Mark Twain's Life

Farris 5 Mark Twain, toward the end of his life, was characterized as ? . . . speaking candidly in his last years but still with a vitality and ironic detachment that kept his work from being merely the fulminations of an old and angry man.?1 Growing up around slavery, discrimination, and loss, Mark Twain was bombarded with negativity. His childhood foreshadowed the loss that surrounded his old age. Because of this negativity, he often criticized and questioned humanity. Despite this, Samuel Clemens adopted the pen name Mark Twain, and created very famous works that were comical and humorous, making him out to be a humorist. By the end of his life, Twain had lost everything, affecting his writings and humor. Because of the negative events
. . . reinforces one?s sense that in his last years he was often a fumbling artist, painfully uncertain of how to harness his genius.?12 Many of these works were never shared and were never intended to be shared during Twain?s lifetime. The few writings he did share were letters to family and close friends. He declared that some works could be published, but it would have to be long after his death. He delegated this on the ? . . . largely erroneous assumption that his true views would scandalize the public.?13 He saw his own views as audacious and thought the world would need ?five hundred years to catch up.?14 Along with his beliefs, public appearance and reputation were other major factors in the publishing of his later works. He feared that his reputation would be ruined forever,15 preventing him from even attempting to publish his works. Twain was known as a funnyman, a persona that limited what works he could and could not share with the world. This persona became ?something of a curse? to him,16 even though he created it himself. The public?s perception of his as ?a funnyman and nothing more? had frustrated him.17 During Twain?s later years, he had stopped trying to live up to the reputation and persona of a humorist and a funnyman. The change itself was not in writing styles, but in humor. This change was best characterized by the statement that ?it was not the indignation he
. . . he had been encouraged to think he was a writer whose opinions were widely respected.?20 In his later works, Twain began to write about religion. He expressed his own views, without filter. Writing became a coping mechanism, helping to absolve his anguish. Twain attacked certain religious aspects in an attempt to explain his loss and grief. Sloan commented that ?firing these paper bullets of the brain momentarily eased his leaden grief.?21 Twain?s frustration was said to have been ? . . . aggravated by the supposition that God, were he genially disposed, could eliminate all unhappiness, yet sadistically declines to do so.?22 Despite constantly critiquing God and religion, Twain never doubted the existence of God; he only doubted his methods. Because of the loss and sadness that he had experienced throughout his life, he became bitter and angry at his Creator. When speaking of praising God, Twain wrote ?my praise is that we have not two of him.?23 In the short story ?The Synod of Praise?, Twain?s beliefs can be summarized into a single paragraph, ?Blame. It is a word applicable to God only. Unrequested, he made man, and is responsible for all man?s words and deeds. The vote of a continent of Gods could not absolve him from his responsibility nor was him clean of the stain