Analysis Of Pudd Nhead Wilson

When it comes to murder cases people tend to spread rumors, and the more they go around the more people start to believe them. In the novel Pudd’nhead Wilson, Judge Driscoll has been killed, many people are starting rumors about the twins and how they are the guilty one’s. In the book Mark Twain really demonstrates the strengths and weaknesses of having hard evidence such as the fingerprints and having the publics opinion on this case. Fingerprinting in the end triumphs the publics opinion but there are some positive and negative affects to both methods. Fingerprinting a suspect in a murder case can have a positive affect on many cases and in this case it did. During the murder trial there were a lot of speculation out there about who killed

Pudd’nhead Wilson was the only one who believed them because he found the murder weapon and with his fingerprinting hoppy he was able to prove that it was not there fingerprints on the murder weapon. Everyone blamed the twins because, they were the first one to find Judge Discoll, and after everyone found out that one of the brothers had already killed someone out of self-defense it made it easy to blame him for the murder. In Wilson investigation he never thought about checking out Tom’s story because he had three points to why he couldn’t be the murder the first one was, “Tom couldn’t murder anybody-he hadn’t character enough; secondly, if he could murder a person he wouldn’t select his doting benefactor and nearest relative; thirdly, self-interest was in the way”. (103) With those three points nobody suspect Tom to be the killer. Public opinion can affect many cases and in this murder it did because they ended up putting away two men who should have never gone to jail. Public opinion can have many negative affects on cases but if we take a look at the other side of it their can be positives to public

After Wilson first arrived on the scene he decided to make everyone get out of the house except the twins, he waited until the police officer arrived, according to Wilson “ the police took the twins to jail,” (102) right away. By having the public opinion on the case it allowed for Tom to believe he was off the hook for the murder of Judge Driscoll. Public opinion can have an affect on how people view things in our society but if we don’t have multiple different views then we would not be able to make the best decision and in this situation if Wilson only had one route then the Twins would be in Jail and Tom would be a rich man who got away with