Mark Twain the Writer
Life is full of firsts, a first step, a first car, and a first kiss. In Mark Twain’s essay “My First Literary Adventure” Twain humorously describes his supposed first experience with publishing a major piece of work. In his story Twain claims that at the age of thirteen he worked for his uncle who printed a newspaper in Hannibal Missouri. In the story Twain states that while his uncle was away he was once left in charge of publishing the newspaper and that in doing so he insulted several people. When the people who he had insulted came after Twain he tells us that they were unable to do anything on account of him being only a young child. He goes on to say that when his uncle discovered the trouble that Twain had caused his uncle was angry. The uncle’s anger did not last, however, when he found out that Twain had booked thirty-three new subscribers and had already had their subscription paid in the vegetables, which was the accepted form of payment. Based on his writing Mark Twain appears to be a humorous person who enjoys making people laugh at the ridiculous. A person can almost visualize Twain as an older man, perhaps smoking a pipe, reminiscing about his childhood and quietly laughing at his own stupidity. The overall impression Twain leaves is of someone that I would like to meet. If I were to meet Twain I would want to sit and listen to him tell funny stories of his days working on a riverboat. I would also love to hear Twain speak of his travels throughout Europe and the Holy Land and perhaps attend one of the many sessions that he performed while on his numerous speaking tours. Mark Twain is a marvelous and entertaining writer and a person I would have loved to meet.
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