Dandy Delightening The Squatter Summary

In Southwest humor, one of the elements used is "Conflict." Conflict is further broken down into: Elitist versus commoner, tricksters, and man versus nature. Typically, the Elitists feel they are better than most and developed and over inflated ego regarding themselves. Mark Twain is a master of explaining what an over inflated ego in the presence of others that are much more humble can result in. In Twain's "The Dandy Frightening the Squatter", "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" and "When the Buffalo Climbed a Tree" does the elitist inflated egos become deflated, but the humble commoner actually demonstrates more "elite" character.

In "Dandy Frightening the Squatter", Twain wrote about how Hannibal, on the Mississippi was nothing more than a wood-yard, just a refuel stop for the
It was mainly inhabited by "Squatter", those that insured a good supply of wood for the steamboats. Twain starts his tale as a steamboat approaches a landing at Hannibal, which is not more than a pile of wood and few huts. Now on that steamboat is this "Dandy", finely dressed and well groomed. And he very much wants to impress the ladies with how brave and heroic he is, and decided that he was going to use a squatter that he spied on the bank to accomplish this. He announces to the passengers "Ladies, if you wish to enjoy a good laugh, step out on the guards. I intend to frighten that gentleman into fits who stands on the bank" (Twain, The Dandy...). To back up his arrogance, the Dandy arms himself with pistols and knives, prominently displayed so all could see. Twain does not tell the readers much about the squatter except that one in particular was tall and brawny, for someone the cuts wood for a living, that would be an understatement. Now the would be hero marched as only a hero can right up to the squatter and exclaimed: "Found you at last, have I?