Roughing It · Chapter
XLVII explained
The chapter reflects on the funeral customs of Virginia City during the 'flush times,' focusing on the death of Buck Fanshaw, a representative rough and public benefactor.
What happens
The chapter reflects on the funeral customs of Virginia City during the 'flush times,' focusing on the death of Buck Fanshaw, a representative rough and public benefactor. It details the grand preparations for his funeral and the visit of Scotty Briggs to a newly arrived Eastern minister, highlighting the rich slang of Nevada and the cultural clash between the rough miners and the refined clergyman.
Themes in this chapter
Violence and Desperadoism
Buck Fanshaw's life and death epitomize the rough, violent ethos of the mining frontier, where killing a man in defense of a stranger was celebrated.
Humor and Exaggeration
The absurdity of the jury's verdict and the comedic miscommunication between Scotty Briggs and the minister highlight the chapter's humorous tone.
The Absurdity of Pretension
The contrast between the minister's refined language and Scotty's slang underscores the pretensions of Eastern propriety in the rough West.
Characters to notice
- Buck Fanshaw
A representative citizen who died by suicide in a delirium of typhoid fever; his funeral is the central event of the chapter.
- Scotty Briggs
Buck Fanshaw's bosom friend and the committeeman who visits the minister to arrange the funeral; he speaks in heavy slang.
- The Narrator
Observes and recounts the funeral customs and the conversation between Scotty Briggs and the minister.
Key passages
“Somebody has said that in order to know a community, one must observe the style of its funerals and know what manner of men they bury with most ceremony.”
To understand a community, you should look at how they conduct funerals and which people they honor most.
Opening observation linking funeral customs to social values.
“Slang was the language of Nevada. It was hard to preach a sermon without it, and be understood.”
Slang was the everyday speech in Nevada; even sermons needed slang to be comprehensible.
Highlights the pervasiveness of slang in the region.
“He was the worst son of a thief that ever drawed breath. Pard, he was on it! He was on it bigger than an Injun!”
He was the toughest scoundrel alive. Friend, he was always ready for a fight, more than anyone else.
Scotty Briggs's slang-laden praise of Buck Fanshaw's fighting spirit.