If he had been a
great and wise philosopher, like the writer of this book, he would now
have comprehended that Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do,
and that Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do."
His statement about illusions shows that his philosophy does not always
have a humorous setting:--
"The illusions are the only things that are valuable, and God help the
man who reaches the time when he meets only the realities."
Hatred of hypocrisy is one of his emphatic characteristics. If Tom Sawyer
enjoyed himself more in watching a dog play with a pinch-bug in church than
in listening to a doctrinal sermon, if he had a better time playing hookey
than in attending the execrably dull school, Mark Twain is eager to expose
the hypocrisy of those who would misrepresent Tom's real attitude toward
church and school. While Mark Twain is determined to present life
faithfully as he sees it, he dislikes as much as any Puritan to see evil
triumph. In his stories, wrongdoing usually digs its own grave.
His strong sense of justice led him to write _Personal Recollections of
Joan of Arc_ (1896), to defend the Maid of Orleans.
Pages:
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461