Morality and Injustice Shown in Mark Twain's Characters

Mark Twain's characters personify the ideas and themes behind his stories. Regarded as one of America's first great writers, his characters have sparked controversy and discussion of morality and injustice of 19th Century society. Born in Florida, Missouri, Twain's family moved to the Hannibal, a small town along the Mississippi where he became associated with tall tales and slavery. His young life would also be stricken with the death of his father, sister, and two brothers. After working for his brother Orion's newspaper, Twain went on a trip to New Orleans where he met Horace Bixby, a steamboat pilot who inspired him to do the same. Twain spent two years on the Mississippi, earning both his pilot license and a love of the Mississippi, but at the cost of an eternal guilt after his brother death in a steamboat accident. From this and the experiences of his childhood, Twain grew a pessimistic, and at times depressive, outlook on life that showed in his writings. After a brief participation in the Civil War, Twain began his life of travel through the Mid-West. Through these travels he gained many experiences that he would relate many of his writings and stories. Though usually critical in some form, Twain's humor and satire, along with dialectic use, appealed to many Americans, and reflected much the ways of 19th Century America.

Twain often saw people as awful beings, stating at one point “the more I get to know people, the better I like my dog.” He goes on to express this idea throughout he short story “A Dog's Tale”. Narrated from the perspective of a dog, it gives a uniquely ignorant and innocent perspective of the of the story. The story follows the life of Aileen, the narrator, as she is adopted by the Grays. ...

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...The prime citizens temptation go against all they. “"The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg"stand for illustrates the maxims that money is the "root of all evil" and that "everyone has a price."”(Hockersmith)

Mark Twain's pessimistic outlook on life gained him a perspective unlike others of the time. Though a great American author, he often looked down on the world, and through his travels he saw the shams of the nineteenth century. His characters are not made to relate the prospects of society, but to convey his own views. Twain took the impressions people left on him to create what he would consider an accurate portrayal of the world around. Whether to show the contradictions of “Incorruptible” societies, or refute the wastes created towards language, his characters are than tools of progressions as they become utter epitomes of the world through Twain's eyes.