Huck's Roles

“Next morning I said it was getting slow and dull, and I wanted to get a stirring up, some way. I said I reckoned I would slip over the river and find out what was going on. Jim liked that notion; but said I must go in the dark and look sharp. Then he studied it over and said, couldn’t I put on some of them old things and dress like a girl? That was a good notion, too” (Twain 64).

In this passage we see Huck’s desire to leave the raft and go ashore to acquire more information. At this point Huck and Jim have been on the raft for some time and Huck feels it is important to see what has come of his “faked death” and Jim’s decision to run away from Miss Watson, “I said I reckoned I would slip over the river and find out what was going on.” In this instance, Huck and Jim both recognize that their decisions to leave the town have put them into a dangerous position and as a result, they feel that it is important for them to stay informed in order to protect themselves from any potential threats that may arise.

Throughout most of the book there is a clear distinction between Huck and Jim’s life on the raft and their life on the land. Time on the raft symbolizes a sense of freedom where Huck and Jim can openly talk to each other and where they are free to enjoy the sights and sounds of the nature around them. With this being the case, however, after more time on the river, Huck and Jim find that their life is becoming a repeated occurrence of events, which leads Huck to claim, “it was getting slow and dull.” As a result of this, Huck decides to “stir things up” by taking a big risk and going ashore to collect information.

Conversely, Huck and Jim’s time on land symbolizes periods where they are constantly absorbed with the fear of getting caught and the reality of being punished for their decision to run away. Although Jim recognizes the importance of Huck inquiring as to their “status” in the town, Jim also believes that it is important for them to maintain their current level of discretion with respect to their situation, “Jim liked that notion; but said I must go in the dark and look sharp.” Throughout the book most of the main action points occur while Huck and Jim are on the shore and as a result, Huck and Jim choose to take extra care as not to get tangled up in business that may cause them trouble. This is exemplified by Jim’s idea to dress Huck up as a girl as an added level of protection before he goes ashore, “then he studied it over and said, couldn’t I put on some of them old things and dress like a girl? That was a good notion, too.” Jim acknowledges that taking extra measures to ensure the discretion of their situation is the only way he will be able to survive and ultimately get into the free states and out of slavery.

As the story goes on Huck plays a number of different “roles” in order to protect Jim’s safety.  Both Huck and Jim recognize the importance of being informed but also the significance of being discrete about their situation. As Huck’s fondness for Jim grows, Huck starts to recognize the steps he needs to take in order to maintain the status quo. Huck comes to discover that the only way to keep Jim on this journey with him is to keep their “secret” alive. Huck’s outward appearance as a white male adds an initial layer of protection to their situation but both Huck and Jim are aware that it is important for them to take additional precautions to stay safe, as their situation is quite sensitive to the whims of those who they encounter.

Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: Penguin, 1985. Print.

Satire in Twain

 “To be, or not to be; that is the bare bodkin

That makes calamity of so long life;

For who would fardels bear, till Birnam Wood do come to Dunsinane,

But that the fear of something after death

Murders the innocent sleep,

Great nature's second course,

And makes us rather sling the arrows of outrageous fortune

Than fly to others that we know not of.

There's the respect must give us pause:

Wake Duncan with thy knocking! I would thou couldst;

For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,

The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,

The law's delay, and the quietus which his pangs might take,

In the dead waste and middle of the night, when churchyards yawn

In customary suits of solemn black,

But that the undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler returns,

Breathes forth contagion on the world,

And thus the native hue of resolution, like the poor cat i' the adage,

Is sicklied o'er with care,

And all the clouds that lowered o'er our housetops,

With this regard their currents turn awry,

And lose the name of action.

'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished.

But soft you, the fair Ophelia:

Ope not thy ponderous and marble jaws,

But get thee to a nunnery- go!” (Twain 148-149).

            This quote comes from Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and is a means by which the author conveys satire. The king and the duke are preparing for their next con, and the duke is reciting “Hamlet’s soliloquy” from memory. The only problem is that the duke confuses a number of different Shakespeare quotes when trying to recite Hamlet’s soliloquy. Huck does not realize that anything is wrong with the soliloquy, which adds to the humor.

