Thursday, January 26, 2012
Post #2: Mark Twain; Scientist or God-fearing?
When first reading Mark Twain's "Letters from the Earth," I was overwhelmingly surprised. The previous works from Twain, such as "The Jumping Frog," had no hint of religion. In such works, Twain was more of a scientist, scrutinizing every detail and making sure to cite specific scientific and mathematical evidence. Yet at the same time, "Letters from the Earth" is no typical Christian tale, and Twain makes sure to stray from the usual theology we know. He shows a jealous God, which at the time was never considered. The populace was God fearing, but they did not usually give God such humanistic characteristics as jealousy. Parallel to this, Twain's Satan is friends with the angels Michael and Gabriel. Again we see Twain giving even angels humanistic traits, showing that it is not only the devil that can stray from the path of righteousness.
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Hey Bushra! I was surprised by this piece too -- pleasantly. I'm curious about Twain's religious beliefs and how he expressed or challenged them through his work. I may even write my paper on this topic, but we'll see.
ReplyDeleteI appreciated that you pointed out the non-traditional roles Twain wrote in "Letters from the Earth". I've only seen a few sympathetic representations of Satan before, so I found Twain's use of him as a protagonist particularly interesting. You have to wonder how many modern writers Twain inspired to question common interpretations of the Bible...
This piece was definitely different from anything else we've read by Twain. Even though the subject matter was so radically different, though, his personality was still apparent. He wasn't overly reverent and God-fearing like other people of the time, but instead saw religion as an opportunity for a new kind of story. I like that he expresses himself in different, creative ways and offers unique points of view. It's refreshing when so much of the literature of his time was so serious and dense.
ReplyDeleteTwain gives a new meaning to the term "jealous God," too, and not a positive one as it is in the Bible.
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