Essay Questions

What is unquestionably atypical if not necessarily entirely unique about the tone of this story as opposed to that of Twain’s other well-known works of fiction?

“The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg” is almost always going to have some form of the word “satire” applied to it during any critical analysis. That is a term which can be fairly applied to perhaps the overwhelming bulk of Twain’s fiction to one level or another. Generally, however, Twain’s use of satire in his fiction is not quite as biting nor nearly as sharply applied as in some of his essays. Twain may be quite rightly identified as one of the harshest literary critics of America ever produced in America, but generally he offsets the darker impulses of his cynical perspective with a controlling atmosphere of gentle humor which succeeds in keeping the reader focused more intently upon the narrative. This is not a problem he had to deal with quite so directly in his non-fiction. The humor is certainly on display in the story of Hadleyburg’s citizens, but it is a far cry from the less barbed wires of satire at work in King Arthur’s court or the descriptions of the court of a prince not recognized to be a mere pauper. Harsh though Twain may be in reckoning of human behavior, it is safe to assert that underlying the darkly humorous highlights is a solidly constructed foundation of optimism about man’s basic psychological framework. What is almost—not quite, perhaps, but very close—unique in the mood of this work of fiction is that its tone is relentlessly and unceasingly pessimistic. The corruption of Hadleyburg is Mark Twain writing fiction at his most dismissive perspective on the fundamental question of whether mankind can avoid destroying itself.

What literary choices made by Twain are clues that the story is to be considered something of an allegory which places theme above storytelling components?

This is a rather unusually long example of the art of short story writing and is peopled with an atypically large cast of characters. Densely populated though the story may be, none of its extensive cast could stand up to intensive examination which assertively affirms they are well-rounded. In fact, these characters bear the unusual stamp of being conceived with a particularly “flat” essence that in the absence of a strong theme would deem them the victims of bad writing. Twain isn’t interesting in telling a story about particular people having particular flaws exposed. For instance, Twain “tells” rather than simply “shows” that “The tanner was a disgruntled man; he believed himself entitled to be a Nineteener, but he couldn't get recognition. It made him a little unpleasant in his ways and speech.” Such a lack of attention to detail which could Twain could easily have handled through demonstration should be viewed as a hint to what he views as the intention of the story. Likewise, if this were a character study, for instance, rather than a theme-central allegorical examination of the human condition, the “deep offence “suffered by the stranger in town serving as the ignition of that satirical analysis would remain purposely mysterious. That the driving mechanism for the plot is left unexplained is one of the strongest bits of evidence that readers should focus on thematic unity rather than character or plot.

What one word that never appears within the actual text of the story can be identified as the root cause of all the misery touches upon the citizens of Hadleyburg when the stranger arrives?

The story can be labeled a withering indictment of hypocrisy and corruption as inherent essential components in the construction of the human psyche. Corruption is a symptom, however, of a far more pervasive and generally more acceptable flaw in the construction of that psyche. Twains seems almost purposely intent upon eschewing all forms of the word “greed” and all its many and various synonyms. Cupidity, edacious, avaricious, covetousness and other words describing the same basic topic are notable for their absence, not their overuse. A voracious gluttony for greater wealth and acquisition is the thing which engenders the corruption of the town and the hypocrisy of its residents. Twain clearly felt in this case he had already “shown” this to be evidence enough that there was no need to tell the reader.