Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Reputation in Mark Twain's Puddn'head Wilson

One's reputation is his/her standing in the community. For clarification of this word, see Dictionary.com's entry on reputation. Look particularly at the paragraph under "synonyms" that differentiates reputation from character.

Twain describes Dawson Landing's citizens concern with their own individual reputation and the reputation of others. What insight(s) do the narrator's comments, the characters actions, or their speech reveal to readers?

23 comments:

  1. p5-3 ch:6 The morning after their arrival the twins were greeted by the townsfolk.
    Every their is happy to see them and interested about their adventures.
    Every one loved them and supports the twins thoughts.

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  2. Chapter 12 Page 69

    If Judge Driscoll was the recognized first citizen of Dawson's Landing, Pembroke Howard was easily its recognized second citizen. He was called "the great lawyer"...

    Pembroke Howard's reputation gave him the nickname "the great lawyer." He is also seen as one of the first citizens of Dawson's Landing.

    P5-17

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  3. p5-12 Ch.1 Twain describes York Leicester Driscoll as forty years old and a gentlemen.
    He was very proud of his virginian ancestry.
    "He was respected, esteemed, and beloved by all of the community."

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  4. Chapter 13

    "Tom" begins to mock puddin' head wilson. Then they go to read Tom's hand but tom jerks his hand away. This is acknowledging that "tom" has killed someone but hes trying to hide it.

    P5-18

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  5. Chapter 14

    "Tom" and Luigi were brought down to court because they had been sentenced for assult and battery. The judge then challenges luigi to a duel, but tom wont fight because of family honor. This is showing that he takes honor very seriously.

    P5-18

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  6. Ch. 9
    "Tom" was worried that his reputation would be destroyed if people found out who he truly was. He wasn't white, as he had grown up believing, but instead was technically considered black. If anyone ever found out, his reputation would be ruined forever and he would lose his social status.
    P6-5

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  7. Chapter 12

    "Oh, please, don't ask me to do it, uncle! He is a murderous devil--I never could--I--I'm afraid of him!" -Tom
    Here you Tom is talking about Luigi and how he doesn't want to fight him. After the night before when Luigi revealed that he did kill someone he got a reputation of being a "murder". Which is why Tom does not want to fight him as said in the quote.

    P6-6

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  8. CH 7
    "Society was eager to receive them to its bosom." (36)
    Everyone was in awe over the twins and eager to accept them and get to know them. The twins immediately gained a good reputation.
    P6-15

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  9. Chapter 6
    "General conversation followed, and the twins drifted about from group to group, talking easily and fluently and winning approval, compelling admiration and achieving favor from all." Do to the fact that the town is so small and because they have very few travlers the town is very intrested in the twins. There adventures and there good manners help to influence there reputation in the town.
    P6-3

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  10. Chapter 1

    "He was fine and just and generous. To be a gentleman-a gentleman without stain or blemish-was his only religion, and to it he was always faithful. He was respected, esteemed, and beloved by all of the community." This shows that York Driscoll really tried to help out his community by doing whatever he could. In turn, the community helped him out whenever they could.

    P6-12

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  11. Ch.17

    Reputation

    “The brothers withdrew entirely from society, and nursed their humiliation in privacy.”

    Due to Tom’s twisting of the truth, Judge Driscoll, along with many of the townspeople, conspired and spread rumors about the twins. This came to a climax during the election when the twins were defeated and publicly humiliated. Their high reputation among the people took a sharp nose dive and violently crashed into the ground, leaving them to ponder upon their misfortunes with shame and a broken reputation.

    P1-9

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  12. Chapter 5

    “He brought back one or two new habits with him, one of which he rather openly practiced-tippling- but concealed another, which was gambling. It would not do to gamble where his uncle could hear of it; he knew that quite well.” (Twain 28)

    “Tom” wanted to keep a good reputation with his uncle, less his uncle become enraged and does something drastic. He chose to hide secrets from his uncle, just to keep a good reputation with him.

