It doesn’t tie into the ending all that much, but I feel
like we’re understating just how much of a drama-hog Hank is in the book, from
his spectacle with the eclipse to the Valley of Holiness to his insistence on preserving
his reputation as top magician.
In earlier blog posts and in class, we discussed Hank’s
spotty morality, mostly as it ties into Mark Twain’s parable for American Exceptionalism.
But we didn’t do much on Hank as a character, and despite the story’s satirical
tone, I think there’s a lot of depth there to be explored.
First and foremost, obviously, is Hank’s shameless addiction
to putting on a show. It makes him a delightful storyteller, and the things he
does are entertaining. But it’s also unsettling at times. You see how much the
good things he does are rooted in his desire for a good story; think how, after
he released Morgan’s prisoners, all he could think about was their reactions,
(especially with the couple that had been separated) and he kept wishing he could
photograph them.
Then you can see the petty things he does for the sake of
his reputation, such as upstaging the ‘magician’ that could tell what royals
were doing at a given time, or toying with Merlin.
For me, the most unnerving instance was when he and the
king, dressed as peasants, lavished wealth and prosperity on Marco and his
wife. Charity is generally a good thing, but this giving is all in the context
of showing off; giving someone dirt-poor a massive overhaul of gifts that
absolutely must provoke a reaction. The way Hank thrives on those
reactions, it’s like the peasants have become a reflection of Hank’s power in
his mind, instead of living, breathing people. Hank has become a benevolent
god.
Now to leave the realm of close-reading and skydive into pure
speculation, does Hank remind you of anyone?
Everything I’ve heard about Mark Twain puts him squarely in
the drama-hog category. He was a born storyteller. He exaggerated his birth and
made jokes about his death. He played up his false modesty with his claims that
he wasn’t planning to publish one of his books, etc.
That category of Hank could be Twain poking fun at his own dramatic
tendencies. With his candid description of characters who must have a good
story, Twain parodies himself.
Besides for Twain’s personality, there’s a particular tyranny
in authorship that Twain could be highlighting. As the writer, you shape your
characters, get into their minds, and decide their fates. It’s a curious
dichotomy of feeling for the character as a person, and playing with him like a
ruler. After all, Twain has the ultimate say over everything that goes on in
Hank’s world, from start to finish. Recognizing his fantastical power over his creations,
Twain may be allowing Hank that same feeling of power, only to subvert it with Hank’s
ultimate failure.
I really like your point about how Hank is an attention hog. It also made me think about modern America (and perhaps America in Twain's time as well), and our habit of forcing ourself into every other country's politics and issues, making the US the front page always. If we say that Hank was representing the best of America, against the negative view of Britain, we also see Hank representing the focus on fame that America has as well.
ReplyDeleteI really like your point about how Hank is an attention hog. It also made me think about modern America (and perhaps America in Twain's time as well), and our habit of forcing ourselves into every other country's politics and issues, making the US the front page always. If we say that Hank was representing the best of America, against the negative view of Britain, we also see Hank representing the focus on fame that America has as well.
If we think about it, we know America loves giving big gifts to countries who need support, or encouraging "backwards countries" too let their political prisoners go free while imprisoning their own (like Hank freeing prisoners while killing the musicians)
So while Hank is the perfect American Yankee, he also personifies America in this way, pushing for things that make him look good, whether they are good or not.
Very interesting take on the character of Hank; I especially like how you propose that Twain intertwined himself into his own novel. I think it is a great observation! It makes me like Twain himself as a personality even better as it lends itself to agree with a suggestion that Twain had a fantastic sense of humor. Additionally, when a person is able to include himself in with the criticism of others, people are more likely to listen to the sarcastic rebuke, as they feel it is not directed entirely at them but rather inclusive of all, even the scolder himself. If this is the case, and Twain meant for his novel to convey this message, then, as my math teacher from high school says, “I bow to his brilliance.”
ReplyDeleteThe statements made here (on this blog) about America are valid points of argument and perhaps Twain was hinting towards the tendency of Americans to try and incorporate “America” into every bit of world news possible. Yet, simultaneously, a lot of the works and issues America does engage in are for the better of mankind, as Edmund Burke, a well known political thinker and philosopher said “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” (http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/e/edmundburk377528.html). So yes, indeed it may be that Hank personifies America in this way, but maybe this inclination can be a positive quality of Americans rather than a negative flaw. For if America did not involve itself in the rest of the world’s business, (regardless of the reason for why) I do believe we may be much worse of, as in the occurrences of World War II—if only America had felt a need to become involved earlier and prevent some of the deaths in concentration camps and the like.
