocritical and constraining social structures of civilization.