The Autobiography of Mark Twain · Chapter
Friday, March 9, 1906 explained
Mark Twain reminisces about his Hannibal schoolmates from sixty years prior, recounting their fates: George RoBards and Mary Moss's tragic romance; John RoBards's epic journey across the continent and oceans; John Garth and Helen Kercheval'
What happens
Mark Twain reminisces about his Hannibal schoolmates from sixty years prior, recounting their fates: George RoBards and Mary Moss's tragic romance; John RoBards's epic journey across the continent and oceans; John Garth and Helen Kercheval's prosperous life; the slave woman and apprentice who saved Twain from drowning; John Meredith's transformation from a gentle boy to a guerrilla chief; and the Bowen brothers, Sam and Will, Mississippi pilots who died of yellow fever after Sam's ill-fated marriage to a brewer's daughter.
Themes in this chapter
Memory and Autobiography
Twain recalls schoolmates from sixty years past, noting fleeting glimpses of faces and the passage of time.
Mortality and Loss
Many schoolmates have died; Twain recounts deaths from yellow fever, broken hearts, war, and old age.
Character and Morality
Reflections on the transformation of gentle John Meredith into a remorseless guerrilla chief, and the moral ambiguities of youthful choices.
Characters to notice
- Mark Twain
Narrator reminiscing about his schoolmates in Hannibal, Missouri, sixty years ago.
- Will Bowen
Schoolmate and Mississippi pilot who died of yellow fever with his brother Sam.
- Jane Lampton Clemens
Mentioned indirectly as part of Twain's family background, though not directly in excerpts.
Key passages
“I am talking of a time sixty years ago and upward. I remember the names of some of those schoolmates, and, by fitful glimpses, even their faces rise before me for a moment—only just long enough to be recognized; then they vanish.”
Twain reflects on memories from over sixty years ago, recalling schoolmates' names and fleeting images of their faces.
Illustrates the theme of memory and the ephemeral nature of recollection.
“I was drowned seven times after that before I learned to swim—once in Bear Creek and six times in the Mississippi. I do not now know who the people were who interfered with the intentions of a Providence wiser than themselves, but I hold a grudge against them yet.”
Twain humorously claims he was saved from drowning multiple times and still resents those who rescued him.
Showcases Twain's characteristic wit and ironic perspective on fate.