At first, the funeral seems to be what one would expect. It's quiet, people are solemn and each person takes a turn paying respect for the dead. Huck uses the word "solemn" several times to characterize the funeral, which almost makes it seem as though people are overdoing their sadness, or perhaps faking their grief. Certainly not the Wilks girls, but the townspeople may be putting on a show for each other.
Twain does give us more evidence for the funeral being a spectacle for the townspeople in the character of the undertaker. He is described almost as a spectre:
He never spoke; he moved people around, he squeezed in late ones, he opened up passageways, and done it with nods, and signs with his hands. Then he took his place over against the wall. He was the softest, glidingest, stealthiest man I ever see; and there warn't no more smile to him than there is to a ham.
During the preacher's speech, the undertaker goes to the basement to silence a dog that was howling because it had a rat. When the undertaker comes back, he stage whispers this inofrmation to the preacher. Huck notices how happy the townspeople are for that, and says that the undertaker has done a good thing by letting them know too. So we can see that the townspeople like their gossip as well.
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