# Friday, March 9, 1906 explained — The Autobiography of Mark Twain

> Chapter companion for The Autobiography of Mark Twain by Mark Twain.

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_autobiography_of_mark_twain_se/chapters/volume-ii-friday-march-9-1906
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_autobiography_of_mark_twain_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_autobiography_of_mark_twain_se/chapters