Deception And Deception In Mark Twain's Pudd Nhead Wilson

Following the conclusion of Pudd’nhead Wilson, a novel written by Mark Twain in 1894, but taking place in the 1850s, it is obvious that the book was inundated by a myriad of differing themes. However, there is a theme that stands out the most in terms of the most influential message conveyed by Twain. This theme is that deception and foolishness, two themes that go hand in hand, do not have preferable repercussions. In recognizing these themes, I was able to choose one specific scene from the novel that truly represents these two themes. The scene that most symbolizes the backfiring of deception and the disadvantages of foolishness is in the scene where Tom gets sold down the river. This scene is important because it accurately depicts the

Interestingly enough, foolishness seemed to be a common theme that followed deception. Seen first in the first few chapters when Roxy switched the children, foolishness found its place underneath the controversial action. Roxy does not feel bad and said that it was not a "sin” ( Twain 11). This recklessness exhibited by Roxy eventually leads to the predicament that I have chosen to use as my scene. Her decision to directly influence the lives of the children helped expedite the character development in “Tom” and “Chambers.” I chose the scene where Tom gets sold down the river because it shows the irony of the situation. Roxy, who switched the children to avoid having her own child sold down the river, just experienced that same thing. In this way, the theme presented defends itself, “ those looking to deceive get deceived in the end.” With decades of living a false life, Tom became a spoiled master who treated those around him without respect. When Tom was sold as a slave, Roxy felt the immediate impact of having her son face the same fate of being “a valuable slave,” for the rest of his life( Twain 97). Because of Roxy’s idiocy and trickery, her son ended up being sold as a slave despite years as being a