Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Identity in Mark Twain's Puddn'head Wilson
Identity is the characteristics by which a person or others perceive belonging or separation from others. What does this novel reveal about how people perceive their own individual identity? What does it reveal how people perceive the identity of others? What are the consequences of identity?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Chapter 9
ReplyDeleteRoxy reveals that "Tom" isn't related to Marse Driscoll and that he is actually her son, a nigger. (p48-49)
"Tom" loses a sense of identity after being told by Roxy that he isn't related to who he thought was his uncle. "Tom" who thought he was full white must of went into identity shock finding out that he was indeed a nigger.
P5-5
Chapter 7- Identity
ReplyDeleteThis chapter is when Pudd'nhead Wilson sees a mysterious girl in Tom Driscoll's bedroom. Which was actually Tom Driscoll dressed as girl. Wilson, However did not know this.
So this brings about an identity situation or a 'who, where, and why' situation. Why is that girl in his bedroom? Where did she come from? Who is that girl?
P5-15
Chapter 3 - Identity
ReplyDeleteIn this Chapter, Roxy switches her biological son, Chambers, with her master's son, Tom. Only one person in the town would notice the two children were switched. That person was Pudd'nhead Wilson. He took the fingerprints of the two children and switched them as well.
This creates an identity problem because the two children are being raised in the wrong places. A black man in a white position and a white man in a black position. The two children don't even know who they really are until later in the book.
P5-13
P5-14 Ch.6 "Ole Missus, de house of plum' jam full o' people, en jes a-spi'lin' to see de gen'lemen!" The twins didn't have very meny visitors in their small town. They had never had nobility and the twins said they were of Florentine Nobility.
ReplyDeleteChapter 7-8
ReplyDeleteIn this chapter, Pudd'nhead Wilson goes in Tom Driscoll's bedroom, planning to look for clues. When Wilson goes in Toms room, there is a girl inside of the room. Eventually, we find out that Tom was disguised as the girl to keep an eye on him.
P6-4
"A nigger! I am a nigger! Oh, I wish I was dead!" In this chapter Tom is contemplating this new and life changing fact behind his race. He feels guilty when he sees "Chambers" walk into his room saying breakfast was ready, because he knows the truth.
ReplyDeleteP1-16
Chapter 13
ReplyDelete"She's a stoop-shouldered old woman with a covered basket on her arm, in a black veil, dressed in mourning. I saw her going aboard the ferry about yesterday... "I reckon; but I don't care where she lives, I'm going to get her--she can make herself sure of that."
What this shows is that Wilson thought the woman was the one who stole the Indian dagger. He first assumed that because of her appearance.
P1-18
Ch.19 Identity
ReplyDelete"Tom" decides he is going to need a disguise in his plot to rob Judge Driscoll. So, he dresses himself in women's clothing in order to disguise his identity.
P1-21
Chpt. 3
ReplyDeleteShe stepped over and glanced at the other infant ; she flung a glance back at her own ; then one more at the heir of the house.... She seemed in a trance ; when she came out of it she muttered, " When I 'uz a-washin' 'em in de tub, yistiddy, his own pappy asked me which of 'em was his'n."
This is an identity conflict because Roxy had found barely any differences of the looks of baby Tom and Chambers. So she decided to switch them to protect her child. This has caused an identity mix-up throughout the story.
P1-13
Ch. 7
ReplyDelete"It was a young woman—a young woman where properly no young woman belonged; for she was in Judge Driscoll’s house, and in the bedroom over the judge’s private study or sitting room."
In this chapter we see a young women wandering in Tom Driscolls room. The young women was actually "Tom" in disguised. Wilson had happened to see her and kept an eye on her.