    P1-3

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  13. Chapters 1-2 Reputation
    The reputaion of one is a major theme in the story; the following quotes show that if he had a good standing he would have been a successful man. "But for an unfortunate remark of his, he would no doubt have entered at once upon a successful career at Dawson’s Landing." p8 "But his deadly remark had ruined his chance—at least in the law. No clients came." P9 As one can see this man would have been a top lawyer in the town if he only had a good reputation, a healthy part in society. The book revolves around this issue and what Wilson does to solve it, showing how prominent a role this theme plays.
    P1-1

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  14. Chapter 1

    "''Pears to be a fool.'
    ''Pears?' said another. 'Is, I reckon you better say.'"

    David Wilson made a comment that everyone in the town thought was stupid. Everyone called him an "idiot," or a "fool" or another name like that, and they gave him the nickname "Pudd'nhead Wilson." It is clear that his reputation got ruined after he made that comment.

    P1-12

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  15. Chapter 12

    Tom began to turn sick, and to show it. He turned his hat round and round in his hand, his uncle glowering blacker and blacker upon him as the heavy seconds drifted by; then at last he began to stammer, and said piteously:
    "Oh, please, don't ask me to do it, uncle! He is a murderous devil—I never could—I—I'm afraid of him!"

    "Tom" has unintentionally challenged Luigi to a duel. He has made up the excuse of how Luigi has a reputation of a murderer, Tom having a disadvantage. Because of Tom's excuses, his uncle takes his place in the duel, saving both of their reputations.

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  17. Chapter 12

    Tom began to turn sick, and to show it. He turned his hat round and round in his hand, his uncle glowering blacker and blacker upon him as the heavy seconds drifted by; then at last he began to stammer, and said piteously:
    "Oh, please, don't ask me to do it, uncle! He is a murderous devil—I never could—I—I'm afraid of him!"

    "Tom" has unintentionally challenged Luigi to a duel. He has made up the excuse of how Luigi has a reputation of a murderer, Tom having a disadvantage. Because of Tom's excuses, his uncle takes his place in the duel, saving both of their reputations.

    P1-17

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  18. Chapter 17

    "Their popularity,so general at first, had suffered afterward; mainly because they had been TOO popular, and so a natural reaction had followed."

    The twins, after they lost the election against Judge Driscoll, had nothing to do with society anymore. They avoided people and spent most of their time in privacy, and only would come out at night when no one would be around.

    P2 - 24

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  19. Chapter 15

    "The people took more pride in the duel than all the other events put together...In their eyes the principals had reached the summit of human honor."

    This quote shows us that their reputation was very important to them. Dueling was a symbol of honor and the winner walked away with dignity and confidence. Loosing a duel would give you a bad and embarrassing reputation.
    P2-9

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  20. Ch.1
    Reputation was important for many people. York Driscoll was of Virginian descent, and made sure to live up to his name.
    "To be a gentlemen, a gentlemen without stain or blemish- was his only religion."
    He took his reputation very seriously, and made his name proud.
    P2-12

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  21. P7-22
    Conclusion- Reputation
    "The twins were heroes of romance, now, and with rehabilitated reputations. But they were weary of Western adventure, and straightway retired to Europe."

    This quote is showing that the twins were accused for many things in the past, but they had now made a comeback. They eventually got elected, and their reputations were restored in a positive manner.

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  22. Chapter 20

    "The weeks dragged along, no friend visiting the jailed twins but their counsel and Aunt Patsy..."

    This quote shows that the two twins were convicted of a crime they did not commit and it lowered their reputation to where no one would believe them or visit them. They were all alone in the prison with almost no one believing they were innocent.

    P7-10

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  23. Chapter 5

    "They read those playful trifles in the solidest earnest, and decided without hesitancy that if there had ever been any doubt that Dave Wilson was a pudd'nhead-which there hadn't-this revelation removed that doubt for good and all" (p. 24 of Pudd'nhead Wilson).

    Although this quote could possibly have many different meanings, the way I interpreted the quote was that although Dave Wilson was a very intelligent man, people continued to view him as a pudd'nhead because of the reputation that was formed about him at the beginning of the novel.

    P2-26

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