Pudd’nhead Wilson · Chapter
I: Pudd'nhead Wins His Name explained
The chapter introduces Dawson's Landing, a sleepy slaveholding town on the Mississippi in 1830.
What happens
The chapter introduces Dawson's Landing, a sleepy slaveholding town on the Mississippi in 1830. It describes the prominent Driscoll family, including Judge York Leicester Driscoll, his widowed sister Mrs. Rachel Pratt, and his younger brother Percy Northumberland Driscoll. On February 1, 1830, two boys are born in Percy's house: one to him and one to his slave girl Roxana. Mrs. Percy Driscoll dies within the week, leaving Roxy in charge of both babies. The chapter also introduces David Wilson, a college-educated young lawyer who arrives in town but is immediately labeled a 'pudd'nhead' after a misunderstood remark about killing half a dog, a nickname that sticks for twenty years.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Aristocracy
The chapter establishes the importance of Virginian ancestry and gentlemanly status, embodied by Judge Driscoll and Pembroke Howard.
Race and Slavery
The setting is a slaveholding town, and the birth of Roxy's child to a slave girl highlights the racial hierarchy.
Deception and Appearance
Wilson's innocent remark is misinterpreted, leading to a lasting false impression of his intelligence.
Characters to notice
- Pudd'nhead Wilson
Introduced as Mr. David Wilson, a young lawyer from New York who earns the nickname 'Pudd'nhead' after a misunderstood remark about a dog.
- Judge Driscoll
Chief citizen of Dawson's Landing, proud of his Virginian ancestry, childless with his wife.
- Mrs. Rachel Pratt
Judge Driscoll's widowed sister, also childless and sorrowful.
- Pembroke Howard
Lawyer and bachelor, an old Virginian grandee and the Judge's dearest friend.
- Roxana
A twenty-year-old slave girl who gives birth to a son on February 1, 1830, and is put in charge of both her baby and her master's newborn.
- Mrs. Percy Driscoll
Percy Driscoll's wife, who dies within a week of giving birth to a son.
Key passages
“I wish I owned half of that dog.”
Wilson jokingly says he wishes he owned half of a noisy dog so he could kill his half.
This remark is misunderstood by the townspeople, leading to Wilson being labeled a fool and earning the nickname 'Pudd'nhead'.
“Within a week he had lost his first name; Pudd'nhead took its place.”
The nickname 'Pudd'nhead' replaces David Wilson's real name in the community within a week.
This marks the beginning of Wilson's long-standing reputation as a simpleton in Dawson's Landing.