Mark Twain, a witty writer who wrote about certain political and moral aspects in his various poems, short stories and novels. In his work, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” is a short story about two different sides of life meeting together and interacting. A westerner comes into town and interacts with the eastern people of Calaveras County. Twain takes the reader on a journey of a writer trying to find information on a man but instead gets told a story of the past. Twain uses these different walks of life to portray the different aspects that western and eastern people might have. He uses the stereotypical norm of these two different sides of the world to bring his short story into a cohesive thought. Twain is trying to
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Smiley but if he had asked Wheeler he was going to get the tale of Jim Smiley. Walker addresses that, “… The teller does his best to conceal the fact that he even dimly suspects anything…” (Walker 25). Walker even goes on to say that Twain does this to give his norm style of humor which he goes on says, “… Is the use of the dead-pan expression, a solemn poker face that recites absurdities and wild exaggerations, while at the same time betraying no sense that anything humorous could be intended” (Walker 26). Twain changes narrators in a pivotal moment of time, but still uses a first person narrative, for who is telling the story which ultimately changes the reader’s point of view. When inquiring about Leonidas W. Smiley he gets back into a corner and gets told a legend of Jim Smiley. The first narrator slowly transitions into Wheeler when saying, “He never smiled, he never frowned, he never changed his voice from the gentle-flowing key to which he tuned the initial sentence, and he never betrayed the slightest suspicion of enthusiasm; but all through the interminable narrative there ran a vein of impressive earnestness and sincerity…” (Mark Twain Par.3). Twain switches to Wheeler, who is uneducated and unstructured, to give the story more meaning and depth to Jim Smiley. If a person whom never had his qualities would …show more content…
Certain traits had often came with the characters either being an easterner or westerner, which helps Twain develop and build up the tall tale of Jim Smiley. Since Twain used two very different narrators in his short story you see how he incorporates the traits which ultimately translates into his major themes. The first narrator is very oblivious that his friend is very clever and got him tricked into getting told a story of Jim Smiley. Some Critics agree that the reader realizes that the narrator had meet Wheeler someone that was cleverer than him, and most people see the correlation that Jim Smiley had also the same experience with a stranger. Anna explains “…As the willy old gambler finally meets his match in the person of the stranger; the confrontation between the east and the west, between the green easterner and the slick westerner represented by the narrator and Wheeler…” (Nesbitt
Smiley but if he had asked Wheeler he was going to get the tale of Jim Smiley. Walker addresses that, “… The teller does his best to conceal the fact that he even dimly suspects anything…” (Walker 25). Walker even goes on to say that Twain does this to give his norm style of humor which he goes on says, “… Is the use of the dead-pan expression, a solemn poker face that recites absurdities and wild exaggerations, while at the same time betraying no sense that anything humorous could be intended” (Walker 26). Twain changes narrators in a pivotal moment of time, but still uses a first person narrative, for who is telling the story which ultimately changes the reader’s point of view. When inquiring about Leonidas W. Smiley he gets back into a corner and gets told a legend of Jim Smiley. The first narrator slowly transitions into Wheeler when saying, “He never smiled, he never frowned, he never changed his voice from the gentle-flowing key to which he tuned the initial sentence, and he never betrayed the slightest suspicion of enthusiasm; but all through the interminable narrative there ran a vein of impressive earnestness and sincerity…” (Mark Twain Par.3). Twain switches to Wheeler, who is uneducated and unstructured, to give the story more meaning and depth to Jim Smiley. If a person whom never had his qualities would …show more content…
Certain traits had often came with the characters either being an easterner or westerner, which helps Twain develop and build up the tall tale of Jim Smiley. Since Twain used two very different narrators in his short story you see how he incorporates the traits which ultimately translates into his major themes. The first narrator is very oblivious that his friend is very clever and got him tricked into getting told a story of Jim Smiley. Some Critics agree that the reader realizes that the narrator had meet Wheeler someone that was cleverer than him, and most people see the correlation that Jim Smiley had also the same experience with a stranger. Anna explains “…As the willy old gambler finally meets his match in the person of the stranger; the confrontation between the east and the west, between the green easterner and the slick westerner represented by the narrator and Wheeler…” (Nesbitt