Interview with Mark Twain

By: Maya Kuntz

Hello Mr. Twain, first let me start off by saying it is an absolute pleasure to be talking to you this afternoon. Thank you for taking the time out of your day for this interview. Let us get started, shall we?

Q: What was life like for you in your hometown during your lifetime?

A: I was born in Kansas, Missouri in 1835. Kansas is an extremely small town of only 1000 residents and was actually established just 2 years before my birth. Missouri as a whole was going through some major changes in this era. For instance, in 1836 the Native Americans that inhabited the eastern part of Missouri were forced to give up their land and their reserve became new territory for the Missouri government. Missouri was not a welcoming place to be for immigrants or negroes, much like the rest of the United States, but in the1840’s German immigrants began to flee to Missouri for better work and were met with an unpleasant surprise.

The only work they were offered was in St. Louis, which was completely industrialized. Industrialization, such as the introduction of railroads in Missouri, and the United States, had destroyed river towns, much like that of my hometown. Missouri was also strongly republican and very pro-slavery at this point in history which clashed immensely with my views. There was only one senator by the name of Thomas Hart Benson who opposed the idea of slavery and he had my vote for sure. 

Q: What events in your childhood led you to a career in the arts, writing specifically?

A: Well, to be completely honest with you I wanted to become a steamboat pilot before I wanted to be a writer. My family moved to Hannibal, Missouri when I was very young, which is the setting for my book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. My father passed away when I was twelve and sent the family into a frenzy. I was part of a family of 6 and every single one of us had to buckle down and get a job by the time we were of working age. My first job was at a printing press when I was 16 years old. Eventually I even moved up the east coast to become a freelance printer but when nothing became of it I came back down to Hannibal to start a two-year apprenticeship to become a steamboat pilot.

While I was working at a steamboat pilot I came across all these new people and they would tell me their stories and all these amazing experiences that they had. I found myself rather inspired by these stories and it was a major reason I started to consider writing. Now, I was making really good money as a steamboat captain and I even convinced my younger brother to join in on the business, which is my greatest regret. My brother’s steamboat exploded and sent him into the waters and he died a mere 3 days later. I refused to continue on as a pilot any longer and was in desperate need of a job.
(Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.)

Q: What role did mentors have in your decision to become a writer?

A: My mother was always inspiring to me because she had to deal with my father when he was alive. My father was never seen with a smile on his face and he was in constant worry about our financial situation. This caused my father to be rather tempermental and not affectionate at all, to my mother or his children. He was definitely the inspiration for the terrible father in my book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. When my father passed away my mother had to take care of us on her own, which meant not only financially, but keeping dinner on the table and the house clean. She was such an incredible person.

As I said before I was very much inspired by the people I met on my steamboat. Many people came to me and could tell that I was fascinated by the whole experience. I used a lot of these stories and incorporated them into my work later on. Other than my parents and these stories I never really had role models to show me where to go. 

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Q: What was the world of writing like when you came into it for the first time?

A: During this time period writing became more controversial and more intense. People began to write about real issues and topics that represented ordinary life and shunned the artificiality of civilization. More writers began to touch on subjects such as violence, alcoholism, and even prostitution. This was controversial because the world was used to people romanticizing life and romance and this change was almost too raw for the average reader.

Another famous writer in this time period was a man by the name of Emile Zola. He is famous for his series called, “Les Rougon Macquart” which really touched on the topics of violence, alcoholism, and prostitution. In my writing I did touch on hard topics such as alcoholism but I was also able to talk about race in a very progressive way. People were critical on my beliefs as well as my choice to write about it. I was told on many occasions to write a book with more socially acceptable topics.

Q: How did the major cultural, economic and political situations impact your writing?

A: My writing is largely impacted by social and political situations. I was influenced by education, civil rights, labor, nationalism, imperialism, and race related issues. I was inspired to write about these issues because they were difficult for people to understand and people weren’t always making an effort to educate people or change their ways in these situations.