P1-15
Ch. 15
ReplyDeleteI
believe you fairly and justifiably claim to have a pretty good
reputation in that line, isn’t it so?”—which made Blake feel
good, and look it; but Tom added, “for a country detective”—
which made Blake feel the other way
This is showing that Constable Blake is a very capable detective. it also shows that "Tom" likes to make people feel bad. P1-8
Ch 6
ReplyDeleteP1-14
"My brother and I were ten years old, and well educated for that age, very studious, very fond of our books, and well grounded in the German, French, Spanish and English languages. Also, we were marvelous musical prodigies-- in you will allow me to say it, it being only the truth."
Here, Count Angelo basically tells Patsy Cooper his entire life story, they now have an identity. Before Patsy Cooper had asked about Angelo, he was just a stranger but now you know who he is because he has revealed his identity.
Chapter 9
ReplyDeleteIdentity is the topic of this chapter.
"En his name is Tom Driscoll, en yo's name's Valet de Chambers, en you ain't GOT no fambly name, beca'se niggers don't have em!" Pg.49
"Tom" believes that his identity was all a lie because he had never none or would've ever guessed that he was African American. He was afraid that his identity would be destroyed if anyone found out that he was African American. "Tom's" afraid that if anyone finds out who he really is he would be sent down the river.
P2-25
Chapter 1
ReplyDelete"If he ain't no pudd'nhead, I ain't no judge at all."
In this passage, it describes how David Wilson got his nickname for a period of 20 long years just because of a stupid comment. It definitely proves that anything that you say can and will be used against you.
P7-23
"...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."
ReplyDeleteNow in this passage, it shows the readers how unequal society was back then. Roxy wasn't very black at all, she didn't even look black, but the small part of her that was black overruled everything to that society.
P7-23
Identity in Mark Twain's Pudd'nhead Wilson
ReplyDeleteChapter 3
"She undressed Thomas 'a Becket, stripping him of everything, and put the tow-linen shirt on him. She put his coral necklace on her own child's neck. Then she placed the children side by side, and after earnest inspection she muttered: 'Now who would b'lieve clo'es could do de like o' dat? Dog my cats if it ain't all I kin do to tell t' other fum which, let alone his pappy.'"
This quote shows that Roxy switched her baby and Mr. Driscoll's baby's identity in an attempt to save her own child from being sold "down the river." Her plan is successful because nobody, not even Mr. Driscoll, notices the switch of identities throughout the story until Pudd'nhead Wilson does some research for his clients in later chapters. This act of Roxy’s caused some major problems, later in the story, for many people.
P7-24
Capter 7
ReplyDeleteIdentity
"who could she be, and how came she in young tome driscol's room?
when wilson was taking a stroll he spotted a woman that he had never seen in that town before. With a vail over her head, no matter how hard he tried to get good look but sadly for him. No luck.
Capter 7
ReplyDeleteIdentity
"who could she be, and how came she in young tome driscol's room?
when wilson was taking a stroll he spotted a woman that he had never seen in that town before. With a vail over her head, no matter how hard he tried to get good look but sadly for him. No luck.
P7`4
Chapter 3
ReplyDelete"When i takes de chillen out to git de air, de minute I's roun' de corner i's gwine to gaum dey mouths all roun' wid jam, den dey can't nobody notice dey's changed."
Roxy has a son named Chambers, and looks after Percy Driscoll's son Tom. She switches the babies identity, clothes, fingerprints, and even convinces Mr. Driscoll and the town that his son is still "Tom."
P7-2
Chapter 10
ReplyDeleteIdentity
"He had changed back to Roxy's dress, with the stoop of age added to his disguise, so that Wilson would not bother himself about a humble old women leaving".
Tom put on a disguise so no one would bother him or ask him what he is doing.
P7-5
Chapter 6
ReplyDeleteThe chapter was mostly about the arrival of Count Luigi and Count Angelo, Italian twins who had visited many places all over the world.
The identity of the twins struck curiosity into the townspeople because the town had never before hosted Italians. This is one of many possible examples in which people are treated differently based on their identity.
P2-26