Eastern Illinois University The Keep Masters Theses Student Theses & Publications 1979 From Selflessness to Selfishness: Various Types of Deception in Four of Twain's Novels Kay L. Smith Eastern Illinois University This research is a product of the graduate program in English at Eastern Illinois University. Find out more about the program. Recommended Citation Smith, Kay L., "From Selflessness to Selfishness: Various Types of Deception in Four of Twain's Novels" (1979). Masters Theses. 3171. https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/3171 This is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Theses & Publications at The Keep. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of The Keep. For more information, please contact [email protected]. PAPJ<:R CERTIFICATE #2 TO: Gradua.te Degree Candidates who have written formal theses. SUBJECT: Permission to reproduce theses. 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Smith - - THESIS SUBMITIED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF Ma ster of Arts in English IN THE GRADUATE SCHOOL, EASTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY CHARLESTON, ILLINOIS 1979 YEAR I HEREBY RECOMMEND THIS THESIS BE ACCEPTED AS FULFILLING THIS PART OF THE GRADUATE DEGREE CITED ABOVE ADVISER DEIARit'Ml'lT HBIU> From Selflessness to Selfishness : Various Types of Deception in Four of Twain 's Novels Thes is Abstract An interes�ing feature of �ark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper, The Ad ventures of Huckleberry Finn , A Connecticut Yan­ . kee in King Arthur 's Court , and Th e Tragedy of Pudd 'nhead 1,·/ilson is the use of disguise and deception. The basis of much of the novels' act ions concerns people who , for varied reasons , set out to fool other people. Other individuals or groups of people 2re self-deceived . Mot ivations for the decept ion vary. Some ent2il selfl ess concerns of protecting a loved one. Some illustrate des ires to maintain one 's own safety and wel l-being. Still others in­ volve negative , base qualities such as greed , lust for power or glory , revenge, or a false sense of tradit ion. In Tw ain's earl iest novel , The Prince and the Pauoer, the main deception occurs when two boys , curious about each other's lifestyles and desirous to be rid of their seemingly confining existences , change places . Though neither c�n completely ad­ just to his new mode of life, because of the reversal-deception the prince becomes initiated into the injust ices thrust upon the poor. So when he is reinstated as royalty, he demonstrates a humane kindness to such unfortun�te victims. The pauper lea rns of the burdens of power. Thus , the deception serves to enlighten :!8l!.:]8<) the participants and render them more cApable of understanding their fellow men. Other decept ions in the novel include a greed-based one · perpetrated by Hugh Hendon and a self-preser­ vative one, deal ing with thieves forced to wear foreign garments so . they will not be detected and impri·soned for their poverty. In Huckleberry Finn deceit can be seen in Huck , who wears various disguises 2nd dons different names in order to protect either himself or Jim. Decept ion is depicted in the pseudo­ royal duke and king , who swindle townsfolk and ultimately sell the black man for forty dollars. A striking deception is dis­ played by the Grangerfords 2nd Shepherdsons. The ir outward gentility masks an inner corruption and brutality based on an irrational be1ief in trad ition.· Huck 's companion, Tom Sawyer , exemplifies a .person self-deceived. His unfeeling attitude toward Jim , whose life he playful ly puts in danger, comes from a glory-seeking mind which can no longer distinguish fact from fiction. In A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur 's Court Hank Mor­ gan 's personal ity contains a mixture of deceptions. First he prevaricates and produces the eclipse "miracle" in order to preserve his own life. As time passes , he. becomes more inter­ ested in maintaining the deception of being "Boss" in order to heighten his power. Ultimately in conceiving that his nineteenth­ century technology will overrule the Arthurians ' superstitions , he is self-deceived. Other deceptions in the work include the facade of the knights in shining armor and Arthur 's wearing of peasant attire. In the latter the king , unlike the prince and the pauper, seems relatively unaffected by the plight of the poor. In the last novel examined , Pudd 'nhead Wilson , there is a reversal in identities between Tom Driscoll and Valet de Chambre. But unlike the switch in The Prince and the Pauper, this reversal is long-termed and is done without the knowledge of the ones involved . No insightful awareness or und erstand ing comes as a result of the revelation of the two young men 's true identities. Rather, a totally negative sense of injustice reigns. Roxy, the instigator of the deception , acts mainly out of selfless motives but is finally self-deceived nonetheless. Her son employs various disguises to hide his greed. Like the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons , the townsfolk of Dawson 's Landing wear a giant mask of respectability under which lurks corruption. Pudd 'nhead Wilson must suffer from the denizens ' plac ing of a "disguise" upon him as the town dunce. But unfor- tunately he lives up to the rol e. In the first three novels there seems to be some wee small cry of hope for man to escape from the negative dis- guises 2nd deceptions which surround him. In the last novel , however, no candle lights the way to human und erstand ing and sympathy. Kay L. Smith Engl ish Department August 3, 1979 Table of Contents • • • • • • • 1 Introduction • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Chapter I. Decept ion in The Prince and the PauEer • • • • • • • 12 II. Decept ion in The Ad ventures of Huckleberry Finn • • 27 III. Deception in A Connecticut Yankee in ' King Arthur s Court • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 41 IV. Deception in The Tragedy of Pudd 'nhead Wilson • • • 53 Conclusion • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 73 Bibliography • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 77 From Selflessness to Selfishness : Various Types of Deception in Four of Twain's Novels Introduction An interesting feature of Mark Twain's The Prince and � Pauper, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, A Connecticut Yankee 1n King Arthur's Court, and The Trage dy of Pudd 'nhead Wilson is the use of disguise and deception. The basis of much of the novels' actions concerns people who, for varied reasons, set out to fool other people. Some of the deceit takes on the form of pretended identities in which the deceiver acts and/or dresses the role of someone he is not. In The Prince and the Pauper two boys, curious about each other's lifestyles and desirous to be rid of their confining exis­ tences, change clothing and before they know it are whisked into worlds of which they are totally unaccustomed. Neither is aware of what far-reaching consequences their transaction will bring. Though neither can completely adjust to his new mode of life, the prince becomes initiated into the injustices thrust upon the poor and when reinstated as royalty, he demon­ strates a humane kindness to such unfortunate victims. The pauper, though he enjoys being waited upon, dislikes the "more 1 formidable requirements of his royal office11 and sees no 2 significance to the Royal Seal other than its use as a tool with which to crack nuts. �oth boys end up attesting to their true identities and are rel ieved to rel inquish their pre- tended ones . A similar reversal of characters ' lifestyles occurs in Pudd 'nhead Wilson with a different twist. In this novel the two children , Tom Driscoll and Valet de Chambre , are purposely switched by Roxana , the nurse, when the youngsters are infants too young to be aware of the consequences of the act. The difference between this deception and that instigated by the prince and the paupe� is that the babies have no way of knowing about Roxy 's deception and thus grow up bel ieving they are of the social class Roxy pretends they are. Her motivation has little to do with curiosity or boredom but rather is based upon a motherly instinct to save the one she loves. Having 2 been threatened with being "sold down the river ,11 she is willing to do anything to keep her child from this awful fate. So, this primary desire to protect her child coupled with a sense of the injustice of one infant 's receiving all of life's advantages just because he is white and wealthy, Roxy places the false identities upon the children. Little does she know that her own son , who will be given all the advantages accorded to one of the upper class, will ultimately murder his "uncle" and betray his mother. The prince and the pauper 's disguises are temporary and short lived. However, the disguises of the two boys in the 3 second novel are almost permanent and long l �ved.