This Essay is for an English 450 Class and my paper is on Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain. Please Check for grammatical/structural errors and insert any suggestions you have if anyone has a chance! Thank you in advance!!!
Pudd’nhead Wilson begins its plot with the switch of two babies, Thomas Driscoll (“Chambers”) and Valet de Chambre (“Tom”) by Roxana (Roxy), to ensure that her son Valet de Chambre is not sold down the river. What she is unaware of is that the switch she has made will take a turn for the worst and by examining the passage I provided, there is clear evidence to explain where this turn specifically happens. But what is more important to understand is why Tom and Chambers are developing into these two different people. Further, I believe that the character development of both Tom and Chambers is not a direct result from their switch at birth but due to the environment that they have each been brought up in which is evident in the passage given. This is an important element of the book largely contributing to the plot and could even be considered a theme to the book.
Focusing on the two characters development in the book, we initially see that from the moment of the switch and on that Tom is spoiled and Chambers thereafter is treated as a slave. This can arguably be seen as just a result of the switch; however, the development goes much deeper than that. This deeper character development can be seen by removing racial tags from both Chambers and Tom and looking at the pure heart of character that both have. We then see early on that Tom develops into a snobbish boy who complains and fusses until he gets his way, and in addition, uses Chambers as his personal bodyguard. Chambers on the other hand grows up the complete opposite of Tom. He is very kind and humble and cherishes life as a whole. This contrast is clear early on when:
Chambers believed his master was in earnest, therefore he swam out, and arrived in time, unfortunately, and saved his life. This was the last feather. Tom had managed to endure everything else, but to have to remain publicly and permanently under such an obligation as this to a ***, and to this *** of all niggers—this was too much. He heaped insults upon Chambers for “pretending” to think he was in earnest in calling for help, and said that anybody but a blockheaded *** would have known he was funning and left him alone. [P.21-22]
So, Chambers goes into the water, risking his own life, to save a selfish ungrateful Tom, but is then insulted at the mere fact he thought he was in danger, which shows this clear contrast between characters. The reaction of Tom toward Chambers can be seen as a defensive measure to prevent public humiliation to Tom because Chambers is black, but this only secures humiliation and hate from peers towards Tom when his enemies were present and laughed at him for being cowardly and a liar toward Chambers and everyone else present. This situation shows that the development that Tom has undergone is not due to his switch at birth but because of the environment he has created and surrounded himself with, taking life for granted (a key difference in Tom and Chambers characters), and upsetting all the other white boys witnessing this scene enough to encourage them all to make fun of Tom, not Chambers, right to his breaking point.
At this point, Tom, who explains how he hates Chambers and being under an obligation to this “***”, calls for his help yet again, and to my astonishment as a reader, Chambers is willing to fight, but explains there are too many people against him, begging Tom to not make him fight anyone (p.22). “Tom sprang at him and drove his pocket-knife into him two or three times before the boys could snatch him away and give the wounded lad a chance to escape. He was considerably hurt, but not seriously. If the blade had been a little longer his career would have ended there” (p.22). This act by Tom really displays his take on life, taking it for granted, which he carries strongly with him throughout the rest of the book, and Chambers humbleness, kindness, and willingness to help Tom are traits that he carries throughout the rest of the book as well. However, these developments of each boy’s character were not predisposed to them at birth rather developed through the environments that each was brought up in. Also, a key difference in their characters is shown very clearly here, Chambers, trying to save Tom’s life, cherishes life, and Tom, trying to stab Chambers, takes life for granted, showing us that the development of the two, although arguable, is more influenced from their environment than from their switch at birth (p.22). If their development was strongly influenced at birth, then theoretically speaking, Tom would develop into an educated, wealthy, and happy man, where Chambers on the other hand would end up being unhappy, uneducated, and a slave, quite possibly being sold down the river.
Although Chambers does remain a slave for the remainder of the book, trying to satisfy white people’s needs to the best of his ability, he also remains relatively happy, carrying all his childhood traits of kindness, and humbleness along with him throughout the rest of the book, cherishing life for what it is. However, Tom, whom I see as taking life for granted, falls into a downward spiral, carrying all his negative qualities he developed in his childhood environment with him into adulthood which resulted in him gambling, carrying debt, wasting an education, and never becoming successful or wealthy until he murders his uncle, Judge Driscoll, whom adopts Tom, cares for him, and even pays for his gambling debts. These results of each character, Tom and Chambers, have been determined due to their environment during their upbringing, not their birth, and what Roxy tries to prevent from happening, Tom being sold down the river, ironically happens at the end of the book due to Tom’s choices he made throughout his life, not because of the identity he was tagged with at birth.