            To understand the humor and the satire of this scene, the reader must have some understanding of Shakespeare on their own. The way Twain presents this would not hint to the inaccuracy of the soliloquy if you were uninformed about Shakespeare’s work. This is an example of when close reading is necessary to see the satire of Twain.

            On the surface it would appear that the king and duke are well educated due to their understanding of Shakespeare, which goes along the high class façade they are putting on as swindlers. However, closer examination reveals that the king and the duke are wrong in their quoting Shakespeare. This error shows how, just like the swindlers themselves, the soliloquy they come up with is good enough to fool an uninformed person, but does not hold up to close inspection.

            Huck himself is impressed with the soliloquy, and does not see the errors in it. When describing the duke’s performance, Huck says “Then he strikes a most noble attitude, with one leg shoved forwards, and his arms stretched away up, and his head tilted back, looking up at the sky; and then he begins to rip and rave and grit his teeth; and after that, all through his speech he howled, and spread around, and swelled up his chest, and just knocked the spots out of any acting ever I see before” (Twain 148). Huck, who would not have been exposed to Shakespeare, believes the con men and does not suspect anything is wrong with the performance they are putting on.

            It is easy sometimes as a reader to miss the satire or references, especially when reading about a time that you have not experienced yourself. Twain’s use, or rather misuse, of Shakespeare creates a humorous situation for those that know of Shakespeare’s work. It also illuminates the fake nature of the king and the duke; showing how they are obviously swindlers to the reader, even though they are believed by Huck.

Source:

Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York City: Penguin Classics, 2003. Print.

Page 146.

“Whenever we see anybody coming, we can tie Jim hand and foot with a rope, and lay him in the wigwam and show this handbill and say we captured him up the river, and were too poor to travel on a steamboat, so we got this little raft on credit from our friends and are going down to get the reward. Handcuffs and chains would look still better on Jim, but it wouldn’t go well with the story of us being so poor. Too much like jewelry. Ropes are the correct thing – we must preserve the unities, as we say on the boards.”

            Within this passage, we see the duke “taking charge” of the dilemma in traveling in daylight with a slave passenger when he suggests playing up Jim’s external appearance in order to “protect” him and the rest of the gang from the threat of onlookers. It appears to be the perfect plan as it would allow the whole crew to travel freely down the river; however, it is a significant turning point within the realm of Huck and Jim’s mentality on the raft, that in order to disguise these runaways with an airtight alibi, it is Jim who suffers most: “…tie Jim hand and foot with a rope, and lay him in the wigwam and show this handbill and say we captured him up the river.”

            Where once the raft represented a seemingly neutral and safe space for Jim and Huck to develop their relationship and explore the boundaries of their status, these other two imposing “rapscallions” suddenly change the dynamic, rhythm, and symbolism of the raft altogether. Very quickly, Jim’s comfortable nakedness is embellished with ropes and it acts as the blatant reminder that the days where he and Huck could live “freely” on their raft together are now over. The very scheme that is put together to protect Jim is a reflection of what is literally happening to him. The utopian raft bubble is burst and the hierarchy of each character’s status becomes pronounced and utilized as it appears that the raft is not unaffected by the force of societal standards and morals anymore.

            Furthermore, another issue this passage brings up is the theme of taking on and off different identities to play such and such a role. The characters made up that they “…got this little raft on credit from our friends and are going down to get the reward,” but just that they could simply adopt such a story and feel completely confident about it illustrates what I think is the vast disparity of black and white privilege. It’s ironic that their confidence is met with the townspeople’s trust and acceptance just based on their skin color but by the by, it is the duke and king who are the deceitful swindlers, while Jim, the man society expects to be a wretched schemer, wants nothing more than to find his way to freedom with as little trouble as possible.  

