Pudd'nhead Analysis Questions

1. Mark Twain discusses double identities throughout the boo. Through the characters, Chambers andTom,
he is able to portray his own ideas towards the arbitrariness of racial classifications. In the present day,
this thought is nothing more except simple morals, but in the time the book takes place, believing in the
idea that there is no difference between blacks and whites was ludicrous. However, in the story
Pudd'nhead Wilson two characters switched at a young age, had their fates switched too. To all
intents and purposes Roxy was as white as anybody, but the one sixteenth of her which was black
outvoted the other fifteen parts and made her a Negro. She was a slave, and salable as such. The real
Chambers had the sad fate to be still considered black even though he is only 1/32 negro. The real
Chambers grew up in Toms life as a free white person, while the real Tom lived his life thinking he was
black. The simple fact that by physical descriptions, they could even be mixed up as each other is
enough proof that racial classifications is quaint. Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter
almond cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education. The only real difference between
a white person and a black person is the color of their skin. Tom grew up with an education and
everyone believed he was truly white. Chambers, with no education, although he is the true heir, was
viewed as black. Everybody granted that if "Tom" were white and free it would be unquestionably
right to punish himit would be no loss to anybody but to shut up a valuable slave for lifethat was quite
another matter. As soon as the Governor understood the case, he pardoned Tom at once, and the
creditors sold him down the river. The punishment for a white person and a black person was even
different.
2. In the novel Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain, twins become recurring characters. One set oftwins
include Luigi and Angelo. When thinking of these specific twins, these two seem to represent one.
The Indian knife belonged to them. When the duel between Judge Driscoll and Luigi was occurring,
Angelo was there right with him. When one was convicted of murder, the other was automatically
convicted of assistance to that murder. They have no differences and in every scene, they are together
so one would think of them as one. Completely opposite of this, however, is Tom and Chambers. At a
young age, these two looked almost identical. The only way to tell them completely apart was the

clothing. As they grew old however, the difference between them was as clear as night and day. Tom
was spoiled, a gambler and an alcoholic with an education he didnt take advantage of while Chambers
was a nice, loving, black man. It is hard to think of them as one character in a whole. With all the
differences between them, you know them each as a different character. The similarities between both
pairs of twins, rests only that they are both twins.
3.Honor is an important theme in the novel. The people of the town give high importance to honor. For
example, when Judge Driscoll and Luigi Capello engage in a duel for honor, the townspeople celebrate
them as heroes. For twenty years, Wilson has been labeled as a puddnhead, but by simply serving as
Luigi's second in the duel, he is able to erase twenty years of ridicule and emerge one of Dawson's
Landing's leading citizens. Another example of honor is held in the descendents of Virginia's First
Families. Judge Driscoll and all his ancestors and future heirs hold in high regards their honor. When the
Judge learns that Tom had been humiliated by Luigi, his first reaction is that Tom must fight Luigi in a
duel. The Judge believes that Tom has a duty to redeem his family's good name, and the only way to do
so is to meet Luigi in a duel, a fight for honor. The Judge isnt worried for Toms wellbeing, but all that
matters to him is whether his name is ruined. Judge Driscoll is outraged when he learns that Tom is too
afraid to face Luigi in a duel, and has instead resorted to a court of law, filing assault charges against
him. The American laws and courts have been constructed precisely for the purpose of resolving these
types of problems. Judge Driscoll has even devoted his own life to this system and to furthering the
interests of justice as the Judge. Yet, once again these considerations are trumped by the Judge's
adherence to the code of honor. He is so angered by Tom's "cowardice" and use of the legal system, that
he disinherits his nephew and fights the duel himself. Emphasis on honor is not limited to the white
residents of Dawson's Landing. When contemplating taking her own life, as well as the life of her child,
Roxy pride won't allow her to throw herself into the river while wearing cheap rags. Instead, she puts on
her finest dress, so that she can be fished out of the river in style. Additionally, she displays pride in her
own ancestry, bragging to Tom that she is descended from Pocahontas, as well as Captain John Smith.
And when she learns that her son was too cowardly to fight in the duel against Luigi, she is disgraced
and rebukes him.

