Pudd’Nhead Wilson Theme

A persistent issue throughout Puddnhead Wilson is genius versus nature. This covers the social issues of identity and reputation in a broader sense than man versus man. cross out Twain does not lean towards one side more than the other, however. Racial distinctions are a study topic discussed in this story. This contributes to the other themes of honor and betrayal.. Mark Twain was able to discuss many colonial themes in this story.I believe that one of the most persistent themes in Puddnhead Wilson is nature versus nature, quite than man versus man. This is because rather than focusing on how men interact with other men, Twain asks why they act a veritable way. What determines a persons identity? What do they inherit from their surrounding environments? Tension between nature and nurture is most clearly seen in the character of tom turkey Driscoll. Tom was airliftd as a rich, spoiled kid. He eventu altogethery grows to become a lazy, untrustworthy man.These characteristics w ere said to come from his inherited slave qualities, which shows how racial distinctions play a part in this theme. There is a beautiful, intelligent adult female in Puddnhead Wilson named Roxy, who appears to be white. However, due to a tiny fraction of her blood being black, she is condemned to a life of slavery. scarce she is incredibly clever and could be very successful. The racial classification is seen through the switching of babies.Roxys pamper is destined to a life of slavery while her masters son, Tom, is guaranteed fortune and luxury his full-page life. honour and betrayal is seen specifically when Tom gets himself into trouble with gambling debts. Roxy is willing to make a capacious sacrifice for her son. She offered to forfeit her freedom and to be sold back into slavery in order to raise enough money to pay off Toms debt. Twain portrays Roxy as an honorable woman by emphasizing on how she- a slave- is willing to sacrifice for Tom- a fortunate, dishonest man.She asks two things of him by making this sacrifice that she is sold up north and that he buys her back a year later. Tom expresses gratitude for his mother, but is quick to betray her. The theme of man versus man could not cover the complexity of the themes in Puddnhead Wilson. Nature versus nature is a major theme in the story. This includes racial distinctions and other social issues. Honor and betrayal is another theme revealed in Puddnhead Wilson. Twain did an excellent job at weaving all these themes together in this story.