There also lies a clear insensitivity in the lines where the duke says, “handcuffs and chains would look still better on Jim, but it wouldn’t go well with the story of us being so poor. Too much like jewelry. Ropes are the correct thing…” This demonstrates the duke’s nonchalant attitude toward Jim's dignity and how it ultimately makes no difference to him whether Jim wears handcuffs or ropes as long as it gets the job done. If anything, I found it appalling that the duke would recommend handcuffs and chains to be more suitable for Jim, as if he were saying it like a compliment that the shine of metal would accent Jim more like an accessory than the image of enslavement that the coarse rope would have. The irony is that regardless to what the material is made out of - it all has the same purpose. But where the duke sees these bindings as a part of a mere costume, I think as the reader we recognize the foreboding symbol and reminder of Jim’s past, present, and future as a slave.

References:

Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: Penguin, 2003. Print.

Doubling in Twain

            In Twain’s book, Pudd’nhead Wilson, he uses doubling to create an ironic situation in which two baby boys of different “races” are switched. Roxy describes the similar appearance of the children to Pudd’nhead Wilson when she says, “’Oh, I kin tell ‘em ‘part, Misto Wilson, but I bet Marse Percy couldn’t, not to save his life’” (Twain 65). The humor comes from the irony in that both boys are identical, but one is a black slave and the other is a wealthy slave owner.

            In the real world, as in Twain’s book, people are not of pure heritage, and the idea of race by percentages is fairly absurd. I have had my own DNA analyzed, and it shows a breakdown of my own ancestry. Here is a screen shot of those results.

source:https://www.23andme.com/published/ancestry/composition/914a188f4ac3ec6a/a7bbf241245857f0/?utm_source=oonagi&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=ancestrycomposition

            As you can see, I am in no way a “pure” descendent of any particular ancestry. This is the type of message Twain is trying to get across with Tom and Chambers in his book. The idea that someone can be of “pure” lineage is illogical, and as we see most people are mixes of various races.

http://www.animetoon.tv/archer-season-4-episode-11

            The link above is for an episode of the show Archer in which the pope happens to be identical in appearance to Archer’s butler. The butler, Woodhouse, is switched with the pope, but later people can’t tell who is who. I thought this was a funny modern example of doubling, similar to how Tom and Chambers couldn’t be told apart in Pudd’nhead Wilson.

Sources:

"Otto Herrmann's Ancestry Composition from 23andMe." Otto Herrmann's Ancestry Composition. 23andme. Web. 16 May 2014.

Reed, Adam, prod. Archer. Animetoon. Web. 16 May 2014.

Twain, Mark. Pudd'nhead Wilson. New York City: Penguin Classics, 1986. Print.

Switching the Lens

A few days ago I stumbled upon an interesting Ted Talk by a Harvard professor named Shawn Achor. The Ted Talk, which was titled The Happy Secret to Better Work, was a discussion of positivity’s effect on human performance. In his presentation Achor proposes, “It is not necessarily the reality that shapes us, but the lens through which your brain views the world that shapes your reality.” This notion suggests that people are not a product of their environment but rather a product of how their brain perceives the world around them. Implying that by “switching the lens,” a person may have the ability to reshape the outcome of a situation. Examples that validate Achor’s claims can perhaps be found in a number of places, however, for the purpose of this discussion I would like to focus on how both a person’s internal perceptions of the world, as well as the influence of external factors help to shape an individual’s “reality” and how examples of this idea are represented in Mark Twain’s novel, Puddn’head Wilson.

In the beginning of the novel, Roxy, the mother of the main character Chambers, is under the impression that the only way to save her son from being “sold down the river” is to kill both herself and him. Feeling that there is no way out she says, “Oh, I got to kill my chile, dey ain’t no yuther way, - killin’ him wouldn’t save de chile fum goin’ down de river. Oh, I got to do it, yo’ po’ mammy’s got to kill you to save you, honey’…” (Twain 69). This demonstrates Roxy’s initial perception of her reality and the belief that the only way to escape an inevitable fate is through death.