4. It is my belief that Mark Twain does not assume either reasoning but gives examples of botharguments.
The argument between nature and nurtures effect on an individual is greatly seen in the character,
Tom Driscoll. Tom grew up as a spoiled, cranky child to a lazy, dishonest adult. One could say that this
is the result of his hiding black qualities. When Roxy hears that Tom refused to duel Luigi to gain
back his honor, Roxy declares that it is the blackness inside of him that is making him a coward. On
the other hand, it was due to others that Tom was raised the way he was. He was given whatever he was
wanted as a child, a personal bodyguard even, and so he felt that working was a job beneath him. He
feels entitled to things and without his inheritance from Judge Driscoll, Tom would be left with nothing
to rely on. With his Chambers to protect him from fights as a child, Tom knew he did not have to take
responsibility for his actions and did as he pleased.
5. The novel takes place in Missouri 1830, during the time of slavery, on the borders of the
South.Dawsons Landing did discriminate blacks and saw whites as higher, but from what I can see, not
as much as it could have been. Deeper into the South, or down riverwhere slaves were forced to work
in cotton plantations rather than in houses, blacks were seen as not even human, but more like objects.
They were whipped, hit, forced to work under poor conditions and the idea of that made Dawsons
Landing slaves shiver in fear. The setting is made to show that slavery wasnt cottonpicking bad as it is
highly imagined to be. Even for this major difference, racial segregation still existed and continued to
strive.
6. Mark Twain portrays slaves in the nineteenth century as almost the complete opposite of whatliterature
then was. He shows that not all slaves, if any, were lazy and dishonest. In the beginning of the story,
when Percy was questioning the slaves on who stole the money, slaves who really did was came clean
about it in the end. Roxy, another slave, then became free, worked really hard to show in a way to
herself, that she deserves to be free. As a free slave, she worked hard to earn money and to find new
opportunities for herself and her shot at a better life. She feels emotions just as any other person does.
She loved Tom and she even was willing to go back to slavery in order to help her son after all he put
her through too. Twain gives the point of view that slaves were definitely not all lazy and dishonest, and
for the most part, often did not deserve to be in slavery. Only those who truly deserve it, like Tom when

he was sold down the river for the murder of Judge Driscoll, should be in slavery. From this you can see
that he is not being ignorant whatsoever. Slavery was valued to a certain degree back in that time and he
doesnt give off unrealistic ideas.
7. Puddnhead Wilsons Calendar quotes at the beginning of every chapter played an important role with
the plot, that can be seen by those who look out for it and analyses the quotes. The quotes are meant to
foreshadow future events in the story. The plot can be related to the quote in a way to open up your
mind to see a different perspective of the story. The quotes in reality are Mark Twains quotes but they
still fit wonderfully into the story. Wilsons Calendar are important to the plot because they give the
reader a faint idea of what will happen throughout the chapter, and it gives the reader something to
ponder over to keep them digging for a deeper meaning in the plot.
8. Many of thePuddnhead Wilson's characters give high regards to reputation. These emotions
drivesmany of the characters to do actions they did in the story. At the meeting of the rum party where
the twins are invited to attend with Tom coming along, Tom ridicules Luigi in the public which drives
Luigi to deliver a strong kick to Tom that sends him into the audience. As an effect, this leads Judge
Driscoll to worry about his own reputation and orders Tom to duel to which he has refused. Judge
Driscoll fears that Tom getting kicked, along with his cowardice and refusal to duel the twin, will reflect
negatively on the Driscoll family name and dishonor them all. Thus, Judge Driscoll challenges Luigi to
a duel himself as a way to save their reputations. The first quote from Pudd'nhead Wilson's Calendar
notes how easily ridicule can tear down a person's reputation. We see this quote playing out when David
Wilson first arrives in Dawson's Landing and makes a weird comment about owning half a dog and then
killing his half. As a result of this remark, Wilson is branded with the nickname Puddnhead, and his
law practice is doomed to failure. Despite Wilsons likable personality traits and intelligence, this
reputation sticks with him for 20 years until he gains back his honor by being Luigis second in the duel.
Similarly, despite having quickly won over the town with their grace and charm, Luigi and Angelo
become town outcasts due to Judge Driscoll's campaign to defame them and represents them as
assassins. Reputation plays big roles that eventually affects the plot.

