prose analysis on Story of a Bad Little Boy

The Story of Bad Little Boy
Mark Twain
1. Biography.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910) or everyone would recognize him as Mark Twain. He is the son of John Marshall and Jane Lampton Clemens. One of the most well known American literature figures, He wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and followed with Adventures of Huckleberry Finn which also known as “the Great American Novel. Clemens grew up in Hannibal, Missouri where it is becoming the background for Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.
His writing career started when he was 12 as a typesetter and contributor of articles and humorous sketch for the Hannibal journal. Later in his 18 he moved to New York City and joined International Typographical Union and worked as a printer. As the Civil war broke, he and his brother moved to Virginia and Clemens worked as a miner. Realized that he failed in mining, he began to write again at Virginia City newspaper (The territorial Enterprise). That was the place where Clemens got his Pen name Mark Twain. Again, Clemens continued his writing career and moved to San Francisco in 1864. A year later, twain gained his first success with his humorous tall tale “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras Country” which published in November 18, 1865. In 1866 his journey as a writer continued as he traveled to Hawaii as a reporter for Sacramento Union. A year later, the company provided him a trip to Mediterranean. He wrote things during his journey, later it’s compiled as The Innocents Abroad. There he met his brother in law Charles Langdon. Charles gave Clemens a picture of her sister Olivia, there the spring of love bloomed.
Twain married Olivia Langdon on February 1870 in Elmira, New York. They had three daughters, Susy, Clara, and Jean. They were married for 34 years as Olivia’s death had them apart in 1904.
As a noble writer, Twain has big interest on science as he close to Nicolas Tesla. He introduced his first Sci-fi writing “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” with time traveling theme.
One year before his death, he declared something about Halley’s comet. He said, “it will be the greatest disappointment if I don’t go out with Halley’s Comet.” The Almighty has said, no doubt: “now here are these two unaccountable freaks, they came in together, they must go out together.” Twain rest in peace one day after the comet’s closest position to Earth. He died without any regret, god may love him as he granted Clemens wish to see Halley’s Comet before he die. Through his death, Mark Twain is known as the Greatest American Humorist and William Faulkner Called him the father of American Literature.
“Heroes get remembered, Legends never dies.”