Interesting point Riva! You’re right, Hank is very focused on his presentation, always putting in extra effort to give an impressive show. Specifically I’m thinking of how he destroyed Merlin’s tower and fixed the Holy Fountain. However saying that the sole purpose of his showmanship is to satisfy his need for drama detracts from his status as a practical Yankee, something he prides himself in and takes great pains to underscore. Maybe he does really love to prompt reactions from people, but all the flashiness has a practical purpose— it cements his professional reputation as the local wizard and gives him power and prestige. Without his displays, he would be no more worthy of notice than any other commoner in the country. His lack of aristocratic origins already place his irretrievably lower in the court hierarchy, and the only thing saving his hide is his grandiose displays of power.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, his penchant for a good show and his practical need for displays of power aren’t mutually exclusive. He could very well be enjoying it, even if he feels it’s a necessary thing to do. Rather than being unnerving, I would think his enjoyment of reactions is one of the few human traits he shows, along with his “base hankering for being first president.”
Thanks. :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's true that his actions, besides for being in the name of showmanship, maintain a deep base of reason, or pragmatism. But rather than seeing his reason as a justification for his showmanship, I saw his 'pragmatism' as being rather undercut by his showmanship. His so-called reason, the justification for many of his actions, cruel and kind, was fallible and subjective, just like him. I'm doubt that was Twain's intention, but it reminded me of that old question: is man fit to be the judge of his own morality?
Anyway, I guess it depends on whether you look at Hank as a symbol or a person.
Character-wise, I liked your point about Hank being more human this way. It's true that otherwise he would be rather mechanical.
I agree with your depiction of Hank as an attention hog. No one can deny that he isn't a little over the top. However, I think that the instances in the book where he is seemingly putting on a show, although his actions are often exaggerated, they often have a purpose regardless. His showmanship isn't solely showmanship despite it being over-dramatized. In terms of your claim about Hank only caring about Morgan's released prisoners' reactions as opposed to the prisoners themselves, a lot of the commotion originally caused in Le Fay's castle is instigated by Sandy. Sandy uses Hank's reputation to save people's lives, but it wasn't originally Hank's idea to save them. Additionally, when he frees almost all of her prisoners, he doesn't do so in a public forum nor does he use his ability to free all of her prisoners to his advantage once they are freed. Unlike his "miracles," Hank never attempts to broadcast this event as an illustration of the power he wielded. Furthermore, his fascination with the couple's lack of reaction to being reunited results from exasperation regarding the exploitation of aristocracy, not solely from his fascination with the reactions to his showmanship. So too, when he takes notice of the reactions of the family that was reunited with the old man returning from prison after about half a century of imprisonment, Hank states his curiosity with the fact that "this dreadful matter brought from these downtrodden people no outburst of rage against their oppressors... a curious revelation indeed, of the depth to which this people had been sunk into slavery" (Twain 134).
ReplyDeleteAnother scenario from the novel that you point out as showmanship is the anecdote involving Marco and the large meal at his house. However, Hank's showing off in the presence of Marco and his company is not simply a self-confidence boost, but a response elicited from Hank by Marco's joy at not having to turn his cousins in to the aristocracy for escaping from prison. Marco's refusal to turn in his cousins encourages Hank's behavior because it is an act that defied human nature of the time, and aristocracy itself. Albeit the antics of the entire meal were probably unnecessary, there was still an ulterior motive to his actions and the melodrama wasn't just for the showmanship. I will admit that the petty things he does for his reputation does make it seem like Hank is constantly trying to defend his hurt ego. However, it is somewhat understandable because if his reputation is tarnished, Hank would not have enough credibility to pull off the revolution he is planning. As Lizzie mentioned, "it cements his professional reputation as the local wizard and gives him power and prestige" as he wasn't born into aristocracy and would've otherwise been as lowly as a commoner. Nevertheless, it is true that his pragmatism is overshadowed by his showmanship, as his outrageous behavior is a lot more poignant than are any conjectured reasons for his antics.