stranger
In "The Mysterious Stranger" Mark Twain portrays a society so dependent on outside sources for guidance that the majority of Eseldorf's citizens do not have independent thought. This reliance is what eventually ruins many of the resident's lives and Satan merely serves to elucidate their foolish behavior. Though it is a much more modern time and setting, "The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg," is the same idea in a more modern time and setting. The inhabitants of Hadleyburg are not without corruption, simply temptation and the stranger's scheme only function to induce the true nature of the town. Awareness breeds independent thought, and without knowledge it is very difficult to have awareness. The citizens are forced into ignorance because, knowledge "was not good for the common people, and could make them discontented with the lot which God had appointed for them, and God would not endure discontentment with His plans."(279) They are taught to be followers of God and all that s!ymbolizes Him and His power which leads to the importance they place on the idea of Moral Se
The town of Hadleyburg is a modern version of Eseldorf in many aspects. The parallels between these stories demonstrate that the appearance of society may change over time but !its basic features do not. It was considered by outsiders the "most honest and upright town in all the region around about," but only superficially. Residents of Hadleyburg believe they are ideal but when faced with a new, appealing source of happiness qualities like stinginess, and greediness surface. "(241) Everyone wants the money but no one has the right to claim it until the Nineteener's receive a letter containing the remark that will guarantee them the gold. However each letter contains the same remark and cons!equently the "wretched Nineteen" are revealed by an elaborately false scheme by a bitter stranger to be fraud. The people of Hadleyburg possess the same weaknesses as the citizens of Eseldorf and though the particulars of each story is different, what they reveal about human nature is the same. Moral Sense is "the faculty which enables us to distinguish good from evil," however Eseldorf's citizens only know what is religiously virtuous so this is how they define Moral Sense. The idea that human nature is incorruptible is an impossible one because society is not perfect and temptation is always present. The man that corrupted Hadleyburg is blameless except for the invention of the temptation. If knowledge is withheld from society, people will live in ignorance doing only what they know, and ultimately creating a cycle which, if not stopped, will spread. It is only through people like Satan and the stranger that the truth is revealed and the cycle can be broken. He charges them to find the towns-person who did him a great service while he was in Hadleyburg and deliver the money to him. By interacting with different citizens like Marget, Ursula and the boys he unearths numerous facets of human weakness like, "foolish little feelings and foolish little vanities and impertinences and ambitions. This money represents the first temptation the town has had to face and tests the citizens' true nature.
Common topics in this essay:
Sense Satan,
Residents Hadleyburg,
Corrupted Hadleyburg,
Moral Sense,
Mark Twain,
Marget Ursula,
moral sense,
modern setting,
satan stranger,
corrupted hadleyburg,
human nature,
eseldorf's citizens,
foolish little,
true nature,
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Acceptance Essays
