Discussion Summary 11/3

The main topic of out discussion was Pudd'nhead Wilson himself, and his relation to the work as a whole. We discussed how Wilson is the only character in the book whose ancestry is not explained- Twain merely says that he is of "Scotch parentage". This differes widely from all other characters, most of whom are descended from the FFV (First Families of Virginia) which in America at this time was almost like royalty. Even the black characters are related to this, as Roxy recounts how Chamber's father was Colonel Cecil Burleigh Essex, of "ole Virginny stock". The only other characters not of this heritage are the Italian twins, but Twain lets us know that they are of noble birth. Several people today suggested that by leaving Wilson's ancestry a blank slate, Twain allows him to be the only character who can escape the vicious cycle of slavery and prejudice all the other characters are caught up in. It was also brought up that this made Wilson more like the author himself, since Twain was not of special or noble birth but rather descended from a common family. This adds a biographical edge to the novel, as Wilson, like Twain, makes something for himself on the basis of intelligence and determination rather than family connections.
We also talked about the ending of the book, which is not really an ending in the sense that it leaves the reader with more questions than answers. The Italian twins go back to Europe, Roxy is dismayed, Chambers is caught awkwardly between two worlds, and Tom is sent down the river. However, Twain doesn't really say how any of the characters feel about their situations, or how they all turn out in the end. Additionally, it was noted that the entire novel was circular- Roxy was not able to keep her son safe, the Italians could not handle America, and Tom became once more a slave. This suggests the futility of the culture at this time and of the entire insitution of slavery; the only person who came out the better at the end was Wilson, who didn't really belong anywhere in the first place.
Finally, we discussed Roxy's character, and what she meant to the story. Some people found Roxy to be a good character, and saw the act of her going back ino slavery a selfless way to help her son. Others thought Roxy was immoral and selfish, only desiring to better her own life. We discussed how Roxy was integral to the plot's development and how she defied expectations of slaves as unintelligent.