R&R: Classics-- Mark Twain

Who hasn’t laughed at Tom Sawyer’s escapades, traveled down the Mississippi with Huck, or marveled at the adventures seemingly endlessly knocking at their door?

Samuel Clemens, more famously known as Mark Twain, has definitely imprinted himself onto the pages of American Literature. Rare is there a school who does not require his work—a reading list that does not include his writing.

Despite the fact that he was an infamous hater of children, (The proverb says that Providence protects children and idiots. This is really true. I know because I have tested it. - Autobiography of Mark Twain), Twain is a name that most of America’s generation will recognize. If he is unknown, then the names “Tom Sawyer” or “Huckleberry Finn” will make the dawn of comprehension sweep over their faces.

He’s not only famous in America either. One of my first meetings with Tom was through a Chinese Cartoon imported from China, (or was it Taiwan?)

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Written June 2, 2010

This is one of those books that I’ve read so many times, (and through so many mediums), that it would be pointless and frustrating to try to remember them all. I’ve heard the Mandarin cassettes, read the kiddy version, wrote essays on the unabridged versions, and even watched the cartoons. The characters of Tom, Becky, and Huck are familiar, and I’d recognize the story plot anywhere.

Among the sea of familiarity though, certain things stuck out to me like the flag of a navy ship, sailing proudly in the high wind. Certain moments of humor made me laugh out loud, other moments of rare sobriety made me think.

However, I especially loved how Twain accurately grasped the true nature/character of a boy. Tom is a rascal, a scoundrel, lazy, and sneaky, and yet his nature is not evil or even malicious. He displays his intelligent mind through pranks and clever tricks, his grasp of human nature through his repeated manipulations of his peers, and a human heart through small displays of affection and loyalty.

It sort of made me think of my own little brother. He may be annoying, irritable, and a real pain sometimes, but I love him because underneath all that, he’s sweet, kind, and even caring. Twain accurately demonstrated the characteristics of a mischievous imp without forgetting the big heart underneath. Sort of hints of a heart underneath the scalding tongue, doesn’t it?

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Written June 2, 2010

Read February 11, 2009

Again, this is another book that I’ve read many times, but unlike “Tom Sawyer,” I distinctly remember studying it a class (it was one of the books we read during General Lit.). Twain is very good at showing human nature, its flaws and its unexpected strengths, as well as the evils of his day through his work.

I think the thing that stood out most to me was the way Huck struggled right and wrong. Twain asks us the question, “Is the socially accepted thing the ‘right’ thing? Is something right just because “good” people/society condones it?”

Huck is uneducated and rough, but his heart tells him that betraying Jim is wrong, even though “good, upright, civilized” people would advise him to do it. The irony of his eventual choice (helping Jim), is that he believes that he will go to hell because of it, even though, we, the readers, know that he is doing the right thing.

Personally, I liked Huck better than Tom. Despite not being as street-smart, as savvy, or as clever, Huck has more heart, more depth. Tom’s never had any real struggles—not any that would take away his childish recklessness. He is still foolishly brave, idealistic—even innocent, if you think about it.

Huck knows the true hardships of life. He’s gone hungry, dealt with an abusive father, struggled emotionally as well as physically, and triumphed anyway. Tom is more likely to help Jim out of impulse, without really thinking out the consequences. He wouldn’t feel the same inward struggles as Huck—an doesn’t demonstrate the necessary maturity to conquer it.

For me, the flag in the sea was Twain’s way of tearing down the “socially acceptable” evils of his day. His tone has a certain mocking edge to it—his words are very blunt.

Twain never dances around a harsh statement, and yet his words are spoken in such a way that the result is slightly ridiculous, even while being insulting. He makes his point, and digs it in with a memorable picture or a strange situation.

Whatever people may call Twain—he was smart.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court

Written June 2, 2010

Read June 2, 2010

I’ll admit it—I was fooled by the interesting cover, the novelty of the summary, and the words, “King Arthur” on the back flap. After devouring “The Once and Future King,” by T.H. White, I thought this book would be another beautiful fantasy.

I’d loved the nobility, chivalry, and magic of T.H. White’s masterpiece—and that blinded me to the glaringly obvious flaw in my thinking—the fact that Twain’s style is completely different from White’s.

After reading the first few chapters, I felt as if, out of all the differing views of Twain’s last book, (and boy, were there differences!) Charles Whibley put it best. He said, “His book gives you the same sort of impression as you might receive from a beautiful picture over which a poisonous slug had crawled” (Twain, pg. ix). Harsh? Well, that’s how I felt.

In “The Once and Future King,” King Arthur, Merlin, and Camelot are beautiful. The story is beautiful, the characters are beautiful, and the entire plot is beautiful. Having the characters from that masterpiece displayed as cowardly, stupid savages made me want to hit something.

To be honest, if he hadn’t used the story of Camelot, I probably would have enjoyed the book. After all, Twain gets some very good points across. All throughout the book, Hank, otherwise known as “The Boss,” shows the evils of nobility (the class, not the characteristic), monarchy, and slavery. He defines the true meaning of a man, the true meaning of having independent minds, and the true dangers of dictatorship.

I only wish he didn’t portray some of my favorite literary characters as stupidly ignorant, blind, and intellectually dumb babies. Then again, that’s his style—getting his points across through ridicule. Twain’s very good at making fun of the oppressors and unjust people by making them look ridiculous. A tongue as sharp as a knife—it’s what’s he’s known for.

So, when I think of Twain, what do I see? A scalding tongue, as sharp as it is clever. A heart for making his peers see the evils of his time, and an understanding of the true nature of children. A mind brilliant enough to mask his socially unacceptable views in a way both piercing and humorous.

I like his books because of all that—but, no offense to Huck or Tom—the quotes from his biography are the ones that make me laugh, the ones that make me smile self-mockingly and wince.

Here are some of my favorites:

• "To cease smoking is the easiest thing I ever did. I ought to know because I've done it a thousand times."
• "There are laws to protect the freedom of the press's speech, but none that are worth anything to protect the people from the press."
• "The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them."
  
• "Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
  

Did you laugh? Wince? Have an “aha!” moment? Truly, Twain is timeless, funny, and sarcastic—a person as important to American History as George Washington or General Grant.