"The Gilded Age, Part 1" by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner is a sharp commentary on late 19th-century American society, revealing the pitfalls of chasing wealth during a time of rapid change. The novel takes place after the Civil War and uses wit to poke fun at the era's obsession with getting rich, exposing the dark sides of ambition and corrupt politics. Squire Hawkins, a small-town postmaster stuck in a cycle of poverty, represents everyday people caught up in these grand dreams, yearning for a better life through land speculation in Missouri. As Hawkins dreams of wealth, the scene shifts when he shows kindness by looking after an orphaned boy, revealing the compassionate side of people struggling to survive. The author paints a picture of a society filled with hope mixed with delusion, as people chase the American Dream amidst the rough realities of the time.
The Gilded Age, Part 1.
By Mark Twain
Amidst post-Civil War corruption, a small town postmaster sees an opportunity to get rich quick, unaware of the moral pitfalls that await him and an orphaned boy he takes in.
Summary
About the AuthorSamuel Langhorne Clemens, known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Faulkner calling him "the father of American literature." Twain's novels include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), with the latter often called the "Great American Novel." He also wrote A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) and Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894) and cowrote The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873) with Charles Dudley Warner.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Faulkner calling him "the father of American literature." Twain's novels include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), with the latter often called the "Great American Novel." He also wrote A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) and Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894) and cowrote The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873) with Charles Dudley Warner.
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