Messages from Nature in Pudd'nhead Wilson
Though scholars have primarily focused study of Pudd’nhead Wilson on the novel’s messages of race and identity, Mark Twain wrote into it an examination of scientific values versus natural values. Much of the book concerns itself with the title character’s methods of detection, and in the character of Pudd’nhead Wilson the reader finds a strong critique of scientific positivism. In the employment of natural scenery for certain human action, man’s misuse of nature is criticized. Likewise, the conclusion of the novel also focuses on social manipulation of natural processes, with a pessimistic conclusion. Pudd’nhead Wilson rejects the interference of social construction and scientific interpretation in man’s experience with nature.
David “Pudd’nhead” Wilson is the symbol of science in all its shortcomings and excesses. The narrator’s attitude toward Wilson is not truculent, but it does highlight the aspects of this protanganist that are highly unflattering. The reader knows Wilson to possess “Scotch patience and pluck” (27), and he is able to solve the murder of York Driscoll. Yet, his scientific experiments are often of dubious value and his detective skill is impaired by a “remakable blindness” (Porter 163) to Tom and Roxana’s scheme. He is first introduced as a bit of a dilletante: “He had a rich abundance of idle time, but it never hung heavy on his hands, for he interested himself in every new thing that was born into the universe of ideas” (27). His interests in what he sees as science are “pet fads” (27) which both the townspeople of Dawson’s Landing and our narrator view with skepticism. In fact, most of Wilson’s ‘science’ is little more than simple observation of natural f...
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...rts the necessity of nature in human life, and tells of the sad fate of a world that blocks the influence of the natural. In the limits of Wilson’s scientific method, the reader sees that nature guides human life, and not vice versa. However, the book ominously concludes with a passage that concedes that social determinism is what the world can expect if nature is not heeded. The novel asks man to listen to the world outside of himself, or lose the chance to be free. It is thus human society’s relationship to the laws of nature as much as American slavery that is being criticized by Mark Twain in Pudd’nhead Wilson.
Works Cited
Porter, Carolyn. “Roxana’s Plot.” Mark Twain: A Collection of Critical Essays. Eric J. Sundquist, ed. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Princeton UP, 1994.
Twain, Mark. The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson. 1894. New York: Signet Classic, 1964.
Guttmann, Allen. “Mark Twain’s Connecticut Yankee: Affirmation of the Vernacular Tradition?” in Critics on Mark Twain, pp.103-107. Edited by David B. Kesterson. Coral Gables: University of Miami Press, 1973.
The structure of the essay leads the reader to make conclusions about the morality of the human species. Twain presents specific examples of human deficiency that certain populations can identify with, then moves to broader topics that anyone can relate to. Twain describes mankind's moral dilemma by saying (quote). Allowing the readier to come to the conclusion that man kind is jaded when it comes to issues on morality Twain has successfully achieved his goal. He does state his opinion but does not force the reader to come to the same idea. The manner that he presents the information allows the reader to come to the conclusion that humans are flawed in comparison to animals in a logical manner even though the overall theme of the essay is a satire
Abby Gross Mr. Bruneel AP Lang- Period 7 10 April 2014 Exploring Censorship of Twain’s Great American Novel: A Literary Critique To delve into a topic as serious as book censorship, one must first determine the purpose of reading, of literature in general. Blahblahblah (what Ms Buckingham said).
Kaplan, Justin. "Born to Trouble: One Hundred Years of Huckleberry Finn." Mark Twain Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Case Study in Critical Controversy. Eds. Gerald Graff and James Phelan. Boston: St. Martin's, 1995. 348-359.
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story “The Birth-Mark,” Aylmer, a married scientist, believes himself to be above nature. Acting on these beliefs, he prepares
Mark Twain’s use of humor in the story mocks and shines light on the issues of our society’s political system from back then that continue
Kaplan, Justin. "Born to Trouble: One Hundred Years of Huckleberry Finn." Mark Twain Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Case Study in Critical Controversy. Eds. Gerald Graff and James Phelan. Boston: St. Martin's, 1995. 348-359.
Throughout the Romanticism period, human’s connection with nature was explored as writers strove to find the benefits that humans receive through such interactions. Without such relationships, these authors found that certain aspects of life were missing or completely different. For example, certain authors found death a very frightening idea, but through the incorporation of man’s relationship with the natural world, readers find the immense utility that nature can potentially provide. Whether it’d be as solace, in the case of death, or as a place where one can find oneself in their own truest form, nature will nevertheless be a place where they themselves were derived from. Nature is where all humans originated,
Pimple, Kenneth D. Studies in the Novel. Vol. 45 ed. Denton: Studies in the Novel, University of North Texas, 1993. Print.
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...
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.
Mark Twain writes this essay in order to shed light onto his belief that people’s thoughts and actions are influenced by those around them. His belief that people conform to the rest of society fuels his essay. This can be seen when Twain includes his idea that “It is our nature to conform; it is a force which not many can successfully resist” (718). Twain shows that people are beginning to conform without using their own minds to process their decision.
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
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by the pseudonym Mark Twain, has been central to American literature for over a century. His seemingly effortless diction accurately exemplified America’s southern culture. From his early experiences in journalism to his most famous fictional works, Twain has remained relevant to American writing as well as pop culture. His iconic works are timeless and have given inspiration the youth of America for decades. He distanced himself from formal writing and became one of the most celebrated humorists. Mark Twain’s use of the common vernacular set him apart from authors of his era giving his readers a sense of familiarity and emotional connection to his characters and himself.
Twain, Mark, and Cynthia Johnson. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. New York: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2009. Print.