Mark Twain's The Story Of The Good Little Boy

In “The Story of the Good Little Boy”, Mark Twain presents to the reader a god fearing child named Jacob Blivens. Jacob lives the perfect little Christian life until he gets blown up. Within this whole story Twain used literary devices to push out a single theme. He used symbols such as the Sunday-school books, the whipping that leads to his death, and then Jacob Blivens himself to create the theme of being perfect does not always have a perfect outcome. Throughout all of Jacob’s childhood, he wanted to be just like the characters in his Sunday-school book. In the story it is even said that “he wished to be put in a Sunday-school book” (Twain 330). Through the young boy wishing to become a character in the stories it shows that all he wants is to a good boy. However in the story it says “he knew it was more fatal than consumption to be so supernaturally good as the boys in the books were” (Twain 330). Producing a thought in the reader’s mind of is being good actually good. Although the characters in the stories were perfect children, they always ended up dying.

The man who spanked the young boy was named Alderman McWelter. It says in the story that he “hit him with a whack in the rear with the flat of his hand; and in an instant that good little boy shot out through the roof and soared” (Twain 331). The whipping symbolized how no matter how good one may be, there is always something waiting to trigger something horrendous. This is shown through how Jacob was just sticking up for himself and his innocency but is whipped while in the act. He did not run when Mr. McWelter came to punish the kids, but stayed while all the other kids ran. Even though he did such a good thing he was whipped. The text states that in an instant he was shot into the air and found in bits all throughout the factories. Even though Jacob did the right thing he still ended up