Later after putting her son Chambers in the clothes of her master’s son Tom Driscoll, she realizes the similarities between the two boys and decides to switch them. “Now who would b’lieve clo’es could do de like o’ dat? Dog my cats if it ain’t all I kin do to tell t’ other fum which, let alone his pappy” (Twain 71). Roxy believes that her son Chambers will not be sold down the river on account of being perceived as “black” and is convinced that he will have the chance to be successful and find opportunity in society under the identity of Tom Driscoll. The irony is that the lens through which Roxy views the world leads her to believe that switching the children will solve the problem and save her son from his destiny, however, the fact is that when the truth is exposed and society learns that Tom (Chambers) is “colored,” he ends up getting sold into slavery down the river anyways.

In the middle of the book, upon hearing the truth about his family lineage from his mother Roxy, Tom begins to question his own “reality” for the first time. He begins asking himself “Why were niggers and whites made? What crime did the uncreated first nigger commit that the curse of birth was decreed for him? And why is this awful difference made between white and black?” (Twain 117). This explores Tom’s initial perception of his reality and demonstrates how that perception of reality is turned upside down when Tom discovers that he is a “nigger.” The lens through which Tom initially perceives the world was one of privilege and power, a viewpoint that was shaped during his childhood by the actions of those around him. Later the external perceptions of what it means to be “black” force Tom to fear for his entire social welfare and ultimately to recognize the irony of his own existence.

Fundamentally, an individual’s “reality” is shaped by both their internal perception of the world around them, as well as by the influence of the external environment in which they live. Twain’s novel Puddn’head Wilson helps us to better understand these individual perceptions of reality and criticize the ways in which these perceptions are formed. By working to expose the influence that these factors have on shaping an individual’s identity in society, Twain ultimately sheds light on the irony of the human condition and the ways in which society must change in order to have a better future. 

Works Cited

Twain, Mark. Pudd'nhead Wilson ; And, Those Extraordinary Twins. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1986. Print.

What’s In A Name?

            As one might expect, the self-titled novella, Pudd’nhead Wilson, suggests that that man himself is an idiot but important, as he would be the protagonist. On the contrary, when Wilson is first described, we are introduced to a “…homely…young fellow, with an intelligent blue eye that had frankness and comradeship in it and a covert twinkle of a pleasant sort,” (58-59). One might presume this could actually be a promising young man with every hope of becoming a competent and respectable citizen of Dawson’s Landing. But just as quickly as he gains favor among his new gentlemanly acquaintances, he loses his credibility just as fast by the power of one single “fatal remark” that he makes, which brands him with the undignified nickname “Pudd’nhead Wilson.” In the text, Twain emphasizes their deadpan and self-righteous reaction to his “fatal remark” with one of the spectator’s line, “perfect jackass – yes, and it ain’t going too far to say he is a puddn’head. If he ain’t a pudd’nhead, I ain’t no judge, that’s all,” (60).

Despite Wilson’s now tainted reputation, Twain’s genius lies in the subtle implication that these proper gentlemen have every capability to understand the true essence of Wilson’s “fatal remark” and still take it literally. Ironically, they entirely miss the humor and savvy of this young man’s comment and because of it, are responsible for ruining his future with them – demonstrating that they might not be as sharp as they assert themselves to be. Twain reaffirms this hint of Wilson’s intellectual wit throughout the entire story using the eccentric, calendar quotes that often foreshadow the events of each chapter. Even before introducing Wilson at all – Twain opens the book using the quote:

There is no character, howsoever good and fine, but it can be destroyed by ridicule, howsoever poor and witless. Observe the ass, for instance: his character is about perfect, he is the choicest spirit among all the humbler animals, yet see what ridicule has brought him to. Instead of feeling complimented when we are called an ass, we are left in doubt. (55)

This suggests that the no matter who you are – you are subject to the pitfalls of slander and public opinion, which is precisely what Wilson experiences yet seemingly demonstrates great humility nonetheless - “…with Scotch patience and pluck he resolved to lived down his reputation and work his way into the legal field yet. Poor fellow, he could not foresee that it was going to take him such a weary long time to do it,” (61).

