ipl-logo

What Is The Theme Of The Notorious Jumping Frog

419 Words2 Pages

A bet between two men is the subject of Mark Twain's short story, "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." Reverend Leonidas W. Smiley is visited by a stranger named Simon Wheeler, who tells him the story of Jim Smiley and his beloved frog Dan'l Webster. Jim Smiley bets with another man that his frog can jump higher than his, but the other man cheats by stuffing the frog with lead shot, so Smiley loses the bet. There are many cause-and-effect scenarios to investigate in the story. One of them was the effects of the stranger's obsession with gambling. The theme of the ethics of gambling is contested in Twain's short story. Twain suggests that although gambling has a moral component, it can frequently be abused. This can be seen in Jim Smiley's behavior because he was a compulsive gambler who wagered on anything and everything. He loses money as a result of men taking advantage of him by cheating because of his addiction and constant gambling. …show more content…

The other man's injection of "the substance like lead shot" into the frog is the origin of everything that leads to the story's resolution. When it should have gone the other way, this gave him the opportunity to win the wager and accept Smiley's wager. This "lead shot" could be interpreted as a metaphor for the story's treatment of deceit and temptation. Despite being aware of the negative effects of cheating, Jim Smiley's decisions affected the outcome in a negative way. He violated his own moral compass by engaging in compulsive gambling, and he paid the

Show More
Related
246 Words | 1 Pages

The short story “the Golden Thomas Vargas”, magical realism is evident in the union opposites of gambling. In the modern era gambling is notorious for cheating, lying, and stealing, however in Agua Santa gambling is sacred to the people. When his wife and Concha Diaz force Vargas out of his house, he takes on the life of gambling. When Vargas begins to gamble the narrator explains the audience that the townspeople “could tolerate a man who mistreats his family, a man who was lazy and a troublemaker, we never paid that money he borrowed, the gambling debts were sacred”(73). Magical realism can be seen in two instances here.

Read More
278 Words | 2 Pages

In Mark Twain’s The Celebrated Jumping Frog Calaveras County; Which was written about a man named Simon Wheeler who asked to be told about the myth of a man named Leonidas W. Smiley by a friend of his. In confusion the friend instead told Wheeler about Jim Smiley. Smiley was a man who had a big gambling problem , willing to bet on almost anything. As you read the famous folktale you will see that Mark Twain uses imagery to create many visuals throughout the folk tale , so that you may paints a visual image as you read. “I noticed that the he was fat and bald- headed, and had an expression of winning gentleness and simplicity up his tranquil.”

Read More
229 Words | 1 Pages

During the story “The Celebrated Jumping Frog Of Calaveras County” by Mark Twain, the narrator receives a brief story from Simon Wheeler about the notorious Jim Smiley. A well-known gambler, he would make bets with anyone, he would let you get first pick, and he would remarkably come out the winner. Furthermore, he was lucky, and uncommonly lucky. Until one day was bilked and cheated when his opponent, a stranger, fed his frog quail shot and cost Jim Smiley to lose the bet. Moreover, Mark Twain uses third person limited to the reader understand the perspective from different people.

Read More
957 Words | 4 Pages

Twain: In “The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras Country” the tone of the narrator’s relationship began on the very first page. The narrator says that he has a “lurking suspicion” that Leonidas W. Smiley is made up and that Wheeler would “bore me to death with some exasperating reminiscence of him as long and as tedious as it should be useless to me” (Twain 1285). The narrator says that Simon Wheeler’s story telling is a “monotonous narrative” with no expressions (Twain 1285). Wheeler tells a Story about a man named Jim Smiley and uses figurative language to portray imagery throughout.

