& # 8220 ; The Man That Corrpted Hadleyburg & # 8221 ; Essay, Research Paper

Rod Hollimon

For the love of Money,

Peoples will steal from their brothers,

For the love of money,

Peoples will rob their ain female parents?

Peoples who don? Ts have money

Don? T let money alteration you?

& # 8211 ; The O? John jaies

After reading “ The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg, ” by Mark Twain, the ( above ) vocal “ For The Love of Money, ” by the R & A ; b singing group The O? Jays resounded fierily in my caput. The vocal? s ongoing message of the ailment affects money can hold on a individual about analogues that of Twain? s superb narrative of amour propre, greed, retaliation, and honestness, or should I state dishonesty. The narrative displays how much an full town is willing to abandon in order to obtain that which has been known to destruct households, callings, lives, and in this instance, the good name of an full town? money. Yes money? that antique immorality that causes work forces to rip off, lie, steal, and even kill to devour its imposter sense of security and power, is at the really root of the subject of the narrative, which is: when money is obtained through some evil act or dishonest title, there is no get awaying the moral penalty? even if the Acts of the Apostless or workss are unknown. Mark Twain, in my sentiment, does an first-class occupation in back uping the subject of the narrative by utilizing word picture to convey out the amour propre of the town of Hadleyburg, the revengefulness of the alien, every bit good as the greed and dishonesty of the people of Hadleyburg.

Though unconventional, it can be supported that Twain made the town of Hadleyburg a character in the narrative and equipped it with its ain set of defects and short approachs? the biggest being, dry as it may be, the amour propre that came as a consequence of the town being known as honest and incorruptible. We are foremost introduced to the fact that the town? s apparently good repute had, over the old ages, taken a bad affect on the attitude of the Town and the manner it treats its visitants in the 2nd paragraph of chapter one of the narrative. The transition that describes it best is as follows: “ Hadleyburg had the sick fortune to pique a passing alien? perchance without cognizing it, surely without caring, for Hadleyburg was sufficient unto itself, and cared non a blame for aliens or their sentiments. ” ( Perkins 372 ) Another illustration of Hadleyburg at its vainest comes at the beginning of chapter two when the intelligence of the gold poke of money reached the intelligence documents and made national headlines. “ Hadleyburg small town woke up world-celebrated? astonished? happy? vain. Vain beyond imaginativeness. ” ( Perkins 379 ) Although there are other legion illustrations that I can draw from to depict the character of Hadleyburg, none do more to represent its character than the undermentioned transition: “ ? this town? s honestness is every bit icky as mine is ; every bit rotten as yours. It is a average town, a difficult stingy town, and hasn? t a virtuousness in the universe but this honestness it is so famed for and so conceited about? ” ( Perkins 378 )

The following illustration of word picture used by Twain to back up the subject of the narrative comes through the character of the alien. Even though the talker of the narrative doesn? t reveal much about the alien, we know that he is a really of import character in the work chiefly because he sets up the corruptness secret plan of the narrative. We know small else about his character besides what we find out in the beginning of the narrative when the town offends him in some manner that, for what of all time ground, the writer chose to go forth out of the narrative. “ ? Hadleyburg had the ill-luck of piquing

a passing alien? it would hold been good to do an exclusion in this one? s instance, for he was a acrimonious adult male and vindictive. ” ( Perkins 372 ) While this transition lets us cognize that the alien is vindictive and acrimonious, it leaves us still with small else to travel on in footings of his character. We besides find out toward the terminal of the narrative that the alien, whose name might hold been Howard L. Stephenson, could hold been really affluent ; nevertheless, we ne’er truly happen out because the Richards ne’er hard currency the bank notes. Thus the alien, for the most portion, remains a cryptic figure who fuels the corruptness of hadleyburg.

More than the thirsty desire for retaliation of the alien, and the amour propre of the town of Hadleyburg, the existent ground for the corruptness of Hadleyburg lies in the greed and dishonesty of its citizens. Although a great bulk of the town? s citizens proves themselves dishonest, Mr. Richards seems to be one of the for-runners of the dishonest citizens nine. We find out really early in the narrative that he has been keeping onto a secret that, in maintaining it, meant non merely that he was dishonest for non squealing of his being guilty of some condemnable act, but besides meant that he allowed an guiltless adult male, an guiltless adult male of God to be exact, endure a enormous loss? one that meant the slandering of his good name every bit good as impermanent expatriate from the town? all for something Richards did himself. For an illustration of greed of the citizens of Hadleyburg, we must revisit our dishnest friend Richards, this clip joined with the editor-proprietor of the local paper, Cox. The first case of their greed came when they both met in the street to seek to halt the newspapers from being sent out. Even though they were unsuccessful in this effort, the fact that they were both willing to non state anyone else about the money and maintain it for themselves says that the both of them are avaricious every bit good as dishonest. Another illustration of dishonesty and greed would be the whole trial scene between Wilson and Billson. Wilson, holding seen Billson? s inability to talk, took advantage of the state of affairs by courting the crowd with a really luxuriant and rhetorical prevarication. “ ? for the presentation of my ain award I must talk? and with candor. I confess with shame? and I now beseech your forgiveness for it? that I said to the ruined alien all of the words contained in the test-remark, including the disparaging 15. ” ( Perkins 388 )

After carfully reading the narrative of and dissecting the characters in “ The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg, ” by Mark Twain, I was rather impressed with Mr. Twain? s clever ability to develop a quality short narrative that clearly uncovered the immoralities that the desire for money can do. In decision, Mark Twain efficaciously used word picture to thoroughly back up his cardinal subject, which is as follows: when money is obtained through some evil act or dishonest title, there is no get awaying the moral penalty? even if the Acts of the Apostless or workss are unknown.

Fishkin, Shelley F. Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg & A ; Other Stories & A ; Essays, Mark Twain The Oxford University Press ( 1900 ) :

Kent, Rasmussen, R. Mark Twain A to Z: The Essential Mention to His Life & A ;

Hagiographas, Oxford University Press, November 1996

LeMaster, J. R. / Wilson, James D. , erectile dysfunction. Mark Twain Encyclopedia

Garland Publishing, Incorporated, February 1993

Perkins, George ; Perkins, Barbara, erectile dysfunction. The American Tradition in Literature, 9th edition McGraw-Hill COLLEGE 1999

O? Jays, The Best of Old School, “ For The Love Of Money ”

AMW 1999