Published in November 1894, when “the death rattle of reconstruction” echoed throughout America, Mark Twain
explores a land ravaged by racial turmoil in Pudd'nhead Wilson. The construction of race and the effect of the environment on the individual by swapping two nearly identical infants, one "white" and the other "black." Though slavery had been supposedly abolished for three decades, for blacks freedom was still far from a privilege. The greatest men in American history Walt Whitman, Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther dreamed then same dream, the dream of a democratic nation.
American Political history tells us that from beneath the pains
of their heart at the loss of President Lincoln the black people had to deal with the murder of any hope they had left. For, it was immediately after the assassination of Lincoln that the rights of former slaves were restricted.
In the prevailing years, several laws to promote racial equality were passed, but the mindset of the white Americans never changed. While the nation’s government attempted to give blacks a purely American identity, militant members of society sheltered the racial divide. Twain found himself, during the last decades of his life, in a perplexing time in
American history. His confusion is echoed in Pudd’nhead Wilson, as the author questions the logic of racial oppression and weaves a “virtuous mess” (Ross) of a tale. By exploring the lives of Tom Driscoll and Chambers, Twain examines the nature of racial identity. [...]
Table of Contents
- "A MOST EMBARRASSING CIRCUMSTANCE"
- Pudd'nhead Wilson and the Impossibility of an Autonomous Identity
- Those Extraordinary Twins
- The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson
Objectives and Key Themes
This essay explores Mark Twain's novel Pudd'nhead Wilson, published in 1894, during a period of racial turmoil in America. The essay analyzes the novel's exploration of racial identity and the construction of identity through the swapping of two nearly identical infants, one white and one black. The author also examines the novel's treatment of the nature vs. nurture debate.
- The construction of racial identity in the antebellum South
- The role of environment and upbringing in shaping individual identity
- The concept of an autonomous identity in the face of societal pressures
- The use of twinning as a literary device to explore themes of identity
- The power of fingerprints as a tool for revealing true identity
Chapter Summaries
The first section of the essay, "Those Extraordinary Twins," introduces the novel's concept of twinning through a discussion of Italian-born Siamese twins. The author argues that the twins' shared existence raises questions about the nature of individual identity and the potential for two individuals to merge into one personality. The essay then moves into the novel's primary narrative, "The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson," where the author examines the lives of Tom Driscoll and Chambers, two infants swapped at birth. The author explores the ways in which the characters' identities are shaped by their race, their upbringing, and their physical appearances.
Keywords
This essay focuses on key concepts such as racial identity, autonomous identity, the nature vs. nurture debate, and the use of twinning as a literary device in Mark Twain's Pudd'nhead Wilson. The essay also explores the significance of fingerprints in revealing true identity and the power of physical appearance to shape societal perceptions.
- Citar trabajo
- Noella Pereira (Autor), 2014, Pudd’nhead Wilson and the impossibility of an autonomous identity, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/272506