The Autobiography of Mark Twain · Chapter
Monday, April 2, 1906 explained
Mark Twain recounts the early days of the Nevada Territory government under Governor Nye, describing the governor's political acumen and popularity, the practical jokers of the region, and his own entry into journalism.
What happens
Mark Twain recounts the early days of the Nevada Territory government under Governor Nye, describing the governor's political acumen and popularity, the practical jokers of the region, and his own entry into journalism. He details how he and his brother Orion profited from a legislative recording law, and how Orion's ambition led him to build an expensive house, setting the stage for later disaster. The chapter also includes a contemporary news item about President Roosevelt's appointment of Benjamin F. Barnes as Postmaster of Washington.
Themes in this chapter
The American Experience
Explores the frontier politics, journalism, and social dynamics of the Nevada Territory, highlighting the rough-and-tumble nature of American expansion.
Character and Morality
Examines the contrast between Governor Nye's shrewdness and Orion's honesty, as well as the moral implications of practical jokes and political maneuvering.
Hypocrisy and Human Nature
Twain critiques the childishness of practical jokers and the self-serving motives behind political actions, such as Governor Nye's statehood push.
Characters to notice
- Mark Twain
Narrates the chapter, describing his early journalism on the Virginia City Enterprise and his role in the legislature.
- Orion Clemens
Served as Acting Governor, built a $12,000 house, and profited from a record-keeping law passed with Mark Twain's help.
- Governor Nye
First Governor of Nevada Territory, a skilled politician and practical joker who outwitted local jokers and later turned the territory into a state.
- Jane Lampton Clemens
Mentioned as 'Mrs. Governor Clemens' who enjoyed being the Governor's wife and head of society.
- Mrs. Morris
Referenced in the news item as the woman forcibly ejected from the White House by Benjamin F. Barnes.
- Theodore Roosevelt
Mentioned in the news item as President who appointed Benjamin F. Barnes as Postmaster of Washington.
Key passages
“By the time he had been Governor a year he had shaken hands with every human being in the Territory of Nevada, and after that he always knew these people instantly at sight and could call them by name.”
Within a year of becoming governor, Nye had personally greeted every one of the 20,000 residents and could recognize and address them by name thereafter.
Illustrates Governor Nye's exceptional memory and political skill.
“He built and furnished the house at a cost of twelve thousand dollars, and there was no other house in that capital that could approach this property for style and cost.”
Orion constructed and outfitted a house costing $12,000, unmatched in the capital for its elegance and expense.
Highlights Orion's ambition and the financial risk that led to later disaster.
“I got the legislature to pass a law requiring every corporation doing business in the territory to record its charter in full, without skipping a word, in a record to be kept by the Secretary of the Territory—my brother.”
Twain persuaded the legislature to mandate that all corporations must record their complete charters with the Secretary of the Territory, who was his brother Orion.
Shows Twain's influence and the scheme that brought them substantial income.
