Pudd'nhead Wilson
The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson juggles three plot lines, which all come together in a murder trial at the novel's end. Pudd'nhead Wilson is a Northerner who comes to the small Missouri town of Dawson's Landing to build a career as a lawyer. Immediately upon his arrival he alienates the townspeople, who don't understand his wit. They give him the nickname "Pudd'nhead" and refuse to give him their legal work. He scrapes by on odd work and spends most of his time dabbling in scientific hobbies, most notably, fingerprinting.
Roxana, or Roxy, is a beautiful slave who can pass for white, though she is one- sixteenth black. To save her infant son from ever being sold away from her, she switches him with the child of her white master, who looks just like her son and was born on the same day. Her son Chambers, now called "Tom" grows up as a white man and heir to an estate. Her master's child Tom, now called " Chambers", grows up a slave. "Tom" grows into a cruel,......
Join Now or Login to view the rest of this paper.
Approximate Word Count: 828
Approximate Pages: 4 (260 words per double-spaced page) |