# Wednesday, April 4, 1906 explained — The Autobiography of Mark Twain

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

## What happens

Twain reflects on his popularity and the attention he receives from college women, particularly at a reception for the Woman's University Club and a Vassar benefit at the Hudson Theater. He discusses the Morris case and the political controversy surrounding Barnes's appointment, and comments on the auction of Thomas Nast's collection, noting with satisfaction that his own letters sold for more than those of Lincoln, Sherman, and Sheridan. He also describes his autobiography as a mirror in which he observes himself and the people who pass by.

## Themes in this chapter

### Memory and Autobiography

Twain explicitly discusses his autobiography as a mirror and contrasts it with conventional autobiographies, emphasizing self-reflection and memory.

### Hypocrisy and Human Nature

Twain's candid admission of enjoying flattery and his manufactured blushes reveal human vanity and self-deception.

### Mortality and Loss

Twain reflects on the transient nature of fame and the eventual decline of his own literary value compared to Lincoln and other historical figures.

## Character check-ins

### Mark Twain

Narrator and central figure; attends receptions, reflects on his autobiography, and comments on the Nast sale.

### Grover Cleveland

Mentioned indirectly in the context of the Morris case and political appointments.

### Theodore Roosevelt

Mentioned in the context of the Morris case and as a subject of letters in the Nast auction.

### Susy Clemens

Mentioned in connection with a past visit to Vassar College with Twain.

### General Sherman

His letter to Nast sold for $6 at auction; Twain compares his own sales to Sherman's.

### General Sheridan

His letter to Nast sold for $12.25; Twain compares his own sales to Sheridan's.

### Abraham Lincoln

A letter by Lincoln sold for $38; Twain predicts Lincoln's autograph will eventually outsell his own.

### Thomas Bailey Aldrich

Not directly mentioned in excerpts; omitted.

## Key lines

> This autobiography of mine is a mirror, and I am looking at myself in it all the time.

Twain describes his autobiography as a reflective tool for self-examination, unlike traditional autobiographies that focus on others.

_Highlights Twain's unique approach to autobiography as self-portraiture._

> I shall enjoy my supremacy now, while I may. I shall read that clipping over forty or fifty times, now, while it is new and true, and let the desolating future take care of itself.

Twain plans to savor his current literary popularity, knowing that future generations may value other authors' works more highly.

_Reflects Twain's awareness of the fleeting nature of fame and his pragmatic enjoyment of the present._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_autobiography_of_mark_twain_se/chapters/volume-ii-wednesday-april-4-1906
- 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