Strangers in Mark Twain's Later Works

Abstract

In Roughing It Mark Twain gives an episode of a practical joke which was played upon him by his Western friends. It was at the end of his stay in the West that he was taken in by his friends. They were expecting that he would laugh it away with them, because he used to enjoy practical jokes. On the contrary to their expectation, Mark Twain somehow was offended seriously. He thought he "got the largest share of the joke"(501). Mark Twain wrote, "Since then I play no practical jokes on people and generally lose my temper when one is played upon me"(501). His statement here seems to indicate a significant change in the direction of his humor. Previous to this experience, Mark Twain's writing impresses us that he had immersed himself deep in the Western way of life and seemed to love it. But his resentment against the joke played upon himself and his leaving the West for New York soon afterward, never returning there, indicate that after all he remained a stranger among the Westerners and that he could not share their laughter beyond a certain point. The strangers I would discuss in this paper are those who are isolated from the innocent, cheerful laughter. They are worthy to note in the sense that thier appearance changes the tone of Mark Twain's humor in his later works.