2. Summary.
Once there was a bad little boy whose name was Jim. If you notice, this Jim is somehow different with bad little boy in Sunday Schoolbooks, who’ll have his consequence of his terrible action. This Jim is the exception of those examples on Sunday Schoolbooks. Where the mother is usually a religious loving mother figures but, this one is wicked. She doesn’t give Jim lullaby or a kiss on the forehead, but spanked him and horned at Jim’s ear instead.
Here is the story, he once stole the key of the pantry and stole the jam supplies, ate it and refilled it with tar hoping his mother wouldn’t recognize it. He did it without any regret, or leaves with any sinful feelings or bothered by the thought to beg for forgiveness to his mother. As his mother found out, he didn’t confess his mistake and denied knowing about switching the jam with tar, he blamed the bully instead. His mother whipped him badly the he did cry. Instead of having lovely scene with loving mother and having will to be a good boy, he withstand with his nature. Everything about Jim is different with James on Sunday Schoolbooks.
The sky was clear at that time, little Jim goofing around in Farmer Acorn’s farm to steal apples. His operation went smooth he doesn’t have his bone break or being harmed by the dog who watch over the farm. Jim Steal as many apples he wants, he landed safely without any injuries. He even beat up the dog with brick as the dog approached him.
At school Jim once stole his teacher pocket knife. At that time, Jim was afraid if the teacher found out he will be punished, therefore Jim slipped it into George’s cap. Poor little thing, George was a moral boy who obeyed his mother, religious and never once told lies. As the class started, the teacher yelled at his students. ”whoever stole my pocket knife shall be punished!”. *clank! The pocket knife dropped from George’s cap, he was shocked at the moment and the whole class dropped their attention at George. One boy stood up with scents of justice and told the truth if Jim is the one to blame. The teacher seemed to ignored it, there he took George to the office. Jim grinned in sinister smile, Jim hates morale boy. It was Sunday in the afternoon, Jim decided to go boating. The weather was not friendly because it’s stormy. Despite the bad weather, he didn’t get drowned or being struck by lightning and landed in shape. Back from fishing, Jim violated his sister and killed her. Without a feeling of loosing Jim went to a bar and get drunk, it sounds like he is celebrating the death of his sister. There he raised a big family. One night Jim murdered every single his family member. He didn’t spend his life behind the cell or being hated, yet he gained popularity and he is wealthy and the most respected man on the land despite of his demented action.
You will never find this kind of story on Sunday Schoolbooks, Jim is exceptional that has streak of luck followed him. 3. Element of Fiction.
3.1 Plot. - Exposition: The whole paragraphs in this short story are the exposition, except the last two paragraphs.
Proof: Mark keeps introducing new characters, and describing how this Bad boy Jim totally has different life compared to Bad boy James in Sunday Schoolbook.
- Rising Action: The Rising action is shown on the fifth paragraph where Mark used this figure of speech, “But the strangest thing that ever happened to Jim was…” This somehow makes the readers curiousity increase just by reading it.
- Climax: The climax is shown on the seventh paragraph when he killed his entire family. This is the last crime that Jim commits in this story.
- Denouement: The resolution is shown on the eighth paragraph when Mark made a twist about the consequence of his crime. In spite of the crimes he committed, he became popular and wealthy by the manner of cheating and rascality and the most respected man on the village.
3.2 Setting. - Places. - Country side: The setting in this story is in Country side. The scene when Jim stole apples on Farmer Acorn’s farm. Because it is impossible to find a farm in the city, since Mark never once tell about skyscraper buildings or plotting about any elements of city. The other thing is when Jim stole jam at the pantry, since pantry is a place where the farmers put food supplies. We cannot find modern house with pantry, as city people will like to put their food supplies in the kitchen. - School: Where Jim stole his teacher pocket knife and blame George for the theft by slipped it in George’s cap. -Time: This story is plotted in the time when people are mostly occupied as a farmer.
3.3 Character. - Protagonist: Jim He is the main character and played as major role and the only character with the biggest portion, as Mark keeps telling about Jim the whole story. - Antagonist: antagonist is the characters who always against the protagonist. - Jim’s Mother: She always rude to Jim and never been a good mother for him. - Farmer Acorn’s dog: It tried to stop Jim from stealing apples. - George: A morale boy who is accused for the theft, because Jim hates morale boy.
- Major Role: Beside Jim, here are some characters who play the major role. There are: George and Farmer Acorn’s dog. These characters are the victim of Jim’s crime. While Jim’s mother and Jim’s sister play the part to represent how Heartless Jim is. I mean by how ignorance Jim’s attitude towards the sins he committed. He is not even regret or feel bad about killing his sister and act bad to his mother. They also help and strengthen the fact that Jim is an exceptional Bad boy, unlike the bad boy told in Sunday Schoolbooks. He’ll never get a non-merciful punishment but luck instead.
- Minor Role: I would like to suggest the townsmen is the only character who play as minor role. The thing about the townsmen is, we already know enough about the after effect of Jim’s crime and how people would react toward it.
- Development: The only development I saw in this story is the static character type and Jim is the only candidate here. He never once show his will to change into a better man but standstill with his attitude as a bad boy.
- (Side) Round: Jim Show this characteristic towards his mother when he blame the bully and accusing George for the theft.
3.4 Point of View. Twain use the 3rd person viewer. As he seems to be narrating the story and we can judge it by how Twain keep talk about Jim’s unique.
4. Theme.
Rather than to give the readers morale lesson, Mark had this story written in humorous way. As he always mention “other bad boys in the book”. As a result Mark was trying to create a parody based on Sunday Schoolbooks. By changing all the elements of the story e.g. Jim’s attitude and the environment (how everything seems to be under Jim control). References. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiction_writing#Point_of_View http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plot_%28narrative%29 http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/crafttechnique/tp/charactertypes.htm http://schoolsville.blogspot.com/2009/03/soph-extra-credit-story-of-bad-little.html http://twain.lib.virginia.edu/tomsawye/mtbadboy.html (short story)

References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiction_writing#Point_of_View http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plot_%28narrative%29 http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/crafttechnique/tp/charactertypes.htm http://schoolsville.blogspot.com/2009/03/soph-extra-credit-story-of-bad-little.html http://twain.lib.virginia.edu/tomsawye/mtbadboy.html (short story)