Throughout Twain’s novel on Pudd’nhead Wilson
we are swarmed with troubling themes and ironic events. What some readers miss
is the importance in Pudd’head Wilson’s calendar statements at the beginning of
each chapter. A small statement at the beginning of each chapter wouldn’t
normally allow for inference and foreshadowing, but Twain makes a strong attempt
to do so. I believe that these messages before each chapter are very important
to the story and provide a proper set up to the novel. There are a few things
in which make them important to the novel, it’s connection to Pudd’nhead’s
character, connection to the narrator, the function of framework to the story,
and the relative thematic ideas. The connection that Twain makes within the
character and the calendar is pretty compatible when analyzed. Although these
are just a few short sentences at the beginning of each paragraph, take them
not as foolish but smart. The connection made between the calendar and Wilson
is that they are taken foolish but make the most influential claims and
ultimately are the smartest portions of the story. Although these statements
are not the majority of the story, one can infer and utilize the legitimacy of
the claims in order to understand the events that are going to happen. As well
as a connection with Wilson, the calendar makes another connection with the
narrator as he tells us this adventurous story. It is a consistent relationship
between the two of three ideas with their own embodiment of the story: various
forms of fiction making, the stubbornness of humanity and existence, and the
unexpected happenings. The last relative connection that the calendar
statements have is a relation to the proposed themes within each chapter. Within
the story, Twain exclaims, “Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter
almond; cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education” (84). Twain
presents this comment in Pudd’nhead Wilson’s calendar to express the importance
of a thematic idea that runs through this book, nature versus nurture. I
believe that the book has a lot to do with the nurture aspect of childhood and
that people are trained to be who they are supposed to be. As with the ending
to the story, the real Chambers is of black background but succeeds with the
education and privileges of white childhood and upbringing. On the contrary,
the real Tom is left a free man but is kept in a trap because of the way he was
raised among the black slave community. He is unable to be the “white man” that
he is because of the nurtured childhood he grew up in. He is uneducated and
unable to thrive in a white world as a free “slave” because he had endured the repercussions
of slavery itself. I believe Twain does a great job in presenting these two
contrasting futures of Tom and Chambers and correlates the calendar accordingly
to the framework of the novel.
Saylor,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you brought up Puddn'head Wilson's Calendar. I think this was one of the more interesting parts of the book. I definitely agree with your points about the calendar connecting to the story. Each chapter's calendar seemed to have an underlying theme related to what happens. It was like reading a story within a story almost, and stirred the brain. How would the book be different without Puddn'head WIlson's calendar? Would themes be as clear or points be as strong? The calendar seems to have an underlying role, just like Twain's themes.
Puddn'head's Calendar was an important aspect of the novel in my opinion. You brought up a good point when saying that these few sentences at the beginning of each chapter should be taken as smart and not foolish. I think it is ironic how Puddn'head Wilson is the biggest fool in town, yet his calendar explains Twain's themes and analysis of the novel in a very smart and witty way.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read the book I didn't even really read Pudd'nhead Wilson's calendar. After reading this post I went back and read more of the quotes at the beginning of each chapter and believe you are right in saying they foreshadow events that will occur in the upcoming chapter. The calendar quote you talked about with the cauliflower made absolutely no sense to me. Now I understand that Twain is commenting on the nature vs. nurture argument. In my blog post I talked about that same argument in the search for one's identity. I'm glad you brought this calendar into light as it is important to the story and its plot.
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