Read More
881 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More
1102 Words | 5 Pages

Mark Twain juxtaposes opposites in many ways and one of theses ways is through his belief on society. In the middle of the book Huck begins to second guess himself about if helping Jim is really a good idea or is it really a sin. Huck begins to explain,

Read More
702 Words | 3 Pages

This idea is displayed through the indirect characterization of Mrs. Phelps; she is portrayed as greedy since she will not “give up [Jim]” unless the reward is given to her husband first. Twain contrasts distinct characters such as Jim’s cordial personality with Pap and Phelps selfishness in order to teach a lesson of the selfless individuals being rewarded; in this case, since Jim has no evil, he is set free. Twain makes this implication to slave owners to show that slavery is immoral and will not benefit the owners besides accomplishing menial tasks that they are not willing to perform

Read More
197 Words | 1 Pages

“The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” Literary Analysis In Mark Twain’s folktale “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” the many uses of diction, found throughout the story, helps to give the tale it’s clear mood, tone and character personalities. Mark’s many uses of slang creates a clear characterization for the characters in this folktale, yet mainly for the narrator, Simon Wheeler. In paragraph 7 the narrator says “He ketched a frog one day, and took him home, and he said he cal’klated to edercate him…”

Read More
452 Words | 2 Pages

Twain’s correspondence concludes that all men are malicious and annihilate things that they have no use for. Twain continued through the essay with his employment of efficient pathos. His similes or as he refers to them as “experiments” moves readers to a different level of

Read More
390 Words | 2 Pages

In this story Mark twain writes about a man, the narrator, that tells a story to his friend Ward about a man that used to gamble and gets fooled by a passing stranger through his town. Mark Twain tells this story in a southern way, showing the roots of his childhood as a southern country boy. The tale narrates a visit to Angel’s camp where he hears the story of Jim Smiley's frog. The narrator is searching for one Leonidas W. Smiley. He stops in an old tavern and meets "good-natured, garrulous" old Simon Wheeler.

Read More
1035 Words | 5 Pages

The use of language in writing is a form of self-expression and is a way to reveal key things about narrators’ characters. The narrators in “The Notorious Jumping Frog” and “Baker's Bluejay Yarn” by Mark Twain, have a very specific style of language which reveals things about their characters. In “The Notorious Jumping Frog” the narrator’s name is Simon Wheeler, The story takes place in Calaveras County, a mining town in California. Wheeler is originally asked about a man by the name Leonidas W. Smiley, but Wheeler started talking a completely different man by the name of Jim Smiley, a man with a gambling problem, who once lived in town. In “Baker's Bluejay Yarn” the narrator's name is Jim Baker.

Read More
176 Words | 1 Pages

In the story “The Notorious Jumping Frog from Calaveras County,” Mark Twain is satirizing the stereotypes of the American East and West at that time. The stereotypes of the East and West were that the people living in the East were well educated and sophisticated and people living in the West were uneducated and gullible. In the story the narrator, who is from the East, ended up looking gullible by listening to his friend even though he had suspicion he was being set up. I believe through this story he is hoping to change stereotyping of the East and West. In the story “The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg,” Mark Twain is satirizing temptation.

Read More
884 Words | 4 Pages

Mark Twain emphasizes the theme that a person's morals are more powerful than the corrupt influence of society in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Based on how Huck Finn views the world and forms his opinions, he does not know the difference between right and wrong. In the novel, Huck escapes civilized society. He encounters a runaway slave, Jim, and together they travel hopes of freedom. But along the way, Huck and Jim come across troubles that have Huck questioning his motives.

Read More
481 Words | 2 Pages

The famous jumping frog in the district of Calaveras It is a story that tells about a man who loved to bet on anything in the world. The narrator trying to find a certain Leonidas W. Smiley meets Simon Wheeler, an old charlatan who tells the story of Jim Smiley, the great gambler. This was a compulsive gambler who bet on the most incongruous things, for the death of a person, as for his dog Andrew Jackson and even for roosters and horse races.

Read More
1083 Words | 5 Pages

In addition, greed is yet another significant factor to Huck and Jim’s struggle throughout the novel. For example, Huck learns that the Dauphin sells Jim when a stranger says, “Well I reckon! There’s two hundred dollars’ reward on him. It’s like picking up

Read More

More about What Is The Theme Of The Notorious Jumping Frog

Related Topics

Open Document