# III: Roxy Plays a Shrewd Trick explained — Pudd’nhead Wilson > Chapter companion for Pudd’nhead Wilson by Mark Twain. ## What happens Roxy, terrified that her child might be sold down the river, decides to switch her baby with the master's child, Thomas à Becket. After dressing her own son in the fine clothes of the heir and putting the heir in her child's humble cradle, she rationalizes the act by recalling a preacher's story of a queen's child being switched by a servant. She practices calling her own child 'Marse Tom' and the true heir 'Chambers,' and later visits Pudd'nhead Wilson to have the babies' fingerprints taken, hoping to avoid detection. ## Themes in this chapter ### Motherhood and Sacrifice Roxy's desperate act to save her child from slavery, even contemplating infanticide and suicide, highlights the extreme lengths a mother will go to protect her offspring. ### Race and Slavery The switch exploits the arbitrary nature of racial identity and the brutal reality of slavery, where a child's fate is determined by the color of their skin. ### Deception and Appearance Roxy's successful deception relies on clothing and superficial appearance, fooling even the father and the supposedly clever Pudd'nhead Wilson. ## Character check-ins ### Roxana Driven by maternal terror, she switches the babies to save her child from being sold down the river. ### Tom Driscoll The true heir, who is stripped of his fine clothes and placed in the humble cradle, now to be raised as a slave. ### Chambers Roxy's biological son, who is dressed in the heir's clothing and placed in the elegant cradle, now to be raised as a white master. ### Pudd'nhead Wilson Takes the fingerprints of the babies, but fails to notice the switch, much to Roxy's relief. ### Judge Driscoll Mentioned as one of the smartest men in town, alongside Pudd'nhead Wilson and Pembroke Howard. ### Pembroke Howard Mentioned as one of the smartest men in town. ## Key lines > Dey shan't, oh, dey shan't! ⁠—yo' po' mammy will kill you fust! They won't, oh, they won't! Your poor mama will kill you first! _Roxy's frantic declaration that she would rather kill her child than see him sold down the river._ > Now who would b'lieve clo'es could do de like o' dat? Dog my cats if it ain't all I kin do to tell t'other fum which, let alone his pappy. Now who would believe clothes could make such a difference? I swear it's all I can do to tell one from the other, let alone his father. _Roxy's realization that the babies are indistinguishable once their clothes are swapped._ > 'Tain't no sin⁠— white folks has done it! It ain't no sin, glory to goodness it ain't no sin! Dey's done it⁠—yes, en dey was de biggest quality in de whole bilin', too⁠— kings! It's not a sin—white folks have done it! It's not a sin, thank goodness it's not a sin! They've done it—yes, and they were the highest quality in the whole bunch, too—kings! _Roxy rationalizes her deception by recalling a story of a queen's child being switched, convincing herself that the act is not sinful._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/pudd_nhead_wilson_se/chapters/iii-roxy-plays-a-shrewd-trick - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/pudd_nhead_wilson_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/pudd_nhead_wilson_se/chapters