"Puddn'Head Wilson and Those Extraordinary Twins"

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews and critiques Mark Twain's novel "Puddn'Head Wilson and Those Extraordinary Twins". The paper calls the book a critical analysis of how nature and nurture can develop and affect the life of individuals. The paper explores how this story is a telling commentary on the south's political ideology and its influence over the progress of slavery and racism. Most of the paper is devoted to understanding the characters of Roxy, one of Twain's most complex character portrayals, and her son Tom. The paper also studies each of the novel's three separate plot lines to illustrate how Twain creates a world where we can clearly see the effects of nature and nurture on the people surrounding the story.

From the Paper:

"The character portrayal of Roxy shows the affects of nature versus nurture from a societal point of view. Roxy is a slave, but she is only one sixteenth black and looks completely white. Because of her relative white appearance, her role within the social setting of her owner's estate is extremely confusing. Roxy's position as a slave puts her on par with the status of all other black slaves; however, her white skin gives her a position of power within the societal functions of the estate. Within this environment, Roxy's internal torment with her identity leads her to many of the supposed conflicts that cause the story. Wilson explains that, the "drop of black blood" in Roxy's veins is "superstitious", and that Roxy herself, though a "negro" of sorts, is a "negro" through her internalization of that complex rather than her birth race (Twain 34-35). By arguing that Roxy is black by her upbringing and society's ability to reinforce this concept onto her, Wilson or Twain makes an excellent commentary on the nature of societal pressure on creating identity. Even though Roxy herself does not appear black, she still sees herself as black because she has internalized what the society has said and the way they treat her. Thus the manifestation of her "negro" side is a fiction based on her own personal identity creation. It is so deeply ingrained in her that she blames her own son's bad behavior on the "one part nigger" in him (Twain 124)."

More papers on "Puddn'Head Wilson and Those Extraordinary Twins":

• Analytical Essay # 7405 : "Criticism on "Puddn'Head Wilson"
• Book Review # 108497 : "Mark Twain's "Puddn'head Wilson"
• Book Review # 108474 : "Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn"

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