Captain Nye Monster

When in Pain, Change We often hear stories of life-changing experiences. Something happened to someone and they’re forever changed. It’s interesting how easily people change when they encounter something unordinary. We can see this happen to the character Captain Nye, whose character in chapter 35 contrast with chapter 41. A friendly and helpful companion turns into a raging maniac when ill. One would then question: did he become a monster, or was he perhaps unleashing the monster that’s always been inside of him? At first, Captain Nye’s described to have possessed a “singular handiness about doing anything” and a “spirit of accommodation” when helping others (Twain 482). Everywhere he went, he always managed to know someone “personally or had been acquainted with a relative of the same” (Twain 483). It’s hard not to like him. It’s
Twain received a message that Captain Nye’s “ill… with spasmodic rheumatism” (Twain 547). It’s a sickness “attended with pain, stiffness, soreness, or cramping [of] muscle” (Trall). This time, Twain describes Captain Nye as a “singularly violent wild-cat” who would suddenly go into a “perfect fury” and would “groan and wail and howl” (Twain 547). At one point, he “raved” at Twain “like a maniac” (Twain 547). If someone were to meet him now, they wouldn’t believe a word of chapter 35. Now the question remains, did Captain Nye change? Let’s look at the facts. It’s perceived that people who’re in pain “show greater activity in the parts of the brain associated with behavior, cognition, and emotions”, in other words, they’re emotional ("Does Chronic Pain Affect Your Personality?"). Science states that there’s a region in the brain called the “pain matrix”, which “registers the unpleasant ‘hurt’ of pain… [and] connects the physical sensation of pain to feelings of distress” (Szalavitz). Technically, the behavior and emotions had to have already been somewhere in his brain, but it’s just never