9. At a gathering with Luigi, Angelo, Tom, and Wilson, Wilson reads Luigis palm and discovers thatLuigi
once killed a man. He explains that he did it simply to save his brother, Angelos life and he does not
regret it. Because Luigi killed a man for the sake of someone he cared about, Luigi gained honor for
doing what he had to do and not regretting the action. However, also in the same story, Tom kills Judge
Driscoll. This murder was seen as heartless and in cold blood. For this, Tom is stripped of any honor he
had, if any, and was sold as a slave down the river, a punishment suited for a black man. The two acts of
killing were viewed as almost opposites. Luigis killing was full of honor and to protect his loved ones.
Anyone else can imagine doing this if they were in Luigis shoes and no other choice was available.
Tom on the other hand, killed for only his own benefit, and therefore looked down upon so greatly that
he was considered for a life sentence.
10. In the beginning of the story, two slaves stole money from Percy Driscoll and were sold elsewhere.It is
believed that they did this simply because it was forbidden to do so. This was a way of conducting a
secret rebellion against the slave masters. When Tom stole, it was to pawn his stealings to raise money
to pay off his gambling debts. He stole because he saw no other way to do it, even though there were
other ways he could have gotten the money. Both acts of theft were by blacks against whites but Toms
had a more conceited meaning. He didnt steal once, he did it multiple times because he could, and he
even got his mother to help him steal. He planned everything out, which was very intelligent of him,
unlike the slaves who simply took and hoped not to get caught. Tom was selfish and so he stole, while
the slaves took simply because they could.
11.Ancestry plays an important role in the novel. People of great ancestors had more honor and felt
more selfrighteous and were seen with their own sense of pride. Judge Driscolls ancestors were firstfamilies of Virginia. Because of this, he plans out his actions in ways to not lose his honor. When Tom
was kicked, and instead of fighting, he took matters to court, Judge Driscoll was furious because that
was a giant act of dishonor. This brought him to challenge Luigi on his own and duel him in an
honorable battle. Roxy is another example of the importance of ancestry. Roxy claimed that her ancestor
was Pocahontas and Captain John Smith themselves. When Roxy heard that Tom refused to fight, she
blamed his action on the black blood in him because he was also dishonoring her ancestors.

12. Twain has a very unusual tone towards the novel. At the time that the novel is taking place, the
beliefthat whites were superior to blacks was not uncommon. Literature in the nineteenth century was
highly racist and portrayed slaves as being purely dishonest and lazy and do this as a reason to show
that this race belongs in slavery. Mark Twain however, sheds a new light onto these portrayals. He
shows blacks as kind and honest in some aspects in a nonracist perspective. Mark Twain notices and can
point out the flaws in the society that pushes for freedom but still binds others in slavery. In some
aspects however, there are some prejudice moments, such as when Tom was sold down the river when
he was discovered to be black, rather than being punished as a white man.
13. In the novel, Prince and the Pauper, two boys, one prince and another a beggar, switch clothing and
then end up switching lives. This novel is relatively similar to Tom and Chambers situation. When both
were really young, Roxy switched the clothing of both babies, so that the real Chambers became the
white heir Tom, and the real Tom became the black baby Chambers. Their lives were longly changed
and they both had no idea of the mix up. Even Percy Driscoll, the father of Tom, had no way to tell them
apart except by their clothing. This is relatable to the bodyguard that kicked out the prince for believing
that he was the pauper because of the clothes he wears. The prince and the pauper in the end learn that
their lives are both better than how they originally thought, but in the novel by Mark Twain, Tom regrets
greatly that he is really black and would give anything to be white again, especially since in the end, he
gets sold down the river.
14. David "Pudd'nhead" Wilson was chosen by Mark Twain to become the novel's title character.However,
he is not entirely the main character. When he first moved to Dawson's Landing, he made a weird
remark and for that, he was branded with the nickname "Pudd'nhead". Because of this, for 20 years he
did not get anyone coming to him for law. After he served as Luigi's second in the due against Judge
Driscoll, he gained his honor back. Although it may not seem that way at first sight, his character serves
an important role. He gives advice to Tom when he feels troubled, and many more times but his main
contribution was that he was the one in the end that proved the twins not guilty and Tom guilty.

Sadly, he is an underrated character and Mark Twain noticed his importance and called the book after
him.
15. Mark Twain, a brilliant artist, uses satire in order to to criticize the American South during
theAntebellum period. In the novel, explains the story of two adults switched as babies living each
other's lives. One baby, Chambers, is a black son of a slave mother, while the other one is a white son of
the Driscolls, a family that belongs with the title of one of Virginia's first families. The real black son
grows up living the life of the white son and the white son grows up believing he is black and enslaved.
By writing this story, Twain is expressing the faults he finds in the society. In the present day, a problem
like this is not that big but at the time, for a black man to be white and a white man to be black is
horrible. This problem could have been avoided if everyone, no matter the race, was equal. During the
civil war, segregation was at its finest and whites in the South faughr even harder to keep slavery the
way it is. Because of these uproars, Mark Twain is trying to say that it would not be that bad if everyone
was equal.
16. Fingerprinting is to take record of one's fingerprints and to analyse them to crimes, like how Wilsondid
to convict Tom of the murder. Palmistry is to read the palm of a person and to find out their secrets and
sometimes even their future. Watching the lines on the palms you can read these informations. Every
person's fingerprints are different. In other words, no two are alike. With this, you can match the
fingerprints and find out who was holding something and use that information to catch criminals.