My work reflects a lot of issues in a very subtle way. I am known for my humorous approach on important topics because it goes over better to the readers. I wrote a lot about alcoholism because my father destroyed my family with his drinking and it is a rampid issue in the United States that is frankly overlooked. This was also a time when slavery still existed and I wasn’t for slavery and my views were looked down upon in society but I wrote about it and hoped that people would understand the sickness of our culture. 

Q: What were your major writing accomplishments and methods that you used in your work?

A: Well as I said earlier on, I use a lot of humor in my work to get my point across. This is also known as satirical humor. Not only am I famous for that, but I am also well known for my excellent and frequent use of different dialects. I find that my skill in deciphering accents and tones of people’s voice is what captured a fair amount of my audience. My characters also tend to have very strong personalities, which goes along with the satirical humor. I wanted to show people why some views were absolutely ridiculous and I decided to make my point humoristic.

My most famous works would have to be The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Adventures of Tom Sawyer. I have some other famous works as well. My very first piece of writing was a short story that was published in the New York Saturday Press. The story was called “Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog”. This piece actually launched my career and set me up in the writing business. 

Q: What key opportunities were handed to you that led to a turning point in your life and in your art?

A: Well once again I was lucky to have had worked at a printing press as my first job. I am also rather lucky to have worked on the steamboat because I was surrounded by all of those inspirational people to impact my work. When I no longer worked as a steamboat pilot I moved away from Hannibal and began working for the Virginia City Daily Territorial Enterprise. That led to my first short story being published in the paper.

I also tried out a career in mining but when that job proved to be miserable I went to California and settled in San Francisco to work as an editor. I was sent to Hawaii for a few months to study the area. Which led me to my first lecture, and it was a complete success. The lecture opened me up to many new writing careers due to my popularity with the public.

Q: What roadblocks or hardships did you have to overcome in order to become the artist you want to be?

A: Well before my career really started off my brother died in a steamboat accident, which completely changed my life. I always said that his death made me older than my years. By the middle of my career a few friends and I started a publishing agency, which didn’t do very well at all. In fact we were put into debt because our agency failed from the get go.

Later on into my writing career I got married and had a daughter. This kept my career going because I needed to support my family. My daughter passed away in 1898 and I was honestly too distraught to continue writing. Her death marked the end of my major writing career.

Q: What personal stories best illustrate how you became successful in your writing career?

A: Well I think that my childhood contained many great stories that helped me become successful in my writing career. I came from a very poor family and I grew up with an abusive father. Even though I did have those hardships I was also able to run around with my friends and have a childhood up until my father died and I had to go to work. After all, my book is based off of my childhood and my hometown.

I also think that my progressive view on society helped me to write more relatable books. I was also very lucky to have had worked on a steamboat because I met so many people and I was able to take their stories and write them out in the same diction and tone that they spoke.

Q: How would you say your work has impacted the world of literature?

A: I was able to add a new style of writing into the world. Not many people were able to write in different dictions and tones. I was also able to successfully use satirical humor into my writing. Many of the comedic writers in my time have been long forgotten because their humor didn’t touch on important social and economic issues.

I was also able to touch on the topic of race in a way that was unheard of for my time. Slavery was a very prominent social issue and I was able to get people to root for a black character in my writing due to satirical humor and my progressive outlook. I believe my work set a turning point in the field of literature in the 19^th century.

Sources

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2.     Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.

3.     Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.

4.     Shmoop Editorial Team. "Mark Twain: Childhood." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.

5.     "Literature in the 1880's." Literature in the 1880's. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.

6.     "Periodical Literature." The Catholic Historical Review 77.4 (1991): 742-53. Web.

7.     "The Women's Institute of Houstion." The Womens Institute of Houston. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.

8.     "What Elements Are Unique to Mark Twain's Style? How Could You Identify a Passage as Mark Twain If It Were... - Homework Help - ENotes.com." Enotes.com. Enotes.com, n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.

9.     Shmoop Editorial Team. "Mark Twain Timeline of Important Dates." Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.

10.  Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.

11.  "Why Mark Twain Still Matters." NPR. NPR, n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.