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Cannibalism In The Cars Essay

Decent Essays

Cannibalism in the Cars is a short story written by American writer Mark Twain in 1868. The reason I chose to appreciate and write about this literary work is Mark Twain’s supreme use of cunning and witty language portrayed on a contrasting canvas, that will survive, I believe, the test of time. This essay will primarily focus on two recurring motifs that, I assume, were the basic building blocks on which this humorous short story was built.
The first recurring motif in the first half of the story is the aforementioned utilization of contrast. While Mark Twain is widely considered a realist author, the use of this motif further suggests that Mark Twain was inspired by elements of romantic literary movement. Contrast in the story is used to …show more content…

When the passengers begin feasting on their fellow companions due to lack of available food, the narrator is so delighted and satisfied that he could not resist saying a few funny and at the same time disturbing remarks. This prompts the question as to how our preferences change depending on the situation. I liked Harris. This is perhaps a better example of ambiguity depending on the context rather than lexical or structural ambiguity. One of the next victims elected to be devoured was mister Morgan. The narrator comments on his redeeming qualities, that have little to do with how the gentleman tasted. There is no correlation between these two qualities and lack of empathy or regret from side of the narrator displays how cruel the writing is.
Cannibalism in the Cars in many aspects depicts a social eco-system of the real world. Built on political affairs of voting and climbing through ranks of surviving suggests a parallel to the real political processes where eating a certain man represents climbing the political ladder. The short story contains a lot of symbols, that may be interpreted in various ways depending on a reader but it as well emphasizes the merit this literary work brings to the

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