e satirical, this hatred flourished in his novels. In A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, he uses Hank and King Arthur to show his hatred for slavery.
             Hank, the nineteenth century Yankee stuck in King Arthur's court, cannot stand the feudal class system of sixth century England. When traveling with King Arthur, he decides to dress like a common peasant to see what their lives were truly like, knowing full well he would see poverty and oppression. After hearing the plan of his companion, King Arthur feels he too should see the life of the common people in his kingdom. Once King Arthur
             "got his lubberly sandals on, and his long robe of coarse brown linen cloth, which hung straight from his neck to his anklebones, he was no longer the comeliest man in his kingdom, but one of the unhandsome and most commonplace and unattractive" (Twain Yankee 160).
             Unlike Hank, who understands how to act like a commoner, King Arthur made a fool of himself while trying to follow the ways of a peasant's everyday life. He does not understand how to act like a commoner and must take punishment for it. It is then that he realizes the folly of his ways.
             Although King Arthur does see his fault, he cannot see the solution and does not truly understand why it is such a problem. Twain wanted the American people to see their fault in slavery. He knew they were blind to the crimes they were committing and wanted them to be informed. Just as King Arthur could not see past the tradition of the feudal system in Europe, many American people could not see past the "peculiar institution" of slavery.
             Jim Smiley in "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" had an experience similar to King Arthur. He believes his frog can out jump any other frog in the county. To his dismay, someone feeds his frog too much food, making it impossible for his frog to jump quickly. Jim is completely blind to the s...