NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
Mark Twain s The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg is a story with a definite moral or lesson to be learned. The lessons in the story are presented to the reader as a parable, much like a parable of the Bible. Mark Twain s The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg is a modern parable similar to the stories and parables of the Bible. The similarities between the Bible and The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg began in the first paragraph of the story. it (Hadleyburg) began to teach the principles of honest dealing to its babies in the cradle, and made the like teachings the staple of their culture thenceforward through all the years devoted to their education (Twain 1307). The old testament Jews would teach their children their beliefs in God and the oral traditions, when the babies were still in their cradles.
They would know from very young their origins and beliefs. But, like the people of Hadleyburg the Jews early education did not stop them from going astray. There is a similarity between the trials and temptations of the townspeople and the trials and temptations of Job in the Bible. In the bible Job was a person who believed in God.
Satan tempted Job to curse God and he could have anything. Job refused and many bad things befell him. His wife died, he lost his home, money, friends, and even got boils, but he wouldn t curse God. Satan gave up on trying to tempt Job, and Job married again, and had more riches than before. Hadleyburg was put through a trial. They were tempted with money and fame, but unlike Job they gave in to temptation.
Mary Richards monologue sums up how the town did with their trial. Lead us not into... but-but-we are so poor, so poor! ... Lead us not into...
Ah, who would be hurt by it? -and no one would ever know... Lead us... (Twain 1311). An important comparison is between certain characters in The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg and the parable of The Good Samaritan in the Bible. A certain man went down from Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him and departed, leaving him half dead. (Luke 10: 30) The parable of the Good Samaritan is about a traveler who is beaten and robbed on a lonely road. A Pharisee passes by him and will not help him.
A priest passes by and doesn t help. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. (Luke 10: 33) Finally a Samaritan stops to care for the hurt man. Edward, Mary Richards and the rest of the town represent the Pharisees of the biblical parable. Pharisees were wise and respected people of the community, and were many times hypocrite. They were good upstanding citizens when the public was watching, but they would not help a poor, hurt and helpless man in trouble.
The townspeople hide their true feelings behind a mask. All faces bore a look of peaceful, holy happiness (Twain 1313). Edward tells Mary he had the opportunity to help the Rev. Mr. Burgess, but he didn t, for fear of having the townspeople look down on him and turn against him. It is a confession.
I am ashamed, but I will make it. I was the only Man who knew he was innocent. I could have saved him, and-and-well, you know how the town was weight up-I hadn t the pluck to do it. It would have turned everybody against me. (Twain 1310) Mary also shows Pharisee like behavior when she tells Edward that she wouldn t have helped him either.
I-I don t think it would have done for you to- to-One mustn ter-public opinion-one has to be so careful-so- (Twain 1310). She is more concerned the public s opinion than her husband s well being. The Good Samaritan in The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg is Barclay Goodson, and he is dead. He was the one person who would help a person in need.
As Edward Richards said, He could have done it, and it would have been like him, but there s not another in the town (Twain 1309). He was an outcast, shunned by the other townspeople, but being popular to the townspeople was not important to him. I reckon he was the best-hated man among us, (Twain 1310). A Samaritan was a hated person in old Israel. They were the descendants of Jews and another race. They were half Jewish and were not allowed to associate with other than Samaritans.
The Town of Hadleyburg s corruption can be compared to the biblical parable of the two houses. Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall. (Matt. 7: 24 - 27) The foolish man built his house on sand, while the wise man built his upon the rock. The one with the firm foundation was the only one to survive a storm. The Storm in The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg is a series of events.
The stranger comes to town with the mysterious bag. This is when the dark clouds start forming. When the rest of the town learns that a bag full of money is waiting for them to claim, the storm begins to build. The storm breaks during the townhall meeting when the 19 families are revealed as hypocrites. In her essay Martha M.
Park wrote, First, Hadleyburg is established as an honest, upright, incorruptible town. Second, its very foundation of seeming incorrupt ability becomes questionable and finally falls amid much excitement which is depicted in language suggesting a storm. The Richards dialogue gives shows similarities between hadleyburg and a house with a weak foundation. Mrs. Richards compares Hadleyburg foundation to a foundation of a house of cards. I do believe that if ever the day comes that its (Hadleyburg s) honesty falls under great temptation, its grand reputation will go to ruin like a house of cards. (Twain 1312) Mrs.
Richards later says But now- now that the foundations of things seem to be crumbling from under us, we-we Lead us not into temptation I think you made the right promise, Edward. Let it rest so. Let us keep away from that ground. (Twain 1314) The ground is sand, a foundation that crumbles, and the town can not keep away from it because it was built on it. Mark Twain showed the fallibility of man in The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg like a parable in the Bible would. The unjust are punished and the righteous, if there are any, are praised.
Mark Twain s The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg is a modern parable similar to the stories and parables of the Bible.
Free research essays on topics related to: curse god, corrupted hadleyburg, wise man, mark twain, foolish man
Research essay sample on Corrupted Hadleyburg Mark Twain
