Mark Twain expresses and displays the reality of the vigorous debate of nature versus nurture in his novel, Pudd’nhead Wilson, through the development of one of the main characters, Tom. In addition to tossing ideas around of nature versus nurture, Twain also does the same in terms of other societal issues that still exist even in modern society, such as gender roles and racism. Yet, through both Tom’s and Chamber’s upbringings and resulting attitudes shown towards the end of the novel, Twain shows that how a person is raised, their privilege, or lack thereof, and their surrounding environment affects their future personality and attitude towards others. Considering all these factors, it is obvious that a person grows up to be an adult that …show more content…
Twain supports this idea by arguing that how a person is brought up often affects their entire life, seeing as how the majority of life-changing decisions occur in one’s childhood. Throughout the beginning of the novel, Tom’s lavish upbringing was one of luxury, which is telling later on in his resulting attitudes. Considering his socioeconomic status, and his family’s accumulated wealth, his childhood was one of stereotypical, wealthy, aristocratic, 1830’s, white child. One example of this is seen on page 17 of the novel, “Tom got all the petting, Chambers got none. Tom got all the delicacies, Chambers got mush and milk, and clabber without sugar.” Here Twain displays how extravagant Tom’s childhood was in comparison to Chambers. By including this set of details in the storyline, it shows that a person’s race affects their daily lives and routines, eventually shaping their future. Tom was fed delicacies and prepared meals, while Chambers received only enough food to keep him strong in order so that he can eventually work the fields on the plantation, since he was a slave. This also displays how Chambers was considered and treated as subhuman and property, given his race and extremely low social status in the early to mid 1800’s. Another example of how an upbringing shapes a person’s …show more content…
This is obviously displayed through both Tom’s privilege and Chamber’s absence of it. Seen on page 16, “Tom was a bad boy from the very beginning of his usurpation,” this shows that ever since he was born and put into a position of power over Chambers and the other slaves, he took advantage of it, and did whatever he wanted, just because he could. Chambers lack of privilege is shown vividly through page 18 in the novel, “[Percy Driscoll] told Chambers that under no provocation whatever was he privileged to lift his hand against his little master.” This explicitly displays Tom’s power over Chambers and how he is considered a “little master,” and how Chambers was not allowed to even lift a hand against Tom, given his subhuman reputation due to his ethnicity and race. While privilege in modern society is still defined by social and economic status, race and ethnicity nowadays doesn’t play as big of a role as it did in determining privilege in the early to
What makes a person who they are is a difficult dilemma. Mark Twain's novel, "Pudd'nhead Wilson and Those Extraordinary Twins" is a critical analysis of how nature and nurture can cultivate emotions and free will, which in turn affects the life of individuals. "Twain's faltering sense of direction began about slavery, moral decay, and deceptive realities (Kaplan 314). The debate of `nature versus nurture' has been one of the most intriguing scientific and cultural issues for most of the twentieth century, in determining the behavioral aspects of human beings. The changes in environment, society, education, political influences, family values and morals and other external influences, combined with physical genes determines how mankind will evolve into adulthood. Both nature and nurture, in combination with emotions and free will, control the behavior of human beings and determines who we are.
Twain makes the reader look at society in a different lens. When reading Huckleberry Finn the reader is transported back in time to America during the 1840s. The reader meets Huck and Jim, two unlikely friends who are both in bondage with society. Olsen says that literature shapes the way people view the world by exploring different viewpoints. These viewpoints include society’s view about slavery at the time, and Hucks changing view about Jim even though he is a slave. High school students are mature enough to think about the points Twain is trying to make about racism and society through his themes and satire. Simmons states in his article that, “It seems fairly obvious to me that as students mature, they benefit by thinking critically about literary texts.” DelFattore says in her article, “Being required to confront difficult, embarrassing, and controversial matters and learn how to deal with them does not constitute a hostile learning environment. It constitutes an education” (DelFattore). Through reading Huckleberry Finn students begin to develop and question society and the prejudices that still exist. Students need to be given the opportunity to read this book and think about it critically so that they can learn to address important issues and how to work through
Mark Twain throughout the book showed Huckleberry Finns personal growth on how he started from the bottom as a lonely, racist, immature kid who knew nothing to where he is now, by finally breaking away from society’s values he was taught in the beginning. He has alienated himself from the from that society and revealed how in fact these values were hypocritical. He realized that he can choose his own morals and that the one he chooses is the correct one.
Mark Twain had written two very similar novels that are based on the ideas of racism, or prejudice against certain races,(in this case, Afro-American during his lifetime. These two novels, Huckleberry Finn and Pudd'nhead Wilson, depict a very satirical yet realistic view of the way society behaves and how people in general live and grow in different social systems or positions. Huck Finn depicts a strong basis on racism and society, where as Pudd'nhead Wilson illustrates how slavery and racism are portrayed in his society.
