The Autobiography of Mark Twain · Chapter
Jim Wolf and the Cats explained
Mark Twain recounts the story of Jim Wolf, a bashful young man from the country who lived with his family in the late 1840s.
What happens
Mark Twain recounts the story of Jim Wolf, a bashful young man from the country who lived with his family in the late 1840s. Jim's extreme shyness leads to a comical disaster when, goaded by young Sam, he attempts to chase cats off a snowy roof, only to slide down and land in a tray of hot candy at a party. Twain later reflects on how he wrote up the anecdote for publication, saw it plagiarized, and eventually told it again in London to a young American con artist who exploited his and Stoddard's generosity.
Themes in this chapter
Memory and Autobiography
Twain recalls a vivid childhood incident from nearly fifty years earlier, reflecting on how the story evolved through publication and plagiarism.
Hypocrisy and Human Nature
The chapter explores human gullibility and deception through the young con artist who exploits Twain and Stoddard's sympathy, and Twain's own youthful manipulation of Jim Wolf.
Family and Domestic Life
The setting of the Clemens household, including a candy-pull party and the domestic routines of the family, provides the backdrop for the story.
Characters to notice
- Mark Twain
Narrator and young instigator of Jim's roof adventure; later a struggling writer in New York and a lecturer in London.
- Jim Wolf
A painfully bashful young man who, goaded by young Sam, tries to drive cats off a roof and ends up sliding into a tray of hot candy at a party.
- Jane Lampton Clemens
Mentioned as Twain's 'good and gentle mother' in whose presence Jim Wolf could not feel at ease.
- Charles Warren Stoddard
Twain's private secretary and companion in London; a gentle, trusting poet who is easily moved by hard-luck stories.
- George Dolby
Twain's lecture agent in London; a jovial, skeptical man who warns Twain and Stoddard about a young con artist.
Key passages
“He was too bashful to move. It is to this kind that untoward things happen.”
Jim's extreme shyness made him a magnet for misfortune.
Twain reflects on how Jim's bashfulness led to the wasp-stinging incident and the roof disaster.
“I believe I enjoy it now as much as I did then; yet it is nearly fifty years ago.”
The memory of Jim's rooftop misadventure still delights Twain after half a century.
Twain emphasizes the enduring humor of the childhood prank.
“I had learned, a good while before that, that it is not wise to keep the fires going under a slander unless you can get some large advantage out of keeping it alive.”
Twain had discovered that ignoring a slander is often the best way to let it die.
Twain's philosophy on handling accusations of plagiarism.
“It was a choice and satisfactory menagerie, this pensive poet and this gladsome gorilla.”
The contrast between the sensitive Stoddard and the boisterous Dolby made for an entertaining household.
Twain affectionately describes his London companions.