Pudd?nhead Wilson Essay

President Wilson's own ineptitude and stubbornness is what led to the Senate's defeat of the Treaty of Versailles, rather than the strength of the opposing forces. Even Wilson's closest and most trusted advisors could not sway his stance. Wilson was strong in his stance and incorporated the idea of the 14 points. While it is true that opposing forces contributed to defeat the treaty, it was Wilson's unmovable position that led to its ultimate defeat in the Senate.

Tom is shown through multiple examples to act cruel towards those he loves or cares about. In his relationship with Myrtle, Tom Buchanan hits and breaks her nose. This is a prime example of Tom acting cruel towards someone he loves or cares about. “ I'll say it whenever I want to! Daisy Dais-. Making a short deft movement, Tom buchanan broke her nose with his open hand” (Fitzgerald, 37). The fact that he would hit her is cruel enough, but Tom breaks Myrtle's nose solely for saying something he didn't like. Tom acts cruel towards the ones he loves in more ways than physical. After a long marriage of pain, Daisies true opinion of Tom is shown. “ And what's more, I love Daisy too. Once in awhile I go off on a spree and make a fool of myself, but I always come back, and in my heart I love her all the time. "You're revolting," said Daisy” (Fitzgerald, ). This shows that Tom has been cruel to Daisy physically and mentally throughout their marriage, but continues to argue with excuses that he really loves her. Tom tries to say that he loves her even though he cheats and mistreats her. Toms behavior shows him to be cruel to those he loves because he cheats, disrespects, and physically abuses them in some

Throughout the novel Tom is shown as someone very arrogant and abrupt in the way he talks to people and feels he has the authority to question others in an interrogatory manner. In his first meeting with Nick he

    One the biggest flaws of Tom’s is that he makes horrible decisions. At the beginning of the book he has borrowed many thousands of dollars from mob bosses around the New York area and now they are trying to kill him. "Of course they found you, you idiot! What do you think this is— Manila? You can't just walk away with $100,000 of the mob's money and expect to live happily ever after.” (Dekker 25). His life is quite messed up. He is an unsuccessful author and lives

Tom feels because they once were a respectable family in Mumbilli, they shouldn’t be considered in the same way as others who were relatives of criminals, and shouldn’t have to go through the security measures at the prisons, like the other ‘criminals’. He hadn’t accepted that Daniel was also a criminal.

He too abandons his morals; illegally earning the money that he believes will win back the heart of his lost love Daisy. When they had a love affair long ago, she wouldn't marry him because of his financial standing. The details of his business are sketchy, when asked he usually ignores the question. Tom though, after some investigating finds the true nature of his profession.

Through Tom’s search for a higher social standing, it makes him the least moral character in the movie because his maturity and moral development is naively egoistic,

Tom continues his disloyal acts throughout the novel. Tom admits his own disloyalty when he confesses “Once in

As the novel progresses, Tom transforms from this selfish nature to become a caring person. Several examples of this transformation are seen throughout various chapters. When the Joads are traveling west to California with the Wilson’s, Tom offers to help them when their car breaks down. “Tom said nervously, ‘Look Al. I done my time, an’ now it’s done… Let’s jus’ try an’ get a con-rod an’ the hell with the res’ of it.’” Tom is showing a little more care for other people’s problems, however, he still has a selfish side because he still does not regret killing a man. He knew he had to pay for it by going to prison, but he still believes he did nothing wrong by taking a man’s life. By offering to help out with the Wilson’s’ car, he is on his way to becoming a less selfish person. As the book draws to a close, Tom stumbles upon Jim Casy again, who is murdered in front of his own eyes. As a result, he is thrown into a silent rage and kills another man which causes him to hide in the forest. He realizes that he is a danger to his family, so he sacrifices his safety in order for his family to be safe. ‘“Ya can’t do that, Ma. I tell you I’m jus’ a danger to ya,”’ (391). There is a clear transition from Tom acting selfish at the beginning of the book to him acting completely selfless at the end. This selflessness also contributed to him being a figure committed to bettering the

At school, Walter does not bring lunch, and because of this, when Miss Caroline asks her students to take out their lunches, he cannot take any out. The teacher then asks, “Did you forget your lunch this morning?” He hesitates, then says he did and Caroline offers him a quarter which he kindly refuses: “Nome thank you ma’am,’ he drawled softly.” He was respectful towards his teacher even though he is poor and cannot afford lunch. Burris comes in hosting a cootie in his dirty hair. Already messy, he disrespects his teacher when she tells him to go home and clean up before coming back by saying, “Report and be damned to ye! Ain’t no snot-nosed slut of a schoolteacher ever born c’n make me do nothin‘! You ain’t makin’ me go nowhere, missus. You just remember that, you ain’t makin‘ me go nowhere!” Before leaving, “He waited until he was sure she was crying, then he shuffled out of the building.” Coming from a family with no mother and a father constantly drunk, Burris has picked up disrespect towards his elders, such as Miss

     Any person that can rise up from the bottom rung of the ladder to the top is able to achieve great things in life. Renowned playwright August Wilson, a winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, and other awards for his work, is an example of such persons. He grew up in a lower class black family, faced the difficulties of an African American, and turned himself into the great writer he is.

wrote the play Fences about his life: the heartbreaking reality of racism in his own life and the

Even though Tom is now aware of his origin it does not ultimately change all of his behavior and attitude or as it is described in the book “In several ways his opinions were totally changed,…, but the main structure of his character was not changed and could not be changed”. This condition only lasted for a certain period of time until he “dropped gradually back into his old frivolous and easy-going ways…” p.57 A similar thing happens to Chambers by the end of the story after Tom has gotten convicted to murder and Pudd’nhead Wilson has found out about the real identities of Tom and Chambers. Being a free man, the original Tom does not know how to deal with this situation because “his manners were the manners of a slave”. He did not learn how to write or to read, nor did he spend much time somewhere else but in the kitchen.

The author’s diction intensifies Tom’s aggressive and arrogant persona through Nick’s hostile narration and Tom’s egotistical attitude. Nick describes Tom’s manner as “supercilious” and his body as “cruel”. Nick’s word choice indicates that although Nick has yet to have a conversation with Tom, Nick sees Tom as assertive and insensitive. Not only does Tom appear arrogant to Nick, but Tom also talks with a “gruff husky tenor” and a “harsh, defiant wistfulness.” Nick’s description of Tom’s voice further stresses Tom’s intimidating personality and his arrogant manner. Not only does Fitzgerald’s word choice show Nick’s impression of Tom,

Through the book tom has a lot of changes and the changes are for the better. Tom used to be lazy and not responsible and over all bad. But he changed and became a better person.