A glimpse at Mark Twain’s autobiography

Reviewed by Milinda Rajasekera

Few autobiographies are so replete with interesting episodes, anecdotes and tragic events as that of Mark Twain’s - Samuel Langhorne Clemens -, the foremost American humorist of the nineteenth century - born in 1835 and died in 1910. Apart from the above features, the views he had expressed in his characteristic style, on a variety of subjects are so down-to-earth that they leave an indelible impression in the reader’s mind.

Let us begin with what he says about his autobiography itself. He states, “I intend that this autobiography shall become a model for all future autobiographies when it is published after my death and I also intend that it shall be read and admired a good many centuries because of its form and method - a form and method - here by the past and the present are constantly brought face to face, resulting in contrasts which newly fire up the interest all along like contact of flint with steel.

Moreover this Autobiography of mine does not select from my life its showy episodes, but deals merely in the common experiences which go to make up the life of the average human being and the narrative must interest the average human being because these episodes are of a sort which he is familiar with in his own life and in which he sees his own life reflected and set down in print.”

Mark Twain as a child was a sickly, tiresome and uncertain one who lived mainly on allopathic medicines during the first seven years of his life.

Later, recollecting this period of his life he asked his mother who was in her eighty-eighth year, “I suppose that during all that time you were uneasy about me?” “Yes, the whole time,” mother answered.

“Afraid I would not live,” inquired Mark Twin after a reflective pause - ostensibly to think out the facts - she said, “No, afraid you would.” It was not surprising that she answered in this manner, though in a humorous vain, because Mark Twain grew up to be a mischievous boy on his own admission. He relates how her mother upbraided others for not treating Satan fairly and how she once bravely saved a girl from her cruel farther. Mark Twain’s brother Henry was quite a contrast by nature and naturally they had many a quarrel together which required the mother’s intervention. Henry was a truthful and obedient boy who did not give much trouble to his mother. He is Sid in Mark Twain’s ‘Tom Sawyer’.

An incident in which Mark Twain had to suffer punishment for Henry’s mistake is described as follows: “Henry never stole sugar. He took it openly from the bowl. His mother knew he wouldn’t take sugar when she was not looking. But she had her doubts about me.” One day when she was not present Henry had taken sugar from the family heirloom, an old English sugar bowl, and in the process Henry broke the bowl. Mark Twain continues, “When my mother came in and saw the bowl lying on the floor in fragments, she was speechless for a minute. I allowed that silence; I judged it would increase the effect.

I was waiting for her to ask, ‘who did that?’ - so that I could fetch out my news. But it was an error of calculation. When she got through with her silence, she didn’t ask anything about it- she merely gave me a crack on the skull with her thimble that I felt all the way down to my holes.”

Mark Twain was fourteen years old when his sister invited all the marriageable young people of the village for a party. A small fairy play was arranged for the occasion and Mark Twain was asked to do the part of a bear in it. Deciding to practise for the role, he had gone into a room with another boy unaware that a dozen of young girls were also there to dress for their roles. He relates the embarrassment he suffered when he stripped to the skin and started practising. Mark Twain’s elder brother Orion Clemens who introduced the former to newspaper business had been an interesting character and his idiosyncrasies one of which was eagerness are described by Mark Twain.

He goes on to record an episode which proves Orion’s eagerness. “Orion was twenty-three or twenty-four and was a journeyman when he decided to give the family a pleasant surprise by visiting them unnotified. If notice had been given he would have been informed that the family had changed residence and that their family physician Dr.Meredit was living in the house they formerly occupied.

“The situation that awaited him was indeed a surprise to him: When he arrived at the house he went around to the back door and slipped off his booty’s and crept upstairs and arrived at the room (formerly his) of those old maids without having wakened any sleepers. He undressed in the dark and got into bed and snuggled up against somebody. He was a little surprised, but not much, for he thought it was our brother Ben.” It was not Ben but the old maid.

“The old maid that was being crowded squirmed and struggled and presently came to a half-waking condition and protested against the crowding. That voice paralyzed Orion. He couldn’t move a limb; he couldn’t get his breath; and the crowded one began to paw around, found Orion’s new whiskers and screamed ‘why, it’s a man’” What happened afterwards sent Orion out of the room and was confronted by Dr. Meredith.

At the age of Thirty-two Mark Twain was living with his friend and partner in the Newspaper Syndicate, William Swinton. Their financial position being unsound they had to face difficulties at times. One day a situation arose where three dollars had to be found before the close of the day. Swinton who had a strong faith in God was confident that the Lord would provide and he set out asking Mark Twain also to go out and try.

Mark Twain’s faith in God was not strong. Nevertheless be agreed to try and here he went in search of money. He had wondered around the streets for an hour, trying to think up some way to get that money, but nothing turned up. Mark twain in his inimitable style relates how he finally succeeded. He recounts how he sold for three dollars a dog that came to him while he was seated at a hotel and how he later helped the owner of the dog to recover it from the buyer charging three dollars for the trouble.

The following is another experience that Mark Twain had undergone as a lecturer: “Once I arrived late at a town and found no committee waiting and no sleighs on the stand. I struck up a street in the gay moonlight, found a tide of people flowing along, judged it was on its way to the lecture hall - a correct guess - and joined it. At the hall I tried to press in, but was stopped by the ticket- taker.

‘Ticket, Please’ “I bent over and whispered:’it’s all right. I am the lecturer,’ He closed one eye impressively and said, loud enough for all the crowd to hear; ‘No you don’t. Three of you have got in up to now but the next lecturer that goes in here tonight pays.’ “Of course, I paid; it was the least embarrassing way out of the trouble.” It is hoped that the foregoing would what the reader’s desire to read Mark Twain’s Autobiography where he will come across the other features mentioned in the opening paragraph.