A Ghost Story and The Esquimau Maiden's RomanceI thought "A Ghost Story" was really entertaining. It was unlike any other story we have read thus far by Mark Twain. It was a creepy story, but it kept my attention until the very end and then I proceeded to laugh because the scary spirit is the ghost of a hoax.
The short story is just another example of how Mark Twain pokes fun at little aspects of society. This short story is making fun of the media frenzy that surrounded the Cardiff Giant and how people will believe anything they hear. It also provides a critique of society's desire for sensationalism and shows that people seek outrageous entertainment.
I enjoyed "The Esquimau Maiden's Romance" for two reasons. The first is that Mark Twain was the narrator and secondly because it is a romantic story that shows Twain's soft side. It obviously describes different cultural views of what wealth is, but I believe that no matter the type of wealth it can easily lead to greed and materialism.
These were my favorite short stories we have read so far because they both showed a different side of Twain and were fun to read.
Hi Chelsie,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the good post (and also for your previous post on HF!). And thanks as well for your good work on the lead respondent presentation--plus the nice treats! I also think the stories are interesting, though I tend to like the Eskimo story a bit better. We did not get a chance to discuss either one in detail, but I think the Eskimo story raises some really interesting issues about the relativity--and contingency--of value, and how materialism ends up canceling out romance. but the Ghost story is interesting too. I like how MT was poking fun at gullibility, and a popular current hoax. dw
I feel like Twain used a lot of current events in his works as a way to allow the reader to fully understand what was going on in his head. By using current events, people can relate to what is being said much easier than having to explain something and then go about with the story. Personally, I enjoyed the ghost story more than the eskimo story. I am not sure why but I could see myself sitting down in the corner of that room watching as the booming is heard and the giant breaks a chair and what not. Without knowing the story, at first I did not like it as much but after learning about the hoax, I enjoyed the wit that came from Twain in telling this story and showing society that, as Mr. Williams said, they are extremely gullible.
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