# XIII explained — Roughing It

> Chapter companion for Roughing It by Mark Twain.

## What happens

The narrator describes their experiences in Salt Lake City, including a fine supper, observing Mormon life, meeting Gentiles, and visiting Brigham Young. They explore the city's neat streets, industries, and the Mormon crest of a Golden Beehive. The chapter ends with a visit to Brigham Young, who mistakes the narrator for a child.

## Themes in this chapter

### Colonialism and Cultural Change

The narrator's fascination with Mormon customs and the contrast between Gentile and Mormon life highlights cultural encounters and adaptation.

### Humor and Exaggeration

Bemis's drunken antics and the narrator's exaggerated indignation at Brigham Young's dismissal provide comic relief.

### The Absurdity of Pretension

The narrator's attempts to impress Brigham Young with political remarks are met with indifference, underscoring the futility of pretension.

## Character check-ins

### The Narrator

Describes the city and his interactions, including a failed attempt to engage Brigham Young in political discussion.

### George Bemis

Gets drunk on 'valley tan' and comes to the hotel room in a disheveled state.

### Brigham Young

Receives the narrator and others in a state visit; mistakes the narrator for a child.

### Mr. Street

Accompanies the narrator on the visit to Brigham Young.

## Key lines

> We had a fine supper, of the freshest meats and fowls and vegetables—a great variety and as great abundance.

We enjoyed an excellent dinner with a wide selection of fresh meats, poultry, and vegetables.

_Describes the quality of the meal in Salt Lake City._

> Valley tan (or, at least, one form of valley tan) is a kind of whisky, or first cousin to it; is of Mormon invention and manufactured only in Utah.

Valley tan is a type of whiskey unique to Utah, created by Mormons.

_Explains the local alcoholic beverage._

> When the audience was ended and we were retiring from the presence, he put his hand on my head, beamed down on me in an admiring way and said to my brother: 'Ah—your child, I presume? Boy, or girl?'

As we left, Brigham Young placed his hand on my head and asked my brother if I was his child and what my gender was.

_Highlights the narrator's humiliation at being mistaken for a child._

## Links

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