"The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson"

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes the book "The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson" by Mark Twain. Specifically, it traces the different types of irony that Twain used in the book. The paper discusses what these types of irony are and the reasons for Twain's use of them. The paper describes how the use of irony throughout Pudd'nhead Wilson vividly illustrates Twain's feelings on race, religion, and small town America, and helps bring his characters to life.

From the Paper:

"The story of Pudd'nhead Wilson seems simple enough at first glance. David "Pudd'nhead" Wilson comes to the small town of Dawson's Landing to begin a career as an attorney, but the townspeople do not understand him, or his sense of humor, and they ostracize him. He does not get work as an attorney, and has to take odd jobs around town. He has an interest in fingerprinting, and studies that in his off time. Dawson's Landing is an idyllic town, "it was a snug little collection of modest one-and two-storey frame dwellings whose whitewashed exteriors were almost concealed from sight by climbing tangles of rose-vines, honeysuckles, and morning-glories" (Twain 5), except it is a town that allows slavery. Roxy is a slave woman who lives in town, works for a prominent family, the Driscolls, and looks white. She gives birth to a child who is one-sixteenth black, and can pass for white. She trades her child with her master's child, who was born on the same day. Her child is now called "Tom," and she raises her master's son as a black child, who is now called "Chambers." She knows that her son will be raised as white, and have a better life than she could give him."

More papers on "The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson":

• Book Review # 93007 : "'The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson'"
• Analytical Essay # 7739 : "The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson"
• Analytical Essay # 60941 : "Pudd'nhead Wilson"

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