One of society's favorite figures of speech is that it takes an entire town to raise a child. Such is true in Mark Twain's, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Through Huck's journey down the Mississippi River, Twain illustrates the influence society has on the undeveloped morals. As Huckleberry travels he becomes "the impassive observer" and aware of the corruption in the values of society (330). Encountering these societies gives Huck a selective morality.
Twain’s novel was greatly influenced by the times and criticizes the imperfections in society. These errors in society were subjective to the current events during the Gilded Age. The following show the effects of the current times that influenced the context of the novel. One of America’s leading historians of America in the west, Patricia N. Limerick well elaborates on what happened in the Gilded Age. The following quote fro...
Mark Twain’s Pudd’nhead Wilson has always been considered a great American novel. However, upon its publication, Martha McCulloch Williams wrote a letter describing the inaccuracy of the book. She believed that Twain falsely depicted the Southern people throughout the story and used inaccurate facts about their society.
In the well-received novel “Pudd’nhead Wilson,” Mark Twain skillfully addresses the ancient argument about the origin of one’s character and whether it’s derived from his nature or his surroundings. We can best see this battle between nature versus nurture by inspecting the plot lines that follow the characters Thomas a Becket Driscoll, Valet de Chambre, and Roxana the slave. Thomas was born into a wealthy white family while Roxy birthed Chambers into a life of slavery. It seemed as though each would have gone their separate ways into opposite walks of life, but Roxy secretly swapped the children, which destined each to their counterintuitive fates. Through their words and actions, Tom, Chambers, and Roxy have proven the idea that one’s behaviors and desires are a result of his upbringings and the environment he lives in rather than by his innate nature.
Life in the late eighteen hundreds was very different from the life we know today. Not only was there more inequality, there were also more health concerns and lapses in education. Mark Twain, in his book “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” has given us a special look into the past through the eyes of a young boy. Though this book is one of, if not the most highly criticized books in the American school system, it is also one of the most highly renowned. Through the criticism, Twain has given us a golden reflective opportunity.
Samuel Clemens, was the sixth child of John Marshalll and Jane Moffit Clemens, born two months prematurely and was in poor health for the first 10 years of his life. His mother tried different types of remedies during those younger years. Twain used his memories of his childhood and his illness to fill the pages of several of his books including Tom Sawyer and other writings. Clemens was often pampered, by his mother, and thus developed early in life the testing her indulgence through mischief, while offering his humor as bond for the crimes he would commit. When Twain’s mother was in her 80s, he asked her about his poor health in those early years: “I suppose that during that whole time you were uneasy about me?” “Yes, the whole time,” she answered. “Afraid I wouldn’t live?” “No,” she said, “afraid you would.” One can clearly see where Twain got his sense of humor and zest for life, (Morris, 1996)). Even though it seemed life started out rough Twain pushed his passed it all and went for what he wanted not allowing anyone to stand in his way.
In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain illustrates several traits that are common in mankind. Among these traits are those that are listed in this essay. Through characters in the story Twain shows humanity's innate courageousness. He demonstrates that individuals many times lack the ability to reason well. Also, Twain displays the selfishness pervasive in society. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, many aspects of the human race are depicted, and it is for this reason that this story has been, and will remain, a classic for the ages.
Twain introduces the reader to Huck Finn as an uneducated, uncivilized teenager. Twain makes Huck’s evolution in the beginning of the story slightly harder to decipher, as he is still developing, and figuring out society way’s, his own ways, and Tom Sawyer’s ways. And Huck is seen as a “new guy” in the Twain author series, and is apparently “worthy” of the illustrious Tom
Jim 's human-like behavior explains that he is actually human, Huck and Jim 's bond reveals that it 's possible to be separate from the beliefs one is born into, and Tom 's foolish plans relate to southerns actions mimicking that of Tom 's. Twain 's message of equality is that is possible to separate from the racist beliefs that one is born into and decide what and what not to believe in. By publishing this book, Twain allowed southerns to make a choice and let African-Americans speak up and have a
Mark Twain, the author of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, tells a compelling story of the mischievous and imaginative child called Tom Sawyer. The protagonist leads his friends through these creative journeys. Because of Tom’s sly personality, he ends up in trouble quite often. However, the clever young boy is able to use his charm and shrewd tricks to avoid his problems. This book displays real life struggles a boy can face during his adolescent age. The author captures the audience with a perspective on the realizations children are able to face within a community. As the story progresses, Tom grows into a mature young man while making mature choices. His childish pranks and games start to diminish throughout the book. Tom starts to learn
Already in the first two sentences, he shows a drastic difference between the two main characters. Tom was an unwanted child, but the whole nation had been longing for the birth of Edward. Later on in the chapter he makes a comment about their clothes, saying that Tom was “lapped in his poor rags,” and Edward “lay lapped in silks and satin” (15). Twain uses Tom's and Edward's homes as another way to portray class distinction. He describes the places where they live so vividly that the reader can almost visualize it in his head. Tom lived on Offal Court, and the name fit his situation pre...