How Mark Twain and Others Established an Identity for Southern Life The United States of America is a nation unlike any other on Earth. Although it stands as one united nation, the United States also includes many subcultures and distinctions within it as well. These distinct peculiarities make certain regions completely unique and detached. One of these regions is the American South. Because of its racial relations, economic system, and colloquial speech, the South stood very distinct from life in the North, sparking curiosity and wonder from outsiders. It is here, therefore, that regionalist literary artists, such as Mark Twain, stepped in and worked to describe Southern life for people in other parts of the country. As the Civil War and Reconstruction eras began to close, Mark Twain and other Southern regionalist writers established an accurate representation and identity of the Southern culture and way-of-life through their novels and short stories. …show more content…
Northerners were curious about what Southern society was like because of their recent interactions with the region during the restoration of the South to the Union, and by reading these stories written by real Southerners, they could have a glance into the other world. Regionalism was also key for the South as well. Local color writing encouraged the unique lifestyle of the South and allowed it to remain different in a time when the North was trying to get them to merge in. Regionalism created a sense of pride and helped express it through writing. Even though some aspects of culture were not desirable, such as a lack of refinement or education, Southern local color writers often embraced the truth (MacKethan). This is because at the end of the day, people were proud of where they came from and did not want their individuality to just fade away after the Civil