            Thus, this leaves us to question that if we are all vulnerable to the repercussions of ridicule, what makes Pudd’nhead stand apart? Would we have felt the same respect and empathy for him if he hadn’t been deemed Pudd’nhead? Would his court case achievement have carried the same satirical message if he hadn’t been known as ‘Pudd’nhead’ all along?  

Works Cited
Twain, Mark. Pudd'nhead Wilson ; And, Those Extraordinary Twins. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1986. Print.

The Curse of Outward Perception

In the business world, a letter of credit helps to facilitate a transaction between multiple parties. Often it will revolve around the notion that one party may make a payment to another based on a line of credit or a loan that is issued by a bank. The word “credit” is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as “the estimate in which the character of a person (or thing) is held; reputation.” Banks (lenders) give out credit to individuals (borrowers) based on the idea that the debt will be repaid in full at a later date in the future. This is done under the assumption that the borrowers past patterns of behavior are an indication of their present actions, that their present actions are an indication of their future actions, and ultimately, that these actions are a sign of their character.  

In Mark Twain’s short story The £1,000,000 Bank-Note, Twain illustrates such an idea through the journey of the story’s narrator. In the first paragraph of the story the narrator states, “I was alone in the world, and had nothing to depend upon but my wits and a clean reputation; but these were setting my feet in the road to eventual fortune, and I was content with the prospect” (Twain 316). The narrator in this instance is discussing his voyage to England and is foreshadowing the “clean” start he will have abroad. This suggests that those around him have not yet observed his patterns of behavior and have not yet settled on his reputation in society.

A reputation is developed by the way in which people in society perceive an individual’s actions or patterns of behavior. In contrast, an individual’s character is defined not as the perception of one’s actions or patterns of behavior but rather as “who they really are” or more distinctly, by the moral qualities that they possess. In the story, when the narrator first arrives in London, his actions are perceived as “ragged and shabby,” which leads to his reputation as a destitute stranger. This peaks the interest of two brothers living in the town and prompts them to ask the narrator more about his character, which results in them secretly offering him a £1,000,000 bank- note. “They saw many honest faces go by that were not intelligent enough; many that were intelligent, but not honest enough; many that were both, but the possessors were not poor enough, or, if poor enough, were not strangers” (Twain 318).

Upon discovery of the sum of the bank note, the narrator feels that the two brothers have made an honest mistake in their giving, which leads him to return to their house in order to fix the problem. This shows the narrators character and moral integrity. “I was pretty nervous; in fact, pretty badly frightened, though, of course, I was no way in fault; but I knew men well enough to know that when they find they've given a tramp a million-pound bill when they thought it was a one-pounder, they are in a frantic rage against him instead of quarreling with their own near-sightedness, as they ought” (Twain 319). After his visit to the house the narrator later discovers that he money was given to him as a loan for a period of time without interest. In essence, the two brothers choose to give the narrator a “credit” based on the assumption that the narrator’s present actions or patterns of behavior (his reputation) along with his character may lead to either his success or his failure in the future.

The “credit” afforded to the narrator by the two brothers results in the narrator experiencing a drastic shift in the way he is outwardly perceived in society. This is most evident when the narrator goes to the tailor-shop in his ragged clothes and is harassed by one of the shop employees. Once the proprietor of the store discovers the narrator’s wealth, he reprimands the employee for his careless attention to detail. "Sell an eccentric millionaire such an unspeakable suit as that! Tod's a fool - a born fool. Always doing something like this. Drives every millionaire away from this place, because he can't tell a millionaire from a tramp, and never could" (Twain 322). This elucidates the fact that the way in which an individual is outwardly perceived (their reputation) is directly linked to their social status (or identity) in society.

The idea that a reputation is created and changed through another person’s perceptions of their actions suggests that an individual’s reputation is perhaps one of the most valuable assets they possess in their life. While a reputation can be influenced by your actions, it can never be controlled. It is for that reason individuals work diligently to maintain their good name in society, recognizing that people will see past patterns of behavior as an indication of what is to become of them in the future.

References:

Twain, Mark, and Charles Neider. The Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain. New York: Bantam, 1981. Print.