# III explained — Roughing It

> Chapter companion for Roughing It by Mark Twain.

## What happens

The narrator describes a stagecoach journey where the thoroughbrace breaks under the weight of excess mail. After repairs, the coach is packed with mailbags, which the passengers use as a bed. The narrator reflects on the comfort of the journey, the landscape, and encounters a jackass rabbit. He also digresses into a humorous description of sagebrush and a tall tale about a camel choking on a manuscript.

## Themes in this chapter

### Humor and Exaggeration

The narrator's ignorance of the term 'thoroughbrace' and the tall tale of a camel choking on a manuscript exemplify Twain's humorous and exaggerated style.

### Frontier Myth vs. Reality

The romanticized comfort of the journey contrasts with the harsh reality of broken equipment and uncomfortable conditions.

## Character check-ins

### The Narrator

The narrator describes the thoroughbrace breaking, his ignorance of the term, and his subsequent enjoyment of the journey.

### Mr. Winters

Mentioned as part of the party; the narrator refers to 'we three' climbing onto the seat behind the driver.

### Ollendorff

Mentioned as part of the party; the narrator refers to 'we three' climbing onto the seat behind the driver.

## Key lines

> By George, the thoroughbrace is broke!

The driver exclaims that the coach's suspension system has broken.

_This event triggers the narrator's curiosity and the subsequent repair._

> The lazy bed was infinitely preferable.

The narrator found lying on the mailbags more comfortable than sitting on seats.

_Highlights the improvisation and comfort found in discomfort._

> He began to gag and gasp, and his eyes to stand out, and his forelegs to spread, and in about a quarter of a minute he fell over as stiff as a carpenter’s workbench, and died a death of indescribable agony.

The camel choked to death after swallowing a mild statement from the narrator's manuscript.

_A humorous exaggeration illustrating the absurdity of the narrator's tall tale._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/roughing_it_se/chapters/iii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/roughing_it_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/roughing_it_se/chapters