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Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain - The literature course I'm teaching at co-op focuses on conflicts between characters and worldviews, and this tale of switched identities and contrasts is a great introduction to the topic. Twain sets the stage in a small southern town that seems idyllic but has a very firmly established class system and prejudice. The title character, David Wilson, is a northern lawyer who settles in the town but one joke that the townspeople don't understand earns him the nickname "pudd'nhead" and dooms his law career for years. He's actually very intelligent and has a variety of interests and hobbies, including studying fingerprints, but his reputation of not being very bright will not be overcome.
Another lead character is the slave woman Roxy. Roxy has only one-sixteenth black ancestry, but her place as black and therefore a slave is not negotiable. Roxy has a baby boy at the same time as her mistress, and when the mistress dies, Roxy is nurse to both babies. Her son, only one-thirty-second black, looks very much like the young heir, and when the master threatens to sell his slaves down the river, Roxy hits upon a plan to switch the babies' clothing. And sure enough, no one is the wiser for about twenty years. When the master dies, his brother, Judge Driscoll, adopts the boy he thinks is his nephew and makes him his heir. However, the usurper, now known as Tom, grows up to be spoiled and mean and selfish and the real heir, known as Chambers, is abused and mistreated as a slave.
Eventually Roxy is set free and goes to work on the riverboats, trusting that once Tom comes into his inheritance, he will look after her financially when she tells him the truth. She returns to town some years later to find Tom deeply in debt because of his gambling, and the Judge ready to cut him out of the will. Roxy threatens to expose Tom as an imposter unless he provides for her, and Tom has some strong reactions to finding out he has "a drop of black blood".
At that time, the town is fawning over two young foreigners who are visiting - the Italian twins. These twins settle in Dawson's Landing and challenge Judge Driscoll in the local elections, and this after humiliating young Tom. The Judge is found murdered and the twins are accused. When the case goes to trial, Pudd'nhead Wilson finally can practice law, as he defends the twins who steadfastly deny the murder even though their knife was the murder weapon. Pudd'nhead is convinced that he can identify the real murderer, if only he can find a match among all his records for the bloody fingerprints left on the knife.
This all leads to a dramatic courtroom scene, when the secret of the babies switched in the cradle all those years ago is finally revealed, the twins are cleared of the crime, and Tom gets what he deserves. Unfortunately, the real heir, despite being restored to his position, is still a victim of the prejudice and deception, and the ending is somewhat bittersweet.
Twain is a master of irony and his use of it along with some dry humor keeps his exploration of the weighty subjects of racial prejudice and injustice from becoming too oppressive. The main characters experience inner conflicts and conflicts with others and with their society, and none of the conflicts are easily resolved.
I read this novel and studied it along with students in my high school literature co-op class. We learned about irony and foreshadowing as literary devices. We also discussed the various conflicts experienced by the characters, and debated which of the three main characters is the true protagonist of the story.
You can also read my 2019 review of Pudd'nhead Wilson
HERE.
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by Rodman Philbrick - reading along with students in my Creative Writing class!
