Pudd'n Head Wilson example essay topic

Pudd'n head Wilson The Tragedy of Pudd'n head Wilson juggles three plot lines, which all come together in a murder trial at the novel's end. Pudd'n head Wilson is a Northerner who comes to the small Missouri town of Dawson's Landing to build a career as a lawyer. Immediately upon his arrival he alienates the townspeople, who don't understand his wit. They give him the nickname "Pudd'n head" and refuse to give him their legal work. He scrapes by on odd work and spends most of his time dabbling in scientific hobbies, most notably, fingerprinting. Roxana, or Roxy, is a beautiful slave who can pass for white, though she is one- sixteenth black.

To save her infant son from ever being sold away from her, she switches him with the child of her white master, who looks just like her son and was born on the same day. Her son Chambers, now called "Tom" grows up as a white man and heir to an estate. Her master's child Tom, now called " Chambers", grows up a slave. "Tom" grows into a cruel, cowardly man. His gambling debts lead him, under Roxy's guidance, to rob houses, sell the now-freed Roxy as a slave, and finally to murder his uncle, Judge Driscoll, in a botched robbery attempt. Luigi and Angelo are former sideshow performers.

Good-looking and charming, they claim to be Italian twins, heirs of a deposed nobleman. They arrive in Dawson's Landing to rent a room in Widow Cooper's house, claiming they are tired of the bustle of the world. Luigi confesses to Pudd'n head Wilson that he once killed a man who tried to steal a fabulous Indian knife from the brothers. This knife is stolen by "Tom" and used to kill Judge Driscoll.

Luigi gets in an argument with "Tom" who has him arrested. The judge is mortified that "Tom" has compromised the family honor by doing that, and he instead challenges Luigi to a duel. No one is killed, but "Tom" saves hi sown reputation and tells his uncle that Luigi is a confessed assassin and therefore not an honorable man to duel. The twins who were popular in town loose their reputation through the judge's claims against them, and lose in the election for city offices in which Pudd'n head Wilson is elected mayor. Shortly after the election, "Tom", badly in debt and needing money to pay off the man whom he has fraudulently sold Roxy, murders the judge with the twins' knife while he is robbing him.

"Tom" escapes disguised as a women after killing his uncle. The twins are out for a walk and discover the judge all bloody and their bloody knife is on the floor. Pudd " head who is their attorney found his fingerprint collection and a few lucky accidents, he discovers that "Tom" is the murderer and that he is not the real Tom but Chambers is. The twins are redeemed and leave for Europe. "Tom" is thrown in jail and then, since it is now known he is a slave, sold "down the river" to pay debts to real Tom's father".

Chambers", who really is Tom, is given back his place as a white man and heir, but, raised as a black man and marked by his black speech patterns, he now fits into society nowhere. Pudd'n head is mayor of Dawson's Landing and finally a success as a lawyer. Main Character: Pudd' Wilson whose real name is David Wilson is the town eccentric. He came to Dawson's Landing intending to set up a law practice. His sense of humor proves too much for the townspeople, though, and his law practice goes nowhere. He fills time with odd surveying and accounting jobs, he has scientific hobbies, and most notably does fingerprinting and palmistry.

Setting: Between the tiny town of Dawson's Landing and the metropolis of St. Louis, and in the centralized presence of Mississippi River. Point of View: Mark Twain is telling the story (narrator) which would be 3rd person. Theme: I think racial identity is the main theme. Part of the point hears is that although institutions surrounding race may have changed since 1850, the fundamental problems, even by 1893, had not. When slavery was still legal, an individual's racial profile mattered on a concrete level: someone who is one- black, like Chambers, could be owned as a slave but, someone without black ancestry could not. By the 1890's it had a much more distinct concept.

This story relates to the world today because racial issues are such a diverse topic. Many people back then did not want to abolish slavery but, eventually it happened and I think people still might dwell on that and look down on some of the different races such as blacks. Although today, there are many issues and problems involving blacks but, probably just as many as whites. I think it is just more d welled upon if it is a different race than white. Times though have not changed much there were